Well, They Do What They Can

Pity the poor United States Postal Service.

They do what they can, considering that most of us get all of our bills online, and pay them that way, too.

Except for Christmas cards and thank you notes, which good manners still dictate should not be emailed, seldom do we receive letters any more, either.

While it is a rare day that we don't get something in the mail, it is certainly decreasing in volume from year to year.

But they apparently want to please their customers, as they have hired a service to do "test mail".

Recently, i received an invitation to be a "test mail reporter". That would mean the service would send me mail that looks like any other kind from the outside.

Inside the envelopes would be a page that identifies it as "test mail", and i would have to get online and tell them when i received it.

They want to compare mailing date with receipt date, i guess, and report back to the USPS as to whether they are still delivering in a timely manner.

To thank you for participating, they send you a book of stamps once in a while.

Sounds interesting, i might take them up on it.

Remember when mail was all we had, because long distance calls were expensive and a big deal?

Times do change.


Today is:

Anna's Day -- Sweden and Finland (commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary by St. Anne, celebration for all females named Anne or Anna, and the day to start the processing of the Christmas Eve lutefisk.)

Christmas Card Day -- the first commercial card went on sale on this day in 1843

Christmas Gift Memory Day -- the day to reminisce about your all time favorite Christmas gift

Day of Remembrance for Egil Skallagrimsson -- Asatru religion (modern vikings)

End of Days of Reckoning -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne -- Orthodox Church

Fete de l'Escalade -- Geneva, Switzerland (Scaling, or Climbing Day; celebrating the defeat of the Duke of Savoy's troops; through the 11th)

Human Rights Day -- Kiribati

International Anti-Corruption Day

National Heroes Day -- Antigua and Barbuda

National Pastry Day

National Salesperson's Day -- US

Public Holiday -- Argentina

Republic Day -- Tanzania

Search High and Low For Your Gingerbread Recipe Day -- or just give up and go to the internet for a new one, that's where i found this "holiday"

St. Leocadia's Day (Patron of Toledo, Spain)

Weary Willie Day (Emmet Kelley, Sr.'s Birthday)

Yuri's Day in the Autumn -- Russian Orthodox Church


Birthdays Today:

David Kersh, 1970
Jakob Dylan, 1969
Kurt Angle, 1968
Felicity Huffman, 1962
Donny Osmond, 1957
John Malkovich, 1953
Dick Butkus, 1942
Beau Bridges, 1941
Judy Dench, 1934
Buck Henry, 1930
Dick Van Patten, 1928
Dina Merrill, 1925
Redd Foxx, 1922
Kirk Douglas, 1916
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., 1909
Margaret Hamilton, 1902
Emmet Kelley, Sr., 1898
John Milton, 1608


Today in History:

The Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire, 536
New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster, 1793
The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas, 1835
The first Young Men's Christian Association in the Americas is founded, in Montreal, 1851
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback becomes governor of Louisiana for 35 days, becoming the first black US governor, 1872
Levant Richardson patents the ball-bearing skate, 1884
Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department, 1888
The Norwegian parliament vote unanimously for female suffrage, 1903
The first broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV, 1960
Barbados joins the United Nations, 1966
NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco, 1968
The United Arab Emirates join the United Nations, 1971
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, 1979