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Ahhh! Dragon 356 arrived today, beautiful issue! On a sad note…
Excerpt from a conversation at my mailbox on 31 May 2007…
ANDREW: Hi!
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hello.
ANDREW: Only a couple issues left of this magazine; print issues’ll probably be collector items one day.
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: That right?
ANDREW: Yeah...I really like this magazine...could you do me a favor...?
JOAN Raises eyebrows; expectant expression.
ANDREW: Umm...could you throw it in the parcel box for the next couple months? It really gets beat up when the mailman rolls them...[shows current issue, torn edges and bent corner; in the wings, audience hears the rolling of dice…ANDREW fails diplomacy check]
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hmmph. [sotto voce] Satanists read this stuff. [normal tone] I’m a letter carrier, not a mail man. It’s just a magazine, right?
Thank God I’m moving soon...
Well, calling Joan (I presume a female letter carrier) a man isn't the best foot to set out on. If it was 1972 you might have been right. Postal Carrier and Letter Carrier are what I have heard as appropriate.
The statan comment might have well been a shot right back at you.
There are three types people I try not to upset and go out of my way to ensure I don't:
1. People with weaponry (e.g. Policemen)
2. People in the service industry (e.g. waiter, postman, garbage collection, etc)
3. My customers
Everyone else, I try not to upset as well, but sometimes my finger flies on the highway.
1. People with weaponry (e.g. Policemen)
I believe postal workers fall into this category, right? :smirk:
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Well, calling Joan (I presume a female letter carrier) a man isn't the best foot to set out on. If it was 1972 you might have been right. Postal Carrier and Letter Carrier are what I have heard as appropriate...
I think you're very right, thus my failed diplomacy check...in my defense, or at least to mitigate my poor policy skills, the last four months of issues have been mangled...I'm 100% sure they didn't start out that way.
Plus, she has lightly 'complained' to me on several occasions about the number of packages I get, because it forces her to pull into my driveway and ring my doorbell--not fun in -40F weather in January (my neighborhood has co-located boxes on every street; more than a couple boxes from Amazon, or a large box--Colossal Red Dragon, hee, hee--plus the fact that there are only two parcel boxes for ten houses, means the postal worker (?) has to deliver to the door, which probably cuts into the schedule).
There's probably some mutual animosity here...
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I just realized that my thread title is extremely unkind to the USPS. While you might argue that the local carrier represents the USPS, I doubt very seriously that the whole US Postal Service 'despises' me; in fact, despite her comments, I doubt my local carrier 'despises' me either...and she’s probably forgotten all about me by now (or at least until my four boxes from Amazon arrive tomorrow...)
Here’s a lesson in not posting while angry...
:\
Plus, she has lightly 'complained' to me on several occasions about the number of packages I get, because it forces her to pull into my driveway and ring my doorbell--not fun in -40F weather in January (my neighborhood has co-located boxes on every street; more than a couple boxes from Amazon, or a large box--Colossal Red Dragon, hee, hee--plus the fact that there are only two parcel boxes for ten houses, means the postal worker (?) has to deliver to the door, which probably cuts into the schedule).
That IS her job. If she doesn't like it she should get a new one.
I used to have a mail she-beast that delivered my mail and would get out of her little battle wagon to put a not in the box that the mail could not be delivered because a vehicle was to close to the mail box.
Plus she would pull up to the convience store where I worked and park in the no parking zone that would block our view of the gas pumps to go and get a soda. I finally had call a complaint in about that one, when we asked her nicely on several occasions not to and she said that she would continue as long as she wanted to.
I'm glad I have a nice mail lady now since I moved away from the mail-she beast. So in essence "I feel your pain" and any of them that want to gripe about doing their job should find another IMHO.
Rant out.
At least the service keeps getting better and the prices getting lower right?!?
If Satan himself reads the magazine, I am sorry to say that he is not a subscriber.
Probably because he kipes my copy to read (damn him...wait he's already damned...)
If Satan himself reads the magazine, I am sorry to say that he is not a subscriber.
--Erik
Dear Erik Mona,
I am very interested in subscribing to your magazines, as their titles appeal to my...devilish...nature. However, I have recently learned that certain...Powers...have deemed to cancel your license...shall I smite them...for, say, an extra 10% discount...?
Your choice, mortal.
Very Respectfully,
Satan =>
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hmmph. [sotto voce] Satanists read this stuff.
To fire one across her bow, you should have asked her how many rounds she's fired off this month, but that probably would lead to no magazines.
I can completely sympathize. I ordered a back issue a while ago, so I could get the part of the giant FR map I was missing. Went to my mailbox to find the mailing envelope folded in half -- along the width of the magazine. Fortunately, the good folks at Paizo were kind enough to send me a new one -- in a parcel box, this time.
I also lodged a complaint with my local post office, and NONE of my magazines, deliveries, or even normal mail have shown any damage since.
Uzi does it!
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hmmph. [sotto voce] Satanists read this stuff. [normal tone] I’m a letter carrier, not a mail man. It’s just a magazine, right?
Thank God I’m moving soon...
What a [expletive]!
She's lucky she isn't my "letter carrier" and said that around me. I'd have stepped into the ring on that one...verbally that is. What would really fire her up is when she hears I'm really a Christian that enjoys D&D.
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I can completely sympathize. I ordered a back issue a while ago, so I could get the part of the giant FR map I was missing. Went to my mailbox to find the mailing envelope folded in half -- along the width of the magazine. Fortunately, the good folks at Paizo were kind enough to send me a new one -- in a parcel box, this time.
I also lodged a complaint with my local post office, and NONE of my magazines, deliveries, or even normal mail have shown any damage since.
I just received Dragon: Monster Ecologies the other day, and it was mailed in a very nice, stiff must-go-out-of-your-way-to-bend box-like envelope: I am VERY happy, and I hope that's how Pathfinder gets to me.
By the way, the new shipping costs at Paizo are wonderful...I'd love a 'spend $25, get free shipping' kind of deal, but I doubt the crew is sending out 10,000+ parcels per day...so, I'm pretty happy with where it sits now.
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JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hmmph. [sotto voce] Satanists read this stuff. [normal tone] I’m a letter carrier, not a mail man. It’s just a magazine, right?
Thank God I’m moving soon...
What a [expletive]!
She's lucky she isn't my "letter carrier" and said that around me. I'd have stepped into the ring on that one...verbally that is. What would really fire her up is when she hears I'm really a Christian that enjoys D&D.
You know, it's funny--I'm a pretty volatile guy...OK, no, I'm actually pretty well-known for my even temper, and I'm on vacation right now, so my stress levels are virtually nonexistant--at any rate, when she said that, well, I was so--incredulous sounds too strong, but it's true, I was. I haven't heard anyone make that kind of comment to my face in years.
I'm a little ashamed to say, I responded meekly:
JOAN: It's just a magazine, right?
ANDREW: [shrugs and gives a weak, crooked half-smile] Yeah...I guess so.
[EXEUNT]
WTF is a letter carrier? In these parts we get stuff shoved in your mailbox, and if it doesn't fit then you get a slip of paper saying "come and pick up your parcel from the post office."
EDIT: Tsk tsk. This is the internet Andrew. You don't tell the truth. This is how it went down:
JOAN: It's just a magazine, right?
ANDREW: WHAT? How about I call your supervisor and tell them you referred to me as a Satanist? Huh?
JOAN: I'm so sorry, please don't do that. I'll do whatever you want.
ANDREW: That's right. You better recognize.And my magazines have been in pristine condition ever since. I'm a pretty big guy and I know karate so she was pretty scared, I could tell. Teach them to mess with me.
See, it's easy when you know how ;)
Well I'm a little suspicious myself. Last year 2 dragons never made it to my house. As my mail carrier has a tendency of giving me mail from the other side of my neighborhood, who do think I'd blame? <G>
That's government work for ya!
-Dave
Woah, woah there.
What if you "were" a Satanist (I'm not, but I'm playing "Devil's Advocate," get it? Nudge, wink)? Is that grounds for Postal Employee Religious Discrimination?
It isn't "just" a magazine. It's a periodical paid for by you, delivered by a Government backed business, and protected by Federal laws. Your "letter carrier" is willfully negligent in the delivery of your mail, and you should immediately head to the Post Office this Friday morning, ask to speak with the PostMaster General, and consider filling out form PS 1510, Mail Loss and Rifling Report.
"You want your mail, don't you Mr. Kramer? Remember, I'm not just a Post Master, I'm also a General..."
..and I suppose if that doesn't work, just place a curse on her family for generations to come, you Godless heathen.
If Satan himself reads the magazine, I am sorry to say that he is not a subscriber.
--Erik
I just figured he subscribed under the pseudonym
N. LOGUE
9 Hells Ave
Oahu, HICheck that database again...
How did you get my address! What the f*@!!
;-)
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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By the way, the new shipping costs at Paizo are wonderful...I'd love a 'spend $25, get free shipping' kind of deal...
Well, you know they DO have the 'spend $100, get $10 off shipping' deal, right? And, unless you order a LOT of REALLY HEAVY stuff, your total shipping (in the U.S.) ends up being less than $10 anyway, so it IS pretty much like getting it free. I ordered the 4 core books from the new World of Darkness, a total of 12 lbs., and the shipping came to $8 or $9. Since the order was $116, the shipping was free! Great deal, really. I liked it so much I placed ANOTHER $100+ order the next week. Woo-hoo!
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My brother and I were discussing the faults of the USPS just yesterday. Think about it. You've got the IRS, Medicaid, Social Security, the NEA, the War on Drugs, the INS - all big time Gov't programs and/or dept's that many argue are in serious need of reform. There have even been (often half-hearted) efforts to reform some of them. But what about the post office? How many politicians or advocacy groups actively discuss the need for reform in the USPS? Their service continues to worsen as there prices increase. It is one of the ultimate examples of bloatd, mindless, gov't bureaucracy.
WHY? Why do we sit back and do nothing? Apathy? Do we just not care? Or is it fear? Are we afraid of angering this terrifying brotherhood and bringing its fell powers down upon our heads.
I say it is time for ACTION! Rise up my Brothers and Sisters! Throw off the shackles of fear and apathy that have held us down! Let us begin a campaign to end the tyranny of this vile order once and for all.
Just think of it as another Adventure Path.
Man, if you don’t like USPS you should move to Spain and give ours a shot. It’s just so appalling (especially in my hometown) that it hit the news. In the summer letters aren’t delivered for months. That’s a pain for every Tom, Dick and Harry, but it wreaks havoc on some companies because they don’t get invoices delivered or paid.
Let me share with you some useful information about the Spanish PS:
- Considering Spain is the size of California, sending a letter or a parcel is more expensive and it takes longer than in the States.
- Even if they have to, our mailmen (or letter carriers) never deliver parcels or big heavy envelopes. They just leave a slip of paper in your mailbox telling you to pick your parcel up from the post office downtown.
- If there’s something labelled as ‘fragile’ or ‘do not bend’, they’ll do their best to stuff it in your mailbox (as long as it’s not heavy), so they don’t have to ring your doorbell or try again the following day.
- It’s not unussual to find a note warning you to pick your parcel immediately or it’ll be returned to sender, even though no-one told you that you had mail.
- Some parcels or letters never reach the destination, especially if there’s something valuable inside.
- When classifying postcards, they read them out loud to each other.
I’m not making this up. My cousin’s husband worked temporarily for them.
Xavier
PS: New installment: RENFE. The Spanish Railway System
WHY? Why do we sit back and do nothing?
Dude! They have guns! And they aren't afraid to use them!
I have the joy of not having a dedicated mail carrier. Instead, the job gets rotated between a couple of carriers. The thing is, I live in the city. The USPS cannot cover my street with a dedicated carrier.
I have already had to complain of the poor service when they started sending my credit card bills back as undeliverable. On top of that, I had four issues of Dragon that did not get delivered for half a year. Nothing for six months then one day...poof, four issues. That was the reason I did not renew my subscription when it lasped. I am going to take a chance and see if they can get it right with Pathfinder, but they do not have a good record right now.
WHY? Why do we sit back and do nothing? Apathy? Do we just not care? Or is it fear? Are we afraid of angering this terrifying brotherhood and bringing its fell powers down upon our heads.
I've rarely had an issue with the USPS. I've only lost 2 pieces of mail ever and never received 1, that I'm aware of. Of course, I only send something like 1 letter a year (to my dear Uncle Sam in April), all the rest is done online. So, yeah, you can blame me for the next price hike ; )
Sure, I have one of those small apartment mailboxes and only check it 2 times a week (sometimes, if that). They are a "Six Sigma" company. Considering the amount of volume that goes through and the amount of potential customers they serve (not counting overseas (301,976,846 estimated US citizens), I have to admire that.
Well, you know they DO have the 'spend $100, get $10 off shipping' deal, right? And, unless you order a LOT of REALLY HEAVY stuff, your total shipping (in the U.S.) ends up being less than $10 anyway, so it IS pretty much like getting it free. I ordered the 4 core books from the new World of Darkness, a total of 12 lbs., and the shipping came to $8 or $9. Since the order was $116, the shipping was free! Great deal, really. I liked it so much I placed ANOTHER $100+ order the next week. Woo-hoo!
Heh - getting stuff here is somewhat...addictive? "Okay, I'm at 77.80 right now...but if I add the My Little Cthulhu, that will put me at 106.79, which will then qualify me for free shipping! Neat!"
(This was an actual thought process for me when I placed my order last week.)
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Heh - getting stuff here is somewhat...addictive? "Okay, I'm at 77.80 right now...but if I add the My Little Cthulhu, that will put me at 106.79, which will then qualify me for free shipping! Neat!"
(This was an actual thought process for me when I placed my order last week.)
Ditto. I was like "Well, I got the WoD Armory and the Setting and Secrets pack which brings me to $55. I really want the Tome of Mysteries too. Okay, that's $75. Crap... I'm this close. Might as well grab the Blood of the Wolf book too. Okay, $98. Dammit. Fine. Vampire: Bloodlines too. Hah! Free shipping!"
Chief Technical Officer
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I just received Dragon: Monster Ecologies the other day, and it was mailed in a very nice, stiff must-go-out-of-your-way-to-bend box-like envelope: I am VERY happy, and I hope that's how Pathfinder gets to me.
It is indeed the package that single copies of Pathfinder will be mailed in.
That IS her job. If she doesn't like it she should get a new one.
Plus, she has lightly 'complained' to me on several occasions about the number of packages I get, because it forces her to pull into my driveway and ring my doorbell--not fun in -40F weather in January (my neighborhood has co-located boxes on every street; more than a couple boxes from Amazon, or a large box--Colossal Red Dragon, hee, hee--plus the fact that there are only two parcel boxes for ten houses, means the postal worker (?) has to deliver to the door, which probably cuts into the schedule).
Dick! Do it! Its your job! I hate this attitude. Just because someone is in a service position, doesn't mean you can treat them like dirt and expect them to "Do there Job" under any circumstance. I give Andrew turner Respect for having some empathy and compasion.
Then again if she made that Satan comment to me I would invite her over to a midnight witches gathering, where fellow Satanist gather to eat bat heads, beat drums made out of human skin and play D&D.
Yeah, but asking someone to do there job is not treating them like dirt and most of us are in a service positon of some sort. Whether is painting cars such as I do (outside in 20 degree weather and yes its very cold and I'm out there all day, but hey it's my job and if I couldn't hack it I'd get another) or its another service.
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Dick! Do it! Its your job! I hate this attitude.
If my property, that I spent hard green on, arrives consistantly in a damaged state and I get the attitude that Andrew got, somebody is either getting fired or f+*~ed up. Period. This is my stuff. I bought it. Your job is to deliver it to me without f&!!ing up my stuff, if you can't do that, find another job. And if you get smart-mouthed while I am trying to calmly and rationally explain the less then acceptable conditions that my stuff is arriving in, like Andrew did, then someone may need a lesson in how people react to Smart-mouthed people who don't respect other people's property.
Do your job, Dick!FH
"Well I'm a little suspicious myself. Last year 2 dragons never made it to my house. As my mail carrier has a tendency of giving me mail from the other side of my neighborhood, who do think I'd blame? <G>
That's government work for ya!
-Dave
mwbeeler (Subscriber), 12:56 AM"
Hate to say it, thats the joy of privatization... the USPS went to the private sector years ago and no longer affiliated with the Federal Government... That just makes that kind of service even worse though when you think about it IMHO
That IS her job. If she doesn't like it she should get a new one.Dick! Do it! Its your job! I hate this attitude. Just because someone is in a service position, doesn't mean you can treat them like dirt and expect them to "Do there Job" under any circumstance. I give Andrew turner Respect for having some empathy and compasion.
Then again if she made that Satan comment to me I would invite her over to a midnight witches gathering, where fellow Satanist gather to eat bat heads, beat drums made out of human skin and play D&D.
First off, I seriously hope you weren't calling me that name.
Second, where did I ever say I was going to treat them like dirt, or that Andrew did. I go out of my way to treat service people well. Though I have a job in architecture I'm still a "service person" of a sort too as I have clients I work for. These clients EXPECT me to do my job or they will take their business elsewhere. They also want me to do it well. I also expect that people do the job they are in. If they're not going to do their job then I will take my business elsewhere if I can. It's called customer service. People or firms that practice it keep their customers; a good example is Paizo.
As to the specific circumstance, this letter carried complained to a customer that his packages were making her job worse, along with disparaging him because of his hobby. In my book she was far in the wrong. If Andrew had reported her to the USPS I would have supported him all the way. I find it highly unlikely the USPS would want someone who complains about their job and disparages customers to remain with them. That's bad customer service, and they're already losing business to email, UPS, FedEX, etc.
You know, I've had similar problems with my "extra-curricular activities". Hindsight's always 20/20, but I've found that there's a few things anyone can do when faced with this kind of situation.
For one thing, I try to make sure that I remove my robe of human flesh BEFORE I answer the door. Now, I realize this leads to a similarly awkward situation: answering the door in a loincloth. Usually the "I thought this was a free country" arguement works in that situation, though you may find that your letter carrier either 1. attempts to leave your packages and letters on the stoop as often as possible, without dealing with you or 2. knocks on the door almost every day to deliver your mail personally, winking and raising and lowering his/her eyebrows suggestively.
Votary/invocation candles should be lit only after dark, when neighbors may simply assume that you're having a romantic evening with aforementioned letter carrier.
I cannot stress this enough: clean the ram's blood from your hands with a wet-nap before going to the door and greeting guests. If you simply can't, again, "I thought this was a free country."
Having self-inflicted stigmata and the mark of the beast can be a problem in most social situations. Keeping a hat, dark glasses and thick gloves on hand most of the time can bring you a long way from "The Antichrist" to "That Guy I Think I Saw On America's Most Wanted, But Maybe He's Just An Albino And It Is A Sunny Day."
These simple tips can go a long way towards keeping our shared...what? You aren't?
Are you SURE?
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You know, I've had similar problems with my "extra-curricular activities". Hindsight's always 20/20, but I've found that there's a few things anyone can do when faced with this kind of situation.
For one thing, I try to make sure that I remove my robe of human flesh BEFORE I answer the door. Now, I realize this leads to a similarly awkward situation: answering the door in a loincloth. Usually the "I thought this was a free country" arguement works in that situation, though you may find that your letter carrier either 1. attempts to leave your packages and letters on the stoop as often as possible, without dealing with you or 2. knocks on the door almost every day to deliver your mail personally, winking and raising and lowering his/her eyebrows suggestively.
Votary/invocation candles should be lit only after dark, when neighbors may simply assume that you're having a romantic evening with aforementioned letter carrier.
I cannot stress this enough: clean the ram's blood from your hands with a wet-nap before going to the door and greeting guests. If you simply can't, again, "I thought this was a free country."
Having self-inflicted stigmata and the mark of the beast can be a problem in most social situations. Keeping a hat, dark glasses and thick gloves on hand most of the time can bring you a long way from "The Antichrist" to "That Guy I Think I Saw On America's Most Wanted, But Maybe He's Just An Albino And It Is A Sunny Day."
These simple tips can go a long way towards keeping our shared...what? You aren't?
Are you SURE?
I'm Catholic and attend Mass every Sunday, and I'm a Knight of Columbus, so I think I've got the whole Christianity angle covered. My priest, who's an Army major, has been to my house on many occasions, as have other KoCs, and no-one has ever had any issue with my...ummm...dungeon, to include the bronze plaque over my office door reading, “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate,” followed by the calendar on the wall over my desk, which always reads, "April 7, 1300 AD"...
Seriously, if my letter carrier ever saw my downstairs study--my D&D collection is quite extensive, the walls are covered with swords and bits of armor, and the area is heavy with "the stench of icons of evil, the trappings of the Devil," otherwise known as hundreds of D&D minis, McFarlane toys (various incarnations of Spawn and Conan, Movie Maniacs, the whole Terminator and Matrix collections), framed editions of some very expensive D&D and AD&D modules, the May 1941 Weird Tales, some Jill Bauman art, Cthuliana literally falling off the shelves, an...eccentric... book collection that would make Boris Balkan envious, etc, etc, etc.—if she or those who think like her saw this, it would only perpetuate and validate her feelings.
the USPS went to the private sector years ago and no longer affiliated with the Federal Government
If only that were true. Unfortunately, the USPS is what is known as a "Government Based Business." Basically, this irrevocable hip joining means that they moved from .gov to .com, and they are run like a business, but they still receive massive influxes of tax dollars, favorable rates from the US Treasury compared to other shippers, and are protected by stiff Federal penalties if their packages are tampered with over say, a UPS package.
Partial privatization is a debacle, just look at the mess it has made with all the mercenary troops the US has now.
As for Andrew's comment above me, it's sad, isn't it, that due to the ignorance of the masses we have to live a dichotomy? I blame it on the water (...slips on tin foil hat and heads out to get the mail..).
Well, calling Joan (I presume a female letter carrier) a man isn't the best foot to set out on. If it was 1972 you might have been right. Postal Carrier and Letter Carrier are what I have heard as appropriate...
1. People with weaponry (e.g. Policemen)
*cough* Police officer. *cough*
-Amber S., police officer's daughter
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Well, I followed the advice of several on the boards here, and complained a few days after speaking with my carrier.
Today I received Dungeon 148 in...
Pristine condition, and my letter carrier placed it flat in the parcel box, just as I'd asked her to do last month.
Wow. Squeaky wheels, and all that.
I suppose, I must officially withdraw my original complaint.
JOAN, THE ‘LETTER CARRIER’: Hmmph. [sotto voce] Satanists read this stuff.
Satanists aren't the only ones who read the magazine. I'm a practicing, born again, Baptist minister. I read Dragon and Dungeon, too, and I subscribe to both. I've been playing D&D for about 30 years and never once have I been tempted to sacrifice a virgin.
The next time one of my brothers or sisters says something like this, tell them to use the brains God gave them before they open their mouths.
Or just give me their address and I'll do it for you.