The Buddy List thread got me to thinking (a good thing, too, it’s after 10:00!), as I had no idea what a “Buddy List” was till that moment.
My own buddy list consists of about half-a-dozen people (hmmm, lemee think: Nancy, Joann, Bradley, Frances, Debbie, Richard, Dario, Stephen . . .) with whom I have regular, old-fashioned, letter-writing correspondences. Enjoyable two- to three-page letters, once a month or so, with interesting newspaper clips and photos enclosed. I work hard on my letters; rewrite them, try not to be too whiny, think up funny stories, etc., feign sympathy over their woes so they’ll do the same for me.
Anyone else still write letters, or am I (and my circle of friends) the only ones perched in the window seat with a cup of tea and some stationery?
Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
More to the point, I haven’t written a letter in approximately a 'coon’s age, and the last time I (or my spouse) received a letter has been quite awhile as well. The almost universal access to e-mail and free long distance cell phone plans mean that just a few charming souls such as yourself and those without access to or inclination to use the internet are about the only letter writers still in existence. at least, that’s my WAG.
FWIW, I used to write quite a few letters. I enjoyed finding odd, quirky, or distinctive stationery for my correspondences. I wrote 5 to 10 letters a month and got 4 to 6 replies. Of course, anyone who failed to reply more than once or twice didn’t get many more missives from me! But those were pre-internet days when I was stationed far from home with the military in hostile environments like Hawaii and San Diego ;). Since I became a settled-down married (with children!) adult, I haven’t felt the need to write very often, and as noted, the internet and my cell phone make those occasions pretty much non-existent.
E-mail is handy, but it kills communication. The friends who stopped writing and started e’ing me . . . well, we still are “in touch,” but it’s almost a chore now when I see their names pop up in my mailbox. “Oh, l gotta dash off a reply to him.” Whereas when I find an actual letter in the actual mailbox, I really look forward to sitting down and reading it, and I know my letters will be received in the same way. I mean, no one wants to sit there and read (or reply to) a three-page e-mail!
Nearly all of my correspondents have e-mail, but we only use it for emergencies and keep letter-writing as our more effective way to communicate.
I used to write letters with an ink cartridge fountain pen. If I felt that the letter deserved it, I’d even use sealing wax and a stamp on the envelope closure, otherwise I’d use a gummed stamp or use an inked rubber stamp. I still do, but plan on giving it up when I can find some bottled ink that I like. I now have a glass dip pen, which should be even more interesting to write with.
