Breaking News

Stamp prices are about to go up another cent on May 12! I have been upset with the USPS since last July when I was blindsided by the 41 cent stamp and since then, the stamp selection has been poor. On the day that I found out, I was with JD in SF and we stopped into a PO (this is fun). I think I already told this story, but I'll continue as it's relevant. An old man, probably in his 80's or 90's, was ranting on and on, "Long live the GPO!" (the British version of USPS). We have no idea what his primary complaint was, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like mine: why didn't you tell us that you're going to raise the prices and why are all the stamps so ugly? When I express this discontent to people, they say, "What about the Liberty Bell?" I love my country, I really do, but I want something pretty...art, architecture, quilts. These were great stamps. I don't send mail, I send letters. I want the stamp to be as meaningful as the stationery and the fact that I've handwritten your address on the envelope. So no, I will not buy the Forever stamps. And if the only thing left at the post office are the American flags, I'm going to go to zazzle.com to make my own.

I am impressed by the USPS website right now though. Despite the fact that you have to google "stamp rate increase" in order to find out anything about the new prices, they have this promo going on called The Power of the Letter. You may have seen the phrase on the cancellation stamp on your recent mail. HBO is airing a miniseries based on the letters that John Adams wrote during the founding of this country. I hope there's a book about this because John Adams seems like my kind of guy. If you go to USPS, you can get one free card sent to you with a quote from him such as ""Now Letter-Writing is, to me, the most agreable Amusement: and Writing to you the most entertaining and Agreable of all Letter-Writing" or "I read, and read again your charming Letters, and they serve me, in some faint degree as a substitute for the Company and Conversation of the Writer." Awesome! I'm pretty sure I haven't written anything as profound in my letters and they won't likely make it into any books after I die, but I do like to think about the life of my letters after I write them. I've started to photocopy some and as many of you know, I save every letter I get and store them. So, if any of you are ever famous, your letters may be read across America!

One more thought on letters. Today, I asked my students to writ thank you postcards to the parents who helped us on our recent multi-day trip to Sacramento to visit colleges. About 20% of the students who wrote their own address on the envelope put it in the right spot. I had a minor meltdown. There were addresses in the very top right, the very bottom one inch of the card, on the left, right in the middle with writing all around it. I think after spring break, I'm going to do a lesson on addressing mail. I know we're moving toward a world where everything is digital, but thinking about what their college applications will look like puts me in a panic right now.