Dead_Letter.026 (Ressurection)

[mbarrick]

An all new dead letter to my one remaining pen-pal. Sorry I can't show all the calligraphy, but obviously this is going to a valid and current address. It used to be a measure of success if the letter was delayed in transit since when this art form was at its zenith we practicioners assumed (keki can confirm or deny this) that the posties would hold them back to show them around.

Carrie 2002.07.30

Comments

[keki.livejournal.com]

hehehe... well postcards are generally kept around the longest but when we get prison mail with artwork and whatever else with it, yeah we'll pass it around if it's impressive. Usually though, at least from my experience, it still goes out when it should :) Except the postcards... nice pictures tend to linger a day or two.

"In the old days..."

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

It used to happen with my better efforts that they would take 5-9 days to get where they were going when undecorated (or poorly decorated) envelopes sent to the same people would consistently arrive in 3-4 days.

For example Canada Post passes it around for a day, sometimes two (sending and receiving stations), US Customs passes it around for a day, USPS passes it around for a day or two (sending and receiving), et voila - 3-5 days late. Toss in a weekend...

The fact that there was less automation and more people to pass things around to probably played into the holdups.

And on the subject of automation: A *really* long time ago, when Canada Post first started pushing postal codes people who lived in the island where I grew up clued in quicky to leave them *off* to shave two days off the delivery time mail sent to other places on the island. The sorting station in Victoria was not automated at all whereas the one in Vancouver was. Mail with postal codes was sent on the ferry to Vancouver, sorted, then shipped back to the island, whereas mail that wasn't "properly" addressed would get sorted in Victoria.

Oh, God. I've turned in to Cliff from "Cheers"... shoot me now...