car ni val (kar nuh vuhl)
noun

1. a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
2. an instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading
3. an instance of riotous excess
4. a traveling enterprise offering amusement
5. an organized program of entertainment or exhibition, as in a festival, traveling amusement show, rides, a program of sports, any merrymaking or revelry, etc.

How appropriate. I’m hosting this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival and that got me wondering about the word “carnival” and how it related to what we do each week. Now, our group of Blogging Boomers aren’t known for riotous excess or masquerading (at least I don’t think so), but we are an enterprise that offers entertainment and amusement, not to mention worthwhile information. So, without further ado, let me preview what our boomers are talking about this week. My summaries are meant to whet your appetite – to read the full versions, click the links and visit each of the individual sites. Happy browsing!

In the U.S., 83,000 people wait on the official kidney-transplant list. But SoBabyBoomer tells us that just 16,500 people received a kidney transplant in 2008, while almost 5,000 died waiting for one.

“It’s Complicated” is an understatement when it comes to Sex with the Ex, here’s the Midlife Crisis Queen’s assessment of the new film and sex with the ex!

Almost every English-speaking person of a certain age has read or heard of “Love Story.” Erich Segal, the author of the blockbuster 1970 novel, died this week. Learn more at The Boomer Chronicles.

From It’s All About Aging: Everyone always gives lip service to how much they love their family, but if you don’t have a will, it’s just empty talk.

Do you want to live to 100? Find out what it takes over at Contemporary Retirement.

Do full lips make you look younger? A new study says so, but the Glam Gals don’t totally agree. Check out what they have to say at Fabulous after 40.

Ever wonder why you can’t understand what kids are saying these days? Check out Dude. I’m Just Sayin’ at the Writing Without Periods blog. Jenny’s talking about the changes that have taken place in slang since the good ol’ days.

If you are a Los Angeles parent with college-age kids, you’ll want to read about this particular casting call posted on Gen Plus.  And you might make a few dollars, to boot!

Vaboomer.com co-founder Virginia Cornue returned from a trip to Haiti only days before the earthquake.  Here is report of the calmness and compassion of Haitians coping with the disaster:

And last but certainly NOT least, according to Life Two, there may be no more perfect book for fixing your life than Gretchen Rubin’s new book “The Happiness Project.” Rubin spent a year as a one person focus group testing every possible way to increase personal happiness resulting in a fun, conversational tome that inspires, educates, and entertains. A more perfect post for a carnival would be hard to imagine.

Photo courtesy of JSmith Photo