Dear Occupant: Received from Indonesia

I don’t often create a post with just one postcard, but occasionally I receive a card so interesting, that I think it deserves its own space.  Have a look at this:

I feel as if you are talking to me, and me alone, so warm inside right now am I.

Well, wow–I think I just received a postcard from a rubber stamp! And how does one respond to a “how are you” from a rubber stamp?

Now, one way to interpret this is that this Postcard Uniter just doesn’t speak English, but doesn’t want to miss out on the experience.  A look at her profile, though, told me she claims that English is indeed one of her languages spoken (along with Indonesian & German).  I still think it likely means she doesn’t speak English, though, and though the rubber stamp is clever (and I REALLY like the idea that she may have a special little add-on stamp for every weather eventuality), it would feel better, as the recipient, if she just hand-wrote this rote message on each card she sent.

Have you ever received a card like this?  Did it warm your insides, or what?

By the way, here is the front of the card:

I really like the bird stamps on this card; take a closer look:

Deadly Exclamation Point Leaks: Sent to China, Finland, India, & Taiwan

All but one of today’s cards go out in Postcrossing Forum tag trades.  Five lucky people we’ll be touching upon today:

The battling elephant seals go to an animal lover in Udupi, Karnataka, India who says she loves “anything that is unique!!!!” Whoa!  Well, this card is unique, because as far as I know, it is sold only in a single location, a restaurant in San Simeon, California–this being because the shot was taken by the restaurant’s owner.  After having sorta recently eaten and shopped for postcards at that establishment, I can say I will definitely return for more postcards.

Kitty in pearls head to Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, to a university student majoring in accounting who said she likes “anything related to cats!!!!!!!”  Whoa!

Snoopy would have been a good choice for President.  He’s headed for some international diplomacy in New Taipei City, Taiwan, where the idea of Postcrossing excites her, because she’s “never had a conversation with any foreigner before, I feel really excited and I look forward to it.”

SpongeBob!  That’s the one Postcard United send this time, and it is somewhere on its way to a junior high student in Fuzhou, Fujian, China who says she likes SpongeBob.  She says she is “very happy to fall in love with a postcard, it makes me feel a lot of warmth.”

Finally–and back to Postcrossing Forum–there’s Doctor Lucy.  The forum’s Snoopy/Peanuts tag goes for months at a time without a hit, likely due in large part to the dearth of Peanuts postcards available in the U.S., as I often moan about in this space.  Why can’t I just walk into my local Hallmark stores & pick up stacks of Peanuts postcards?  Because they don’t exist!  Okay, I’ve got to stop this.  Lucy goes off to Riihikoski, Finland, to the person who a couple of months ago tagged me in the same thread, & sent me the Sally Brown card I’ve displayed here previously.

Okay, time for a look at the stamps, stamps, stickers, & washi tape…

So Much Awesomeness, All at Once! Received from China, Netherlands, Philippines, & the U.S.

Six postcards, all of which I love, from four senders, all in one day!  What a day!

These two Shiba Inu come from China, via Postcrossing Forum, in a tag in which we were able to choose the cards we’d like from those the sender had available.  With my memory, it’s always still a surprise!

The cards’ sender tells me:

“I love Shiba too!  I found lots of them during my trip to Japan last year.”

This type of dog is very popular around my neighborhood; I see them being walked quite often. They are beautiful, but being a lover of big dogs, the inu I would most like to adopt would be the Akita!

That very nice Christmas tree closeup comes to me thanks to Postcard United, and is from a member in Tolbert, Groningen, Netherlands.

Look at that awesome Japanese Christmas postcard featuring Snoopy & friends!  It’s from Cindi in Hawaii, who really gave the card a spectacular back (scroll down).  Why doesn’t the U.S.–home of Snoopy–have Peanuts postcards, for Christmas, or for whatever?  I’ve railed about this more than once before, and will continue to do so. As the Peanuts kids would say, SIGH.

Okay, another pair from a single sender, this one from the Philippines, via Postcard United.

Yum.

Yum. Now I want both of these dishes.  I’ve cooked adobo more than once, but you know, practice makes perfect.  Have you made (or eaten) either of these?  The sender split her message over the two cards.  She wrote:

“Kamusta Ka?  (How are you?) Like you, I enjoy Asian food–which is fortunate for me coz I’m living in Southeast Asia.  I do enjoy trying new dishes every now & then.  Currently I’m crazy over Korean grilled meat, & salmon sashimi!”

The beautiful animal stamps on the back of these are wonderful, too–there’s a pangolin!  Well, just scroll down now & look at all the stamps, stickers, washi tape & stuff.

Sooo much awesomeness.  This is a card I could display with either direction facing out.

Holiday Special V: Surrounded by Snail Mail

I’ve hung some of my favorite postcards received out to dry.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Special IV: Lawn Ornament Edition

There’s a neighborhood quite close to mine, populated by mock-Victorian homes, which are decorated quite austerely this time of year with white lights.

I avoid that place like the plague.

I head for the joy.  Yeah, THIS is the kind of thing I’m looking for!

 

For about 50 years, this neighborhood has been decked out with custom-made, stand-up displays depicting classic characters & the latest movies, and has been raising lots of money for charity in the process.

I’m not showing my favorites–just the ones that are somehow snail mail-related.  These last 3 photos attempt to duplicate the “greeting cards” that can be seen as the boats exit the It’s a Small World Holiday ride at Disneyland.  I’ve always wanted Disneyland to actually sell these cards–but it’s quite difficult to find nice It’s a Small World souvenirs of any kind.

One more Holiday Special to come!  Unless I post more than one.  Or just forget entirely.

 

They Faded Away by 2009: Sent to Australia, England, Germany, & Poland

In the interest of keeping up, I present this super-fresh post of cards I just prepped to send out this morning.  Warning: today’s post of post marks a return to The Disappointassortment!

People Suck! That card’s going to Suffolk, England, in a Postcrossing Forum “you choose” tag.  My card was chosen by a retired woman who previously chose another card from this same lovely line.

Twister!  That’s an ad card, with a lot of printing on the back, going out to Munich, Germany, in a swap-bot trade of ad cards.  I remember working in S.F. years & years ago, and seeing racks of free postcards in plenty of cafes & bars.  This is something I don’t see any more, (well, not in my current stomping grounds) so I just looked it up, & found an online article stating that the two big companies distributing “free rack postcard advertising seem to have faded away by 2009.”  Heck, I find it hard to find postcards, in general–never mind just the free ones.

That beautiful dog is going to a dog lover (who lives with a Labrador Retriever) in Limanowa, Poland.  It’s part of a swap-bot “hello stranger” trade in which the whole point is just to send someone a nice message.  So appealing.

That horrible, horrible card is from The Disappointassortment, of course, and it’s off to Pinewood, Victoria, Australia, in a swap-bot trade of “weird/ugly postcards” (actually, they spelled it “wierd,” but never mind). I am so happy to finally be rid of that dungeon.  It’s been quite some time since I sent out a card from The Disappointassortment, and as soon as I flipped it over, I was reminded of yet another downside of this crappy “value” pack I bought online: the laminated writing surface, so ever-ready for an ink-smearing experience.  I slapped a little sticker on the back, in place of the ink-stamping experience I most often employ for random bits of white space.

Can we please move on to something more pleasant?  Here’s a peek a the back side of these cards: stamps, stamps, stickers, & washi tape!

The German swapper is very interesting in rubber stamping, so I stamped the heck out of her card (in addition to squeezing in plenty of writing).

Are You Feeling What I’m Feeling? Sent to China, Hong Kong, India, Latvia, Russia, & the U.S.

Still a lot of catch-up to do on the documentation side of things.  Heck, with all the holiday rush-about (yeah, I’ll blame that), now I have a lot of catch-up to do on postcards I am due to send out!

Eagle Huntress went to Laurel, Maryland, for a swap-bot trade of movie/TV postcards.  I haven’t seen this film, but I picked up the card at a local independent theater.

Goosey Goosey Gander’s castle went to Hong Kong, in a Postcrossing draw.

Hula Kitty  (not Hello Kitty) went to Moscow, Russia, the city I drew in Postcard United. The recipient must not have written much about herself, because I went the dastardly route of talking about the weather.  I try never, ever to do that.  It’s like the saying goes: everyone’s talking about the weather, but no one’s doing anything about it.

Entering the black & white postcard zone, all from a book of NYC photography I found at a library book sale.  Some people just love b&w photography.  Me, not so much, at all.  Not that I want my old movies & TV series colorized (I DON’T), but I’m just glad rich full color is how we see things these days.

Grand Central headed off to Shanghai, China.  This is actually a resend: I heard from someone whom I’d tagged in Postcrossing Forum some time ago, asking if I’d sent him the card.  I had, but I still don’t want him to miss out.  He’s a train lover, and I’d previously sent him a Skunk Train card–but I am out, and Grand Central was the closest I had to a train card.  By the way, there is a “train of lights” nearby this holiday season, all lit up, and with Santa aboard.  I’ve taken the ride 2-3 times, but honestly?  Well, look at the pics: all the joy is on the outside!  This is also why all of my holiday decoration efforts are focused on the inside of my home, where I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
The ship shot was a Postcrossing draw, off to Riga, Latvia.  The recipient must not have written much about himself, because I went the dastardly route of talking about the weather.  I try never, ever to do that.  It’s like the saying goes: everyone’s talking about the weather, but no one’s doing anything about it.

Whoa–I’m feeling all déjà vu-y right now.  Are YOU feeling all déjà vu-y right now?

The Guggenheim Museum went to Beijing, China, thanks to a Postcard United draw. The recipient likes movies, reading, & travel–and so do I!

Barney Gumble from “The Simpsons” went to Mumbai, India, in a Postcrossing Forum tag trade.  The recipient noted that she likes this show, and I remembered that somehow I happened to have this card.  I told her that as far as I can remember, the last time I saw “The Simpsons” was when the movie came out–back in 2007! My favorite thing about that movie was how some 7-Eleven stores were turned into Kwik-E-Marts!

Holiday Special III: A Family Holiday

It’s not happening this year, but there have been a couple of times when the right materials, time, and inspiration came to a confluence, and I created some very special holiday greetings.  This was one of them.

Do you think anyone appreciates me?

As far as I remember (and I actually don’t), this didn’t necessarily result in a spike in the number of cards I received the following year.

Previously:

Holiday Special I: Astro Boy Edition

Holiday Special II: Peanuts on a Wreath

Does a Dog Eat its Fortune? Received from India, Japan, Taiwan, & the U.S.

I came home today to a full mailbox!  Five pieces of snail mail–whoa!

I love this Taiwan Railway Journey postcard.  Taiwanese bento are sold in quite a few places in my city–but I really think I need to take an extended trip to their homeland, for comparison purposes.

The card was sent to me via Postcard United, and the sender writes:

“Railroad lunch box is well-known, it’s delicious and inexpensive.  People can only buy it on the train or at the train station.”

I’m not so impressed with the fortune cookies–and I’m not sure I knew La Choy even sold the things!  You can go into most CVS stores around here & buy locally-manufactured fortune cookies (also available in various colors, as well as flat & fortune-less).  Which ones do I choose?  Well, I don’t!  It’s a food package postcard, thanks to a Postcrossing Forum tag trade, and the sender is in Colfax, Washington.  She writes:

“I hope I am not the only one who is amused by the fact that fortune cookies are not actually Chinese, nor English muffins, English; French toast, French; Danishes, Danish, etc.  Since these do not contain chocolate, they are critter-safe.  My dog, Max, loves them.”

I wonder whether she lets him eat his fortune.

Incredible India is another Postcard United incoming, and it came in to me from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.  Do you want to know what I just learned on Wikipedia?  Thiruvananthapuram is the capital–and the largest city–in its state, and it has a sister city in the U.S.: Galveston, Texas.  The card’s sender tells me:

“My hobbies being stamp collection, travelling places, water painting, gardening, enjoying soups, movies, etc. Have visited many places in India. We got many exotic sites. 🙂 Never been to another country. Wish to visit USA one day!! I like to have friend’s company when travelling.  Just 1 or 2 friends.”

I chuckled a bit at the hobby of “enjoying soups.”  I do have to admit, though, that particularly-good versions of sambar do indeed get me making yummy sounds.

Well, there’s a weird postcard.  It’s via swap-bot, from an unassigned partner in the “postcard roulette” trade I’ve mentioned a couple of times lately.  The sender chills me to the core when she says:

“Hello from Colorado where we expect it to be 4 degrees for the high temperature on Saturday.  This is not normal.  You’re my chosen one from the list of roulette people…wonder if anyone will choose me… 🙂  :I  😦  “

Yeah, when I was reading about the “get assigned one, choose another one from the list of participants” nature of the swap, I did indeed wonder whether someone would choose me.  So now I know!  I wonder if I will receive still more unassigned cards…

Finally, I got a Christmas card from my snail mail pal in Tokyo, Japan, from whom I just got some cooool mail yesterday!  She writes she hopes we will be writing each other letters for years to come.

Some wonderful stamps today: I love the animals & food.

Joy-in-the-Box: Received from Japan & the U.S.

A super-long day at work, and I came home to this…

Soooo nice to see the bills & junk mail peppered with some beautiful postcards!  And I had a good idea, before I even took a good look, that they came from my two most kind & posta-talented snail mail pals.

Snoopy & ‘Stock are courtesy of Cindi in Hawaii, who really Peanutsed-up the back of the card!

Breathtaking!

And my pal in Tokyo, Japan turned a Snoopy print ad into a wonderful envelope.

Have a closer look at the stamps: the card from Japan has a little something extra: a stamp from Italy!

(but it’s the other 3 stamps I love)