...it seems there is letter writing everywhere!
For lunch today, I tried something new, a frozen Marie Callender's Al Dente meal, "Tortellini Romano." As I sat waiting for the 3 to 4 minutes of microwave time to pass, I noticed the package is decorated with handwriting. I looked closer and saw that it said, "My Dear Amy," so I examined the package more.
On the front is a "postmark," and in several places on the package are portions of the letter. Part of the design on the back looks like an envelope, with the same "Italy" postmark. Portions of the letter to Amy are scattered across the box, with the letter writer praising the food of Tuscany.
(By the way, the Tortellini Romano was great!)
...and in other news, in a story out of Vienna, Austrian authorities have been sent twice this week to rescue boys who got stuck in mail boxes. I'm curious to see these Austrian mail boxes!
Keep on writing!
Showing posts with label mail box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mail box. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
It'll cost more on Monday
For those of us mailing in the United States, postage will go up Monday, May 11. It will cost 44 cents for the first ounce and 17 cents for additional ounces for letters. Postcard postage will cost 28 cents.
I'm not complaining...just reminding you. In my opinion, 44 cents is a good deal for someone to come to my house, pick up a letter and deliver it anywhere in the United States.
Of course, more information, including all of the postage rates are at the United States Postal Servive Web site, www.usps.com.
You can also order postage there and have it delivered to your mailbox. There are some new 44-cent stamps on there. But, to me, one of the fun things to do is come up with combinations of stamps to equal the correct postage.
For example, you can use one 41-cent Beautiful Blooms stamp and one 3-cent Star FP stamp. Or you could use a Polar Bear (.28), one Navajo Necklace (.02), one American Clock (.10) and one Chippendale Chair (.04). Or, how about this combination: one Tropical Fruit (.27), one Silver Coffee Pot (.03), one American Toleware (.05), one Chippendale Chair (.04), one Tiffany Lamp (.01) and two Navajo Necklaces (.02 each).
Just remember to use the correct amount of postage on Monday!
I'm not complaining...just reminding you. In my opinion, 44 cents is a good deal for someone to come to my house, pick up a letter and deliver it anywhere in the United States.
Of course, more information, including all of the postage rates are at the United States Postal Servive Web site, www.usps.com.
You can also order postage there and have it delivered to your mailbox. There are some new 44-cent stamps on there. But, to me, one of the fun things to do is come up with combinations of stamps to equal the correct postage.
For example, you can use one 41-cent Beautiful Blooms stamp and one 3-cent Star FP stamp. Or you could use a Polar Bear (.28), one Navajo Necklace (.02), one American Clock (.10) and one Chippendale Chair (.04). Or, how about this combination: one Tropical Fruit (.27), one Silver Coffee Pot (.03), one American Toleware (.05), one Chippendale Chair (.04), one Tiffany Lamp (.01) and two Navajo Necklaces (.02 each).
Just remember to use the correct amount of postage on Monday!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Peaceful Pastime
I don't know about you, but nowadays I often feel overwhelmed with everything that's going on in the world. I'm a journalist, so I'm not blaming the media, but often it's just too much to handle...war, mass murder/suicides, economic woes, salmonella poisoning, and the list goes on and on.
But, last Thursday, our electricity was off at home for almost the entire day. It went off in the middle of our morning rush, after I had fixed breakfast but before I had dried my hair. We lit some candles and finished getting ready. After too many phone calls to the electric company, they finally showed up out on the highway to replace the pole that had broken off at the ground. (Best I can tell, the wildfire the week before had weakened the pole, which was never replaced despite being burned, and then high winds snapped the pole at the ground.)
When the lights went out, instead of creating panic or mayhem in our household, the sudden quietness enveloped our lives in a gentle peace.
Except for our voices, there was total quietness. No TV blaring out the tragic news of the day or the upcoming weather. No radio screeching the latest hits or telling me what they decided at the recent city commissioners' meeting. No hum from the computers. No rumbling or buzzing from the dryer. Things we never realize make noise (coffee pot, lights, etc.) were quiet.
The lack of things to compete with brought down our own level of chaos. No need to yell in order to be heard. No need to rush...there was much less to do. I couldn't dry my hair with the hair dryer; a quick brush would have to do — it would dry on the way to work. I couldn't check e-mail or the blog. Those would have to wait till later. There was no choice.
Letter writing can produce a similar sense of peacefulness. Writing a letter doesn't require electricity, Internet service or much of anything else. All you need is a writing utensil, some paper (sometimes, that's not really necessary -- you can mail a coconut with a message written/carved on it or a wooden postcard), an envelope (again, not really needed -- any piece of paper can be folded into an envelope or self-mailer), a postage stamp, and access to postal service.
Stamps can be ordered by mail (ask at your post office for a form). Depending on where you live, you should be able to drop your letter in a nearby mail box for the postal employee to pick up. Obviously, some places don't have door-to-door mail delivery (see this earlier blog entry), but I think most do.
I'm recommending that you take a few minutes, maybe more, today to sit down, relax and write a letter. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio. Turn off the (yikes!) computer. If it's still daylight and nice weather at your house, take your pen and paper and sit outside to write a letter. Enjoy the peacefulness of reconnecting with an old friend, introducing yourself to a new friend or catching up with family.
But, last Thursday, our electricity was off at home for almost the entire day. It went off in the middle of our morning rush, after I had fixed breakfast but before I had dried my hair. We lit some candles and finished getting ready. After too many phone calls to the electric company, they finally showed up out on the highway to replace the pole that had broken off at the ground. (Best I can tell, the wildfire the week before had weakened the pole, which was never replaced despite being burned, and then high winds snapped the pole at the ground.)
When the lights went out, instead of creating panic or mayhem in our household, the sudden quietness enveloped our lives in a gentle peace.
Except for our voices, there was total quietness. No TV blaring out the tragic news of the day or the upcoming weather. No radio screeching the latest hits or telling me what they decided at the recent city commissioners' meeting. No hum from the computers. No rumbling or buzzing from the dryer. Things we never realize make noise (coffee pot, lights, etc.) were quiet.
The lack of things to compete with brought down our own level of chaos. No need to yell in order to be heard. No need to rush...there was much less to do. I couldn't dry my hair with the hair dryer; a quick brush would have to do — it would dry on the way to work. I couldn't check e-mail or the blog. Those would have to wait till later. There was no choice.
Letter writing can produce a similar sense of peacefulness. Writing a letter doesn't require electricity, Internet service or much of anything else. All you need is a writing utensil, some paper (sometimes, that's not really necessary -- you can mail a coconut with a message written/carved on it or a wooden postcard), an envelope (again, not really needed -- any piece of paper can be folded into an envelope or self-mailer), a postage stamp, and access to postal service.
Stamps can be ordered by mail (ask at your post office for a form). Depending on where you live, you should be able to drop your letter in a nearby mail box for the postal employee to pick up. Obviously, some places don't have door-to-door mail delivery (see this earlier blog entry), but I think most do.
I'm recommending that you take a few minutes, maybe more, today to sit down, relax and write a letter. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio. Turn off the (yikes!) computer. If it's still daylight and nice weather at your house, take your pen and paper and sit outside to write a letter. Enjoy the peacefulness of reconnecting with an old friend, introducing yourself to a new friend or catching up with family.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Preventing mistakes
I recently heard about applications cell phone users can program to prevent them from calling or texting certain people when they're drunk. Apparently this is a problem for some people, and the "Bad Decision Blocker" or "Don't Dial!" prevents the partier from calling old boyfriends/girlfriends, leaving stupid messages on your boss's phone, accidentally sending inappropriate text messages to your mom.
I guess bad decision phone calls were always a possibility in the past, but maybe the process of finding a quarter and a pay phone was enough of a delay to stop most of those phone calls.
And, for years now people have had issues with e-mails mistakenly sent to the wrong person.
It seems to me, that letter writing prevents many of those mistakes. Samara at the Letter Lover blog recently wrote about "unsent letters," letters she's writing with no intention of sending. The letters serve as a form of therapy for her, allowing Samara to get some things off her mind without getting involved in another argument or discussion with the recipient.
Samara doesn't say what she does with her unsent letters. Maybe she stores them away, maybe she burns them, maybe she shreds them. No matter what, she doesn't send them. No need for a "Bad Decision Blocker" in this situation. She has time to think about what she's doing and come up with a plan.
I suppose there have been cases of drunken letter writing and mailing in history, but I doubt it's ever been as much of a problem as drunk texting is. I've never heard of a proposal to put a breathalyzer on a mail box!
This is Card and Letter Writing Month, so let's all write a letter or two!
I guess bad decision phone calls were always a possibility in the past, but maybe the process of finding a quarter and a pay phone was enough of a delay to stop most of those phone calls.
And, for years now people have had issues with e-mails mistakenly sent to the wrong person.
It seems to me, that letter writing prevents many of those mistakes. Samara at the Letter Lover blog recently wrote about "unsent letters," letters she's writing with no intention of sending. The letters serve as a form of therapy for her, allowing Samara to get some things off her mind without getting involved in another argument or discussion with the recipient.
Samara doesn't say what she does with her unsent letters. Maybe she stores them away, maybe she burns them, maybe she shreds them. No matter what, she doesn't send them. No need for a "Bad Decision Blocker" in this situation. She has time to think about what she's doing and come up with a plan.
I suppose there have been cases of drunken letter writing and mailing in history, but I doubt it's ever been as much of a problem as drunk texting is. I've never heard of a proposal to put a breathalyzer on a mail box!
This is Card and Letter Writing Month, so let's all write a letter or two!
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