Year-End Stats

First of all, let me get this off my chest. Mexico is decidedly not the country to go to get postcards. What precious few I could find were faded, curled, sandy, and cost more than a taco. I bought them anyway, though they did not substantially add to my collection. (It costs less to buy a set of 20 Mark Rothko postcards at a MUSEUM than to pick up seven dirty nasty ones in a village near Puerto Vallarta.)

Not that this forbodes anything. While the end of December showed a sharp decline in my sending and receiving, I plan to spend 2013 trying to beat my 2012 record.

Now for the stats. Through the U.S. postal service:

• I sent 200 postcards in 2012 and received 120.
• I wrote more than 90 cards and letters and received at least 68 in return.
• I didn't send a single Christmas card and my loved ones didn't hold it against me: I still got 20 holiday cards.

Not even counting the few packages that were shipped and received, this amounts to more than $182.50 in the Postal Service's coffers. Actually, it's way more, since many of you are not nearly as thrifty as I am, and put 45-cent stamps on postcards plus double or triple the number of stamps needed on a letter. Good job.

We did well, my friends. Let's continue the trend and make it a hobby in 2013!