A coworker asked me on Friday who I was rooting for to win the Super Bowl Sunday. I looked at her and said, “The Super Bowl is this Sunday?” Yup, that’s how much I care. I didn’t know when the game was and I have no idea who is even in it. Sorry sports fans.
Something I do care very much about is the United States Postal Service. Seriously. I mean, think about what an amazing system it is. I can post a letter to anywhere in the United States, including Hawaii and the-middle-of-a-glacier Alaska, for forty-six cents. Sure, last week it was forty-five cents, but just stop and consider how gosh darn amazing the whole enterprise is.
After you have thought about the awesomeness that is the postal service, take a gander at an in-depth and fascinating article about the mail at Esquire. It delves into the nitty gritty of how the system works as well as the P.O.’s current fiscal problems and the politics surrounding them. And then when you are really angry at Congress for screwing over the post office, go sign a petition demanding it be saved. Don’t wait on signing the petition, over 90,000 signatures are needed on it by February 18th and it hasn’t broken 3,000 yet.
Then to seal your love for the postal service, read Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal and/or watch the movie version (streaming on Netflix) which is almost as hilarious as the book.
I mentioned earlier in January that I am doing Melwyk’s Postal Reading Challenge. I have finished one book so far towards the challenge (about the letters of William and Henry James) and have begun a second (volume one of Horace Walpole’s letters).
And now I have taken up a second postal challenge: A Month of Letters. This means that I will attempt to send out twenty-three pieces of mail this month. That’s a letter a day excluding Sundays and one federal holiday, days when there is no mail delivery. I am a pretty good correspondent but even sending that much mail in one month is a stretch. I’m going to try though. At the moment I am behind with two mail days and only one piece of mail sent. But I like to send things out in batches rather than one at a time so I am not worried.
Today I spent some time making envelopes and I have some postcards I made up recently too:
Wouldn’t you just love something in your mailbox? If so, feel free to email me your address or add it to my Postable account. If you go the Postable route, don’t worry, all of your information is private, your address won’t be mined and sold. If you give me your address and I send you mail, you are not obligated to return the favor.
Who doesn’t like a card or letter? It’s only February third, still early enough in the month that you can take up the Month of Letters Challenge too. C’mon, what are you waiting for?
Just signed the petition! I used to have so pen pals and so much fun receiving mail from all over the world. I miss that. I still try to mail letters every once in a while but I need to do better. I just added my address to your Postable account
Iliana, Yay! Over the past two years I’ve been gradually acquiring new pen pals and reviving a few old ones. It has been lots of fun and I learned that I don’t always have to send long letters, that cards and postcards a good to send too. It’s amazing how much you can fit on a postcard. I look forward to sending you a little something this month!
I am still reading my second novel for the Postal Reading Challenge, Sir Charles Grandison. I’m about half way, so 700 pgs to go…
But it is really good.
I’ve just begun Letter Month as well, with a postcard from Toronto’s First Post Office (cool place I just visited & blogged about) and hope I can continue, although in Canada we don’t have postal service on Saturdays, so does that mean I have fewer letters to send than my American friends?
Melwyk, only 700 more pages to go? You’ll be done by the weekend!
I am glad you are enjoying the book, it helps the pages go faster. Technically no post on Saturdays does mean you have fewer letters to send than your American friends. The challenge just got easier for you!
I’m going to try and send out a card or letter every day (minus those non-delivery days), too and so far so good. I will probably stick to postcards mostly, though. I always feel I need to write long letters and those take time so I think I’ll wait until I have a nice chunk of time to write them, never have that chunk of time so they go unwritten–vicious cycle. Thanks for all the links–must go check them out now, especially the Esquire article. Happy letter writing!
Danielle, don’t forget to keep track of your letters on the challenge site. You earn “stamps” for completing certain special challenges
Letters do need more time. I usually plan an hour for a short one and two hours for a longer one. I know about that vicious cycle. I try to make the time, an old fashioned morning of letter writing on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons, otherwise I’d never get all my letters written. Enjoy the Esquire article. It’s long but really good I thought.
I love this idea! I just signed up. Want to exchange letters? Here is my postable contact: http://www.postable.com/annecamillejongleux If anyone sends me a letter describing something beautiful that they’ve seen today, I’ll send them something art-related in return, like a photograph, a postcard with a famous work of art on it, a quote about art, etc.
Camille, would love to exchange letters!
From Indianapolis to Minneapolis — look for a letter arriving soon!
I’m a big supporter of the USPS. When I was off work I had an Amazon store and found myself at my local PO a few times a week. I really got to know and love the people working there. They don’t get the respect they deserve…
boarding, my mail carrier is a grumpy Gus but all the people at my neighborhood post office are really friendly and helpful and clearly know the names of people who go in frequently. I agree, they don’t get the respect they deserve.
Sounds like the US postal system is a lot cheaper than ours here in the UK.
kheenand, we complain here about how expensive a stamp is but all things considered, it’s the cheapest thing going.
Stefanie, I love this topic. I have added my address to your address book and have also created one of my own. (I never knew an online address book existed!) My address book is here: https://www.postable.com/karennesaylor Please feel free to add your address to it. I believe that handwritten notes are on the verge of becoming a dying art. I have a book in my personal library about this very subject: http://www.librarything.com/work/72216 I accept the challenge to send a note every Mon – Sat for the rest of this month!
Not interested in the Superbowl – how UnAmerican of you, Stefanie! I don’t understand American Football and I suspect neither do most other people in UK but the event was given massive media coverage here so we know all about Baltimore’s holding on to win after the power cut and that Beyonce played a blinder (which team did she play for?). Now I read the whole future of the sport may be in doubt with a mass of lawsuits about the sport’s negligence concerning head injuries.
Ian, I know, I had better be careful or my American citizenship might be revoked! There has been much coverage lately of head injuries though no one here is making it out to be as dire as threatening the sport. There is too much money in the game, new helmets will be designed and new rules created but the games will continue being played.
Karenne, I’ve added my address! I’ve read Stoddard’s book, it’s a good one. I’ve always loved sending notes and letters through the mail but I’ve stepped it up a bit over the last year and have discovered there is actually a thriving written correspondence niche out there. So don’t despair, there are more people sending notes than you might think!
I owe you a letter, and I will certainly get you one this month. I’d love to have one from you, though, too. I’m going to do everything I can to support the USPS this year (which means you might even get more than one letter from me!).
Emily, you are on the mailing list whether or not I get a letter from you
I agree with the commenter who said your service is better than ours! Ours is really quite expensive and it’s not terribly reliable. Still, letters in the mail were a lot of fun. I admit that I like emailing though, as it saves others from my appalling handwriting (too many years of note taking….). Good luck with your postal challenge! I have absolute faith that you can do anything you put your mind to, my friend!
Litlove, I never thought much about the postal service in other countries to be honest, but it does sound like we are very lucky here. Domestic mail is cheap to send. They just raised the international rates though and for packages, goodness, it got really expensive!