A nice letter

I received a very good letter the other day.  In addition to the nice words there were two things I adore: art and poetry.  The poetry was from John Keats:

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:

Below she drew this very good bird:

She also advised me to read Keats' letters.  Keats wrote some very nice letters.  My favorite is a letter to Benjamin Bailey dated November 22, 1817.  There are many famous quotes from this letter, and I have often seen his quote about men of genius reproduced, but I like this quote best:

              "The setting sun will always set me to rights, or if a sparrow come before my window, I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel. "

What Are Letters Made Of?

Words, silly.  And stamps.  But we must have something to put the words and stamps on.  It doesn't have to be paper.  You can mail quite a few objects which are not paper.  I am currently reading an interesting book about a man who experimented with the limits of the British postal service around the turn of century.

I myself am a great fan of postcards.  I send lots and lots of them.  A good piece of stationary, however, makes it ever so nice to sit down and write a card or letter.  A little while back, I happened upon a company called Pounding Mill Press, and fell in love with the beautiful creations that Ming, the owner, sells.  I ordered some things both general and custom, and I couldn't be more pleased with the product.  It has made it all the more fun to sit down and write a note.  It arrived in short time and I piled it up greedily, before opening each box:

I personally love the product, and will order more (I also like that the company is small, independent, and based in my home town).  There are a million and one awesome people making beautiful cards and letters, and there is of course the fun of making your own.  One of my pen pals recently bought some customized stationary that is gorgeous to both sight and touch.  I think one of the best things about nice stationary is that it is an indulgence which you will share with many friends. 

Don't cross the post office

I learned something today.  There are strict rules about postcards.  I sent about 20 this weekend, and nine came back.  I had written my return address below the mailing address in the area which is for mailing addresses only (see the diagram below). I sent them back out in envelopes to avoid the hassle of going to the post office and trying to send them again.  On the back flap I wrote "I am using this envelope because I broke postal regulations."

Don't be like me.  Check the Postal Regulations before each mailing to be sure of success:

http://www.usps.com/all/mailingandshippingguidelines/welcome.htm

Standard 4" x 6" Postcard

 I added the Kilroy drawing, which is a favorite of mine.

The origins of this blog

I've been sending a lot of mail lately.  It's something I enjoy.  My goal for this year was to send two pieces of mail per week, and so far I have exceeded that mark.  It occurred to me that I might like to share things about mail with the internets and the people at the other end of the tubes, which as I understand the internets are made of.  I asked a friend or two what they thought of blogs, and of my starting a blog about mail.  I got interesting comments from all, but a conversation Paul was particularly illuminating.  I've posted it below, and I believe it states in a way the purpose and the limits of this blog.

me: what is your opinion of blogs and people writing them?

Paul: blogs...aaaaah....that's a long answer.

some are good and legit. most suck. some are written for legit reasons. most are written because we've created a generation of self-centered exhibitionist morons.

 
me: yeah

I've been writing lots of mail

 

Paul: on paper? excellent.

me: and was thinking of blogging about mail and mail related issues

Paul: you know, for someone who studies literature, i have to say that the genuine letter is an undervalued form. people used to put real thought and effort into composing letters to friends...not for a public audience like a blog, but to communicate real ideas. i consider it a literary form as much as poems or novels, but it's at least as marginalized as poetry, now.

the question is, do you see value in "style" as much as in content? if so, then a well-written letter is superior to a fast, but poorly written, email. i place great emphasis on style, which might be a reaction to living in a fast, cheap, disposable culture.

me: I agree.

  that's the kind of thing I would like to put on my blog.

  

Also I think there is an intimacy in a physical object being transferred from one person to another. Even if it just three lines there's an effort, a journey of the object, and then a physicality of the exchange that all our hyper connectivity through electronics cannot replace.

Paul: as long as you maintain a critical perspective on what you're doing and why, i think you're justified. it just needs to be a blog that realizes it's a blog, and one which emphasizes that blogs are often symptomatic of a decline in just those things - material exchange, interpersonal communication, genuine social skills, privacy, etc.

me: yes

  i think i will make this blog

  and i would like to post what you've said on it

  i like the things you've said

  i only wish they'd been in a letter

I hope to live up to Paul's standards.  I also hope that I can entertain, and possibly connect with, a few people who enjoy a nice piece of mail.