Alright Grandpa, they're in the mail! At your very fine suggestion I sent Micah to the post office (Matt is way over taxed for such an endeavor).
Because endeavor it is. The Binghamton Post Office (not the main one downtown, but the southside one, here on Vestal, the nice little block of a box, with that good old hometown feeling) is no small undertaking. Even suppose you don't take four children, or even one R, with you. You have to prepare your body, mind and soul to go in. Or at least I do. I'm not looking for that good old hometown feeling. I'm looking to mail my stuff and get out. However, once in, and in line, you can depend upon waiting many many many minutes while B- and M- ask you extensively about how you are, how your family is, if you would like stamps, what kind of stamps, if you want insurance, if you really want to send the package, all the available rates and speeds, in short, every possible question, not only of you but of every person ahead of you, so that, after standing and listening for 45 minutes, you want to run screaming from the building. It means seriously gearing up, for me, to event think about going in. I feel so strongly about not going to the post office, unfortunately, that I frequently fight with people on Sunday morning about it. Everybody here on the South Side pretty well loves B- and M- and feels dread about the long off day when the retire.
Anyway, it hadn't occurred to me to muscle someone else into going. I can't send Matt, like I mentioned before, because life is too short. And he gets combative and ends up bringing home notes about the proper way to collect or send mail. But then, just after posting, Micah presented himself and asked (undoubtedly foolishly-he called twice from the post office to make sure about what I was sending and some other wretched little forms he had to filled out) if there was anything I needed. Micah is a soothing and calm person, the kind of person who can calm the shattered postal worker and postal customer. So, I'm so grateful. It only took three months. Heaven preserve me when I have to mail something else.
6 comments:
Well, I want to know where the packages of music are that I addressed and paid for myself, and only hoped and prayed you would actually mail to me in Kenya. They're not here yet. Did they get torn up in the recent political riots? Are they lost under a mountain of Christmas mail (I only just now got a bunch of Christmas cards)? Have they gone to Hong Kong? WHERE ARE THEY? Wringing the hands with woe and frustration.
ME
And I know you mailed them, so IT'S NOT YOU. Maybe it really is B and M at the post office just looking at those packages fondly and wondering if they should be insured for delivery.
ME
Anne, I made a great discovery at Christmas -- the USPS online print & ship service. You can print out mailing labels and postage online, stick em on your package and the postman will pickup your package at your house.
I did this with the flat rate ($8.95) Priority mail boxes, which you can get free at post offices, or I think, get delivered to your house. Or, if you have a food scale and can weigh your package, you can do it for non flat-rate packages too.
I mailed out 27 packages at Christmas and didn't have to stand in ANY lines, it was WONDERFUL!!
I admit, I am guilty: I love the Southside post office. They don't growl at me, (I hate it when postal workers growl at me because I have no idea what I'm doing when mailing stuff,) so it's great to have all the options laid out for me every time, because the next time I go in, I will have forgotten everything. :) Obviously we need a post office for people who know what they want, and one for clueless people like me. :) I do kinda feel bad for them, though, as they ask those all questions all day! I will miss the post office, funnily enough.
~R
Mommy,
they're in the mail. But I can't find the check. You should be getting them shortly. Shortly shortly.
Karen-thanks for the tip. I'm going to try it out this week.
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