mail

GOING POSTAL

by Amber on March 31, 2009 in Notebook

I was inspired by my recent good mail day. Grateful also, to still receive tangible goodies in the post. While we all live in a digital world and I’m a digital girl, it’s still nice to have things to fondle. Paper to rip and little postal surprises, y’know!

Gavin Potenza stamps

A good letter or parcel can make your week. Someone has invested time in carefully crafting words, licking gluggy stamps and physically dropping it into a postbox – just for you. Time is one of the biggest gifts there is! Of course, there is no receiving without something being sent first, so we should all get on board and spread some mail love.

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Here are a few ideas to help share the good mail karma:

* Cultivate a delightful pen-pal relationship. Non-traditional of course! Mail local magazines, hard to find treats (in New Zealand in the 90′s, it seemed every kid had a penpal in the USA, to ensure a steady supply of Big Red gum), snippets of gossip you can’t share with your friends, mix-cds.

* Join in You Are Remarkable’s postal revolution.

* Make your everyday post the unexpected! This can be as random as you like. Pay your bills in parrot green envelopes! Write your addresses out in a luminous purple ink.  Sending a contract to your accountant? Then why not draw a picture of a gorgeously holey wedge of Swiss cheese on the outside of the envelope? (That last one is real by the way, thanks Lazarescu. My accountant is going to think I’m a complete nutter, but that’s kind of okay…)

* Participate in A Home For Alice – send in a polaroid of your home and the story behind it. A very sweet idea.

* Send thank you cards. I am a firm believer in showing your gratitude if someone does something nice for you, and I love writing and sending notes of appreciation. As a total bonus, people will think you’re mighty polite in today’s zip-zap email world.

* Collect the most heinous local postcards your corner store has to offer. You know, the cringe worthy ones that you hope a tourist would never dig out, the ones covered in dust and priced with a sticker from 1992. Take the postcard and send to a faraway friend. Lines you can use:

- ‘Wish I was there with you xxxx’

- ‘Remember that time…’

- ‘This place sucks with out the glory of your presences, you’d make it one hundred times better’.

* Send a letter to your grandparent or favourite old person. You’ll make their day and feel better about keeping in touch. You might even get some reciprocal mail!

Post Office Box

In the spirit of this post; if anyone would like a wee postcard/letter from China, please send me an email (amber@codeforsomething.com) with your address! I would love to bestow a GMD upon you.

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GMD (GOOD MAIL DAY)

by Amber on March 25, 2009 in Notebook

Hello! How are you? I’m well, quite excellent in fact. That’s in part because today I had a good mail day, one of those fleeting moments where the universes of international postal services align and mail actually is delivered!

An example of a bad mail ‘day’: Once I ordered a book on zines from Amazon, which never showed up so I ordered a replacement, which did arrive. Seven months later, yes seven, the original package appeared, with postal marks declaring it had meandered around the world; from Portland, to India, via Australia and finally to New Zealand…

A fine example of good mail:

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This package was from Pete – he’s quite handy with words (read his blog: Less Permanent) and an accomplished spoon hunter.

HRH - why so happy?

These are final pieces from London needed to complete my Alt Albion mission. Hurrah! Also enclosed was a copy of the magazine he edits, Art and Things. The rumours are true, send me silverware and I will pimp all of your publishing endeavours on CFS.

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Item number two on this GMD was an exciting parcel from Moo:

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moo cards

My very own pint-sized name cards. Excellent! I love the ‘kit’ the cards come in – filled with friendly touches like discounts and a card declaring us best friends. It was a speedy delivery too, which is always pleasing. I think I ordered my cards about a week ago.

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They’re so cute I almost don’t want to give them away…

My tax refund was also in the PO Box today, but it’s not so photogenic. Good Mail Day = smiles!

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