Nov 25 2007
Not Exactly A Set Of Steak Knives
But I do have a special offer!
Or not. You decide.
How would you like to receive a postcard from Ms. Q??
Yep, a postcard, handwritten by The Inimitable Ms. Q and addressed to YOU.
Over the years I have sent hundreds of postcards to friends and family. Prior to email I was big on the handwritten letter. I still believe in the power of the handwritten letter, card, and note.
Think about how much time it takes to pick out a card, write a message, address an envelope, and put a stamp on it! If you lick the envelope and the stamp, you’re even parting with some DNA.
My friends and family have gotten postcards from Omaha, Atlanta, Detroit, New York City, Cape Town, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Austin …
Wherever I go, I always try to send a few postcards.
I’m returning to Seattle on Monday and thought that maybe one of you readers would like a postcard from me. How often do bloggers actually exchange anything tangible, much less personal?
RULES:
- Must live in the United States.
- Must be 18 years or older. *
* OK, not really but you must be able to read. Not that you could read my handwriting.
Deadline: Wednesday November 28th, 2007. I have to have time to write the thing!
Note: You are ineligible to enter this contest if you have received a postcard from me in the past.
To request the postcard, leave your email address in the comment form and I’ll email you for your mailing address. Your email address will not be displayed.
In the event that more than one of you wants a postcard from me, The Inimitable Ms.Q will assign numbers to your names, seed a random number generator and let it decide.
OK, not really. I will write down your names on scraps of a paper, throw it a bowl and pick one.
If there are only 2 of you, I will flip a coin.
If there are none of you, well, I guess I’m not as Inimitable as I thought.
I might send out more. It depends. Depends on how many glasses of wine I’ve had…
The Lucky Winner will be posted as well as a link to their blog if they have one.
Update: I respect private information and your mailing addresses will not be shared or used for nefarious purposes.
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Oh yeah yeah yeah!!!!!! Funny, I just emailed you about a hand written card I had written…
Jill: I gather your “yeah yeah yeah!!!!” means you want to enter My Fantastic Postcard Contest??
You’re entered and I just need your mailing address. I sent out a response!
Thanks for keeping me Inimitable!
Oh I’d definitely want to enter into that contest! That seems quite interesting.
OH, YEAH, put my name in the bowl…
[email address deleted]
Send me your addy and I’ll send you a postcard from the Happy Boondocks (aka Southern Maryland)
Count me in! I want one too!
I did something similar to this before I left for Australia, and only one person responded. I did send a postcard to my best friend, though!
Derek: Glad you’re up for participating!!
Christine: Thanks for the offer to send ME a postcard! That is a really cool idea! I’ll have to pass as I don’t give out my mailing address. Gotta keep that air of mystery.
Sue: Thanks for participating in the contest! We really are related!! We certainly think alike what with having a postcard offer!
All: I will email you tonight!
Grrrrrrrrr @ ineligible for the contest! I have my postcards from you and treasure them! I have a small pile of interesting bookmarks, notecards, scraps of paper etc that I have stationed for use near by my to-be-read bookcase. Despite that, I used the postcard you sent me from South Africa for many months as a bookmark!
There is definitely something about a tangible thought, an inspiration. Like tasting a memory that I haven’t had, or remembering the future.
I do collect postcards when I visit interesting places – mostly because I figure that the musuem/historic site/city/etc are displayed favorably in their pictures – better than I could capture with my cellphone camera on a partially rainy day.
Recently I went hiking with my dad at a nearby historic fort and unexpectedly found a small well stocked gift shop. I asked my dad for $2 to pick up some postcard souvenirs. He gave me $20, and was totally abashed when I came back with a small flat paper bag and $18+ in change. They had one of those cute national park service “passport stamp centers” – where you could use a stamp pad to mark the postcards with the day’s date and a symbol for that park site. I gave him one of the cards with the stamped date and keep another one. There is something powerful about the physical act of marking the postcards – preserving a sense of presence/relating the time with the place. You don’t seem to get this vibe if there is not a connection to the place in the photo – ie if it is something unrelated to the people that have marked the postcard.
Anywho, thanks for the postcards you have sent and congrads to you lucky folks joining the Ms Q postcard fan club!
Me! Me!!! I want one!! LOL!
apple: hahahah! Now my readers have “evidence” that I send cards but of course you could be a “ringer!”
Thanks for telling me about using one of my SA postcards as a bookmark. That’s cool. I agree with you about the power of marking a postcard – it does create a connection. When I was on the Eiffel Tower, they had a post office and I mailed myself a postcard. I did the same on Robben Island. Unfortunately I didn’t have my address book or I would have sent out more postcards from Robben Island. When I was in London I decided to send myself a postcard too. I am still wondering if I will do this for Seattle. Someone I know says he sends himself postcards.
Ricardo: Seriously? Wow. I mean, are you sure you want The Inimitable Ms. Q to have your mailing address? You probably have a PO Box, what with the Hordes Of Female Fans! I’ll enter you in the contest!