This morning, the first card I have ever sent to the South Pacific nation of Brunei was registered. Brunei's official full name is Brunei Darussalam and is a small nation in Southeast Asia on the island of Borneo. The country has only 79 registered Postcrossing members, and the total of cards sent from Brunei is 4,733, well below my personal total of 11,464. This is the first card I have sent to Brunei, but I received one from there in November 2016. Write on!
The next book in this year's list of the Trollope Society's Big Read is The Three Clerks. This is Anthony Trollope's sixth novel (out of a total of 47), written when he was 42 years old. The book was published amidst his familiar six book Chronicles of Barsetshire, which detailed life in an English country cathedral town. In contrast, this current novel is set in London and deals will a trio of government employees. Trollope, himself an administrator in the Royal Mail, would have been quite familiar with London office life, and perhaps for that reason, the author always spoke proudly of The Three Clerks. I look forward to diving into this well made Trollope Society edition.
I was born 60 years ago. Leading up to this landmark birthday, I've given a lot of thought to the state of things, past and future. On the whole, I have little to complain about; it's been a wonderful life in which I've been very fortunate. And I certainly hope it will continue for a few more years- there's still a lot I would like to do!
In 1965, the year I was born, a lot was going on:
So, my life so far began in rousing fashion. Since that first year, man walked on the moon a total of six times (family lore has it that I was asleep in my crib while my parents left to visit neighbors who had a better TV to watch Neil Armstrong take his first step), the last couple of which I have a memory of seeing. In my lifetime, computers have exploded into a ubiquitous revolutionary force that has drastically altered society, sometimes for good. Scientific knowledge, broadly, and medical knowledge, specifically, have made great strides during my life. Indeed, technology in all facets of life have barely retained any recognizable features of when I was born. The human side of life's equation, however, has not perhaps made such gigantic leaps.
My own life has also seen many events, both notable and mundane. My happy childhood was certainly the epitome of a benign suburban upbringing. I was blessed with devoted parents, a stable home life, good education, and a sufficient if not lavish lifestyle. With all the advantages of gender, race, education and opportunity, I was able to accomplish... very little. Certainly, less than I could have if I'd exhibited more initiative, diligence, and hard work. In spite of a glaring lack of ambition, I bounced back from an abortive attempt at a career as a Coast Guard officer and instead studied to become a research scientist where I've built a very modest CV and a scientific record unalloyed by achievement. But in at least one endeavor I can be proud: I've enjoyed a long, happy marriage to my wife Kathy. Tomorrow we will celebrate 36 years of wedded bliss. So if there is nothing else, I can at least look on our union as one of my life's great accomplishments.
What lies ahead? That's a little less clear, but I am hopeful there are still some pleasant memories yet to be made. I have enjoyed good health up to this point in my life, with a small episode earlier this year marring a record of otherwise trouble-free corporeal operation. There's nothing to indicate today that I might not yet enjoy a few more years, so perhaps I can at last summon some ambition to do something notable with my life. If I ever manage it, I'll be sure to let you know all about it right here.
As a part of the celebration of the 250th year of the US Postal System, a contest is underway to choose one of the many past stamps designs that will be reissued. Over the years, many beautiful and innovative designs have been released, and now the public can vote on which one of these will return. Voting is free and continues until September 30, 2025. The winner will then be announced at the Boston 2026 World Expo in May, 2026. ( A special stamp for this huge philately convention will be issued in a couple weeks on August 14.) Looking back on the many wonderful stamps designs eligible for voting, I see some I have really liked. The innovative color-changing lunar eclipse stamp. The beautiful dual design transcontinental railway stamps. and the fun stamps depicting Bugs Bunny, Peanuts, and Star Wars characters. But my favorite stamp is the scratch 'n sniff scented ice cream treats stamps. They really did work and smelled like a summertime ice cream treat. Voting is free and requires no registration, so vote early and vote often. Write on!
It's that time of year, once again, when we prepare for World Postcard Day on October 1st. The day commemorates the accepted date of the first postcard, sent in 1869 in Austria. For many years, the postcard was a cost-effective way to send short messages quickly, often with a suitable image. Postcards would become a popular way for travelers to send souvenir photos and messages from their trips to friends and family back home. In the digital age, postcards have become a historical oddity, but for hobbyists like me, and thousands of other Postcrossing members, they remain a fun way to communicate with people all around the world. So each year, Postcrossing commissions an artist to create a special postcard design to be sent on the big day. This year's design has just been released, and is now available for free download and printing. It's a beautiful design by an artist named Uran Duo, a married couple who are graphic artists in Fujian, China. I've already sent off my printing order to Vistaprint, and will be ready to celebrate this year's World Postcard Day!
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Today marks 20 years of existence for the Postcrossing project, in which members exchange postcards with others all over the world. What started as a casual experiment by a postal mail enthusiast with computer database expertise has grown into an elite worldwide community of more than 800,000 members who have sent, so far, over 82 million postcards. As Postcrossing reaches 20 years of facilitating global connections, it continues to thrive. Despite perpetually rising postal rates, wars, and a pandemic that curtailed air cargo transport, a postcard is delivered every 7 seconds to 209 countries on the planet. Cards sent by Postcrossing members have travelled a cumulative 10 million laps around the world. In celebration, I have ordered a pack of commemorative postcards that are a reproduction of PT-1, the first postcard ever sent through the system by its founder, Paulo Magalhães. I regret that I was not aware of Postcrossing until some years after its creation. But once I discovered it over 12 years ago in October 2012, I have been an enthusiastic member and have sent 11,346 postcards to date. Of the many, many hobbies I have, there are few I enjoy more. So on this day, I wish Paulo and all fellow Postcrossers a happy 20th!
The three-day holiday weekend gave me the chance to catch up on some Postcrossing postcard writing. Over the weekend, I wrote, stamped, and addressed over 50 cards, which are now ready to go out to the world in Monday morning's mail. Get ready, USPS! In addition to the hefty stack of postcards, there will also be my usual personal correspondence to family and friends. July is a big month for friend's birthdays, as it happens. I am currently ranked 28th among all USA Postcrossing members (more than 76,000 of them) in terms of number of cards sent. And I still cling to my #1 ranking in Alabama. So I hope this weekend's efforts will help to cement my position. It's also the last flurry of activity before the USPS raises the cost of stamps once again, on July 13th. What's become an expensive hobby will become a little more so. Regardless, I have no intention of giving it up. Write on!
In General Congress, assembled-
The History of the present King is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.
He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries.
He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance.
He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws:
For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:
In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.
It was a slightly better month for me regarding postcards: In June, I sent 84 Postcrossing cards around the world and received 68. That brings my lifetime totals to 11,326 cards sent and 11,300 cards received. As a matter if curiosity, I calculated just yesterday my loss rate: over the past year, 3.2% of cards I send are never registered. That means they were either lost in the mail and were never delivered, or were delivered and not registered by the recipient. In the past, I've noticed a significant portion of these unregistered cards go to Postcrossing members who appear to be active for a very short time after they join and then become inactive. It's as though they lose interest quickly and don't bother to register cards they receive. Another possibility is that the ID number written on the card is wrong (my mistake) or becomes unreadable (from damage to the card or obscuring from postmarks or other labels). Postcrossing has an online form that I use often which assists recipients in obtaining an ID number via a search with other information (date of sending, city of origin, my name, etc.) and I am careful to write the ID number clearly in a location most protected from tears or other damage to the card. I also ensure that date, city, and my name clearly appear on the card. But I fear many Postcrossing members are unaware of this search feature or are too lazy to use it. So when I am back up to my target of sending 100 cards each month, it's sad to think that three of them are wasted effort. But that's how life is. Write on!
