About to go Postal

I don't know why, but the postal service has been on my mind lately. Here are a few of them, in no particular order:

a) I love my postal delivery guy. He always smiles and waves as he drives his little truck past our house. Maybe it's because I'm one of the few people who is actually home when the mail is being delivered, and I happily await his arrival. I love getting mail. Maybe it's all the catalogues and sales fliers and thank you notes for being the best client at store X. Who knows, but I love mail.

b) There are the most random people who work at my neighbourhood postal office. There's the angry Asian guy who always looks like every customer is interrupting his terribly mundane and miserable life. And the bigger football player type guy who has one eye that shoots one way and another eye that shoots straight forward. This is terrible - but I never know which eye to look at, so I keep "eye contact" with the bridge of his nose to play it safe. Then there's Miss Phyllis - she's my favourite postal lady. She always smiles and laughs when I see her. Maybe it's because I'm in a good mood when I go there to mail off my packages or buy my stamps, or because I'm in a good mood, or because I actually care and ask how her day is. Who knows, but I love Miss Phyllis and always pray that I luckily get her as my postal agent.

c) I absolutely hate when magazines stuff those stupid subscription cards into the pages of my periodicals. Several years ago on National Public Radio or something, my Dad and I heard about "The Great Credit Rebellion", where you were encouraged to send back those business reply mail envelopes from credit card solicitations stuffed full of other junk mail. This way the credit card company had to pay an increased rate for your envelope of junk, and they got the hint as to what you thought about their unsolicited solicitations. Not only do I do that, but I also send back the handful of subscription renewal postcards from my magazines - blank - every single time. I look at it like I'm giving extra work and support to my postal service, and I'm sending a message to my magazine companies. I can understand having a page of attached subscription cards that don't fall out - you know, so when I do recycle my magazines to friends and family, if they choose to have their own subscription, they could just rip a card out and send off for their subscription. But those stupid cards - no bueno.

d) when I was in middle school, one of my friends Christopher used to always wear a Post Office baseball cap. I thought it was kind of dumb. And I don't know why I still remember - but I do.

e) finally, I think it's a little ridiculous that, in 2006, the postal service was making a huge profit, and now, in 2009, they're magically in a huge debt. I've heard the idea that mail will no longer be delivered on Saturdays. Or the rate to mail letters and packages is going to go up, yet again. I'm not happy about that.

I faithfully use the postal service, even when it's more convenient to stop by my neighbourhood FedEx Office store and just drop off a package - I go to the postal office. I dutifully buy stamps, and send more than my fair share of Hallmark cards to friends and family. I do not want the rates to go up, and I better still get mail on Saturdays. After all, there might be something in a new catalogue that I just have to have and must order straightaway. Maybe I'm just a little too old school - but I much prefer shopping from a real catalogue than ordering online. Maybe it's the human interaction I get from my brief conversations on the telephone with the phone order department, which you obviously don't get when you shop online. But regardless, I like it. And for that, I can not apologize. So my friend, do your part. Send a card to Grandma. Mail a check to American Express. Order a new magazine subscription. And support your local postal service.