Little Dog

 

This photo is titled "New York, Etats-Unis" (1974) and is by Elliot Erwitt. My pal D. Bertrand send it as part of a mailart piece. I had initially thought that I shouldn't put it on here as I am not posting any mailart per se, BUT since it is a stand alone piece and that little dog is so freakin' adorable. I have made the exception. And how big must that OTHER dog be?! Sheesh!

I recommend seeking out Erwitt's work as he was a brilliant photographer and his work is often amusing.

To Whom It May Concern

 

The two most annoying things about publishing a zine in the same letter!

First the note. It doesn't say what they are asking to subscribe to nor does it include an address. Secondly, and this is a more personal beef, it doesn't say WHY they are interested in whatever they are sending for nor where they heard of whatever they are sending for. The absolute MINIMUM effort was expended.

Second, the check. So, this let me know what they are sending for: Node Pajomo. You may be surprised to learn that I do not have a business account under the name of my zine, so there is no way for me to cash this check. The check is for $1. It costs $2.31 to ship the zine to anywhere in the US and I think the final issue cost just under $2.50 to print. The fine folks at Slingshot have reviewed the zine several times and listed the price as a dollar for reasons that I cannot fathom, other than the fact that there isn't a price on the cover. 

Let me clarify that publishing the zine was NEVER about making money, hence the lack of a price on the cover. I never wanted to treat it as a commodity. It was always available for trade or exchange, but if one didn't have anything to trade or exchange I generally requested $5 if someone asked. That covered my expenses. I was VERY fortunate to have some financial backers (Hi Jack!) that kept me from going broke, but I never made money. I may have pulled even once or twice, though. 

Lastly, I have learned through my dealings with the prison industrial complex (this request was from a prisoner) that the person who sent the check cannot receive the check if I return it! Every prison does it differently, but generally it must be deposited into the prisoners account, but it is written to "Node Pajomo", so...

Enough of my complaining... for now! 

The Bosselman Truck Plaza

 Restaurant postcards are one of my weaknesses. I prefer cards with people in them but these vacant ones have a beauty all their own. The stage is set for the dance of service. I am constantly intrigued by the style and color choices of the Before Times. 

I want to be a long-haired hitchhiker sitting at the counter of the Platter Restaurant at the Bosselman Truck Plaza at the junction of I-80 and US 281 just outside Grand Island, Nebraska in 1971 between a local corn farmer and a cross country trucker and have them call me a draft dodging commie while I am barely holding onto reality due to the three hits mescaline rewiring my neurons. 

Do you see how brutally the USPS machinery abused the image on this postcard? Unconscionable! 

This card from my old pal T. Carey.

Stamps of Leisure

 My pal W. Mellott used these stamps to send me one of his zines a few months ago. 

The theme is "Leisure" and he said he HAD to send me the Stamp Collecting one! I suspect the lower one is Music Appreciation but could also be Performing Music.

Thanks, man!

Office Hours 100 Years Ago

Take a gander at those office hours. 

This doctors handwriting is surprisingly legible, but I still can't figure out what most of it says.

This piece from my old pal J. Hayes.

Chocolate Cake

 Unless you have diabetes... but yeah.

Postcrossing Card November 14

Postcrossing is a site that facilitates postcard exchanges with people around the world. Sending postcards to other countries is NOT cheap (currently $1.65 from the USA to the rest of the world) but you gotta send some to get some. 

This arrived from The Netherlands today and while I do not particularly enjoy multi-view cards, this one does sort of fit in to two of my collecting areas: motels and restaurants. I suspect I will keep it for awhile then get rid of it in some Fit Of Purge in the future.

Gita (the sender) wrote a very nice message which is always a pleasant surprise.

It Came In The Mail...

 A little while back I debuted a small zine called "BOXHOLDER" that I meant to use to share mailart and other post related items, but quickly realized it was going to be more ink intensive than I had hoped and I needed to cut costs, not increase them. 

Soooooo, I decided to do this blog which will NOT include any mailart as I don't think mailart belongs on a blog, however much arrives in the mail that is not technically mailart but is still interesting and fun and shareable, so I am going to try that. 

We could argue all day long over what is and is not mailart, but let's not.

This first entry arrived back in April of this year. It IS artistic and MAY have been posted to me by a mailartist, but there is no return address, so who knows. It was mailed from Greenville, SC on April 6, 2024.