I posted this on Facebook yesterday when someone shared it. I cannot stop watching it. Story time!
Friday Find: How the mail works
It's the season of long Post Office lines, crammed-full mailboxes, and Sunday package deliveries. I will be mailing a lot of packages this year, what with being so far from family, and I'm also doing holiday cards for the first time since 2010 (as I mentioned).
As I stood in line at the Post Office the other day in order to buy some more stamps and drop off about 100 cards (I didn't want them to clog up a mailbox, and I needed international stamps), I had time to ponder how on earth all these cards would wing their way across the country and around the globe, and get where they needed to go in just a few days.
From previous work in marketing and direct mail, I'm familiar with mail fulfillment centers where thousands of pieces of mail are put together, grouped by zip code, and delivered to the Post Office, but I had trouble picturing what happened on the other side, with every day mail that's not organized, with addresses that are hand-written, and envelopes that vary in size. I poked around and came across this explanation on the USPS website explaining how letters are scanned, coded, sent off, and then collated at the destination, in order, for the letter carrier to deliver (something else I've always wondered). I have to admit, I am fascinated and impressed by this process!
Bowls, bowls, all type a bowls
This long holiday weekend has been filled with all the best things. Food, family, friends, relaxation, too many desserts, movies, a giant ball made out of cheese, the major kick-off to the holiday season, being able to do everything Christmas boldly and without fear. A few highlights, in lazy, holiday weekend format.
- My cousins and I spent Thanksgiving singing the latest SNL viral short Back Home Ballers. Particularly "bowls, bowls, all type a bowls". I think the best part was when we went to bed on Thanksgiving night at my aunt and uncle's, I texted my cousin that line and she responded with pictures of bowls that she had taken all over the house that day. I love having cousins nearby.
A mere portion of the feast. Not pictured: bowls of candy, nuts, and napkin rings.
- I have a huge family. Most of them are on the east coast. We facetimed with at least three different groups, all of whom showed us the ten-ish inches of snow outside. Meanwhile, it was 90 degrees and we ate with all the doors and windows open, and the fans on.
- I wore these on Thanksgiving and got a lot of compliments. They're on sale, which is good, as I don't think they're worth their full price.
Photo from nordstrom.com.
- I felt smart for wearing stretchy yet stylish pants. Also, I thought of Joey.
- The Macy's parade was so disappointing, wasn't it? Man. What a letdown. I don't remember it being quite that commercial in years past. There were so few balloons, and the whole thing felt like a giant ad. I know there's always been an element of that, but it was way too much and it just ruined it for me. I think this is the last year I'll watch.
- I saw Mockingjay yesterday with my friend Ginger. The movie was great, and I didn't even mind that much that it was only part one. Admittedly, it's been a while since I read the books so the details are a bit hazy, but I thought they did a good job with it.
-The theater we went to serves beer, has full-on recliners, and you can reserve your seats ahead of time online. It's also 21+ only. I am never seeing a movie any other way again, if I can help it. The beer was great and the seats were great and the no kids was great, but what really got me was the seat reservations. I typically arrive at the theater 30 minutes before showtime to ensure I get a good seat and can get comfortable. I get kind of anxious about it. Knowing I had a perfect seat reserved was a gamechanger.
- I am not used to a warm weather holiday season, and I don't think I'm going to get used to it. At least not this year. It is hard for this northeasterner to get into the spirit when holiday decor is juxtaposed against palm trees, and we're still wearing shorts and going for bike rides. It's a harder adjustment than I'd realized. But I have to say, going through the motions helps. It's chilly enough at night to light the fire, and yesterday I got my holiday cards delivered. I sat writing them out with Home Alone playing and a fire roaring. Sure, I had to keep the doors and windows open so I wouldn't die of heat stroke, but let's not split hairs.
- I haven't done holiday cards since 2010. I'm pretty excited to send them out this year.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was exactly what you needed it to be.