08/12/2001 - 5:02 p.m.

Going Postal

Bloody UPS! Bloody US Postal Service! (I'm beginning to sound like Jen about Parcelforce...) Well, here's the story, I've got about three packages to mail, and a couple of them have to cross the water. To get them to cross the water, one has to get special shit done to them.

Of course, with the post office, you can't just go find a big blue drop box and stick 'em in there. NO, you have to go and use the magic window down at the main post office. Now, this magic window is only open from 9-5:30 on weekdays. Well, let's see, I leave for school (which starts at 7:50) at 6:30, and I leave school (which gets over at 2:50) between 4 and 5. I don't have any TIME to manage this!

So, today we decide UPS is the way to go, because it won't have to be there so fast as FedEx. Neither of these are desireable because they're really rather expensive- they guarantee delivery and they tend to not take two weeks for a big box (whereas lovely US Postal Service will spend three days driving a postcard across the state, I could walk there in less time than that).

We drive half way across town to their little UPS depot place and then they're not open. They've got a lovely little sign that says that they used to be open, but they're expanding their hours for the holidays and will now be closed on Saturdays (HUH???) except for Saturday the 15th, when they'll be open from 9-12.

Why does everyone assume that only businesses mail things now? Why is it impossible to assume that maybe the American public might want to send something to someone? I mean, there used to be a time when they'd send the mail to ask to invite people to dinner tonight, and it'd get there the same day. Now, we have to have e-mail, which is viewed at the discretion of the recipient. Not the same thing at all. Sighs.