Anyone else have this problem?:
I find myself writing a fair number of professional-related handwritten notes, and I feel like if I am going to go to the trouble and use good stationary, I might as well put an interesting (or at least not run of the mill) stamp on it, and certainly not something from the postage meter. In a perfect world, I suppose, the stamp would be something that referenced something I knew the receiver liked. I suppose, also, it would be nice if the stamp had some reference to something I like, or at least did not reference something potentially dicey.
Valentine's Day stamps are out.
However, even though there are lots of different stamps out there, finding ones I want to consistently use, seems hard, and individual stamps often seem loaded with pitfalls if I think about them very hard. There is a nice major league baseball series out there right now of a bunch of old times. Seems pretty good right. What's not to like about baseball, particularly heroes from the past? And masculine enough from my perspective without seeming too macho for virtually any recipient. But, maybe a big Red Sox fan would wonder at a Joe Dimaggio stamp. Or a Yankees fan at a Ted Williams stamp. And how do I know what team someone supports or where they are originally from?
The Medal of Honor stamps look nice and are reverent. But referencing war and often death in battle seems a little heavy for congratulating someone on the birth of their first son.
The Battle of Lake Erie from the War of 1812 seems kind of a cool historical reference, but I do not know what the politics of that battle might be. For all I know the person I am writing might have some recent British heritage. Any reference to war seems out. No way I would send a civil war stamp to anyone.
The Made in America: Building a Nation stamps seem very cool. Patriotic, celebration of the working man/woman, etc. Some great photographs. On the other hand, I do not think I want to send a photo of a woman working in what appears to be a sewing factory to a woman who has just been made CEO. And I am not sure I want to be sending photos of guys with shirts off to anyone. I do not want anyone to think I am sending any subtle messages. (One of the stamps has a photo of a guy being hoisted into the air by a crane, that seems to me likely intentionally shall we say suggestive. Pretty funny photo, when seen through my arguably perverse eyes.)
The modern art set is great, except I do not know who I would send the Man Ray one, too.
I find the Miles Davis stamp perfect for nearly anything. But I am not sending the Edith Piaf stamp it comes with to anyone--no dis whatever to a singer that, in fact, I find very affecting.
I am not sending modern or other dance stamps to anyone. No flower stamps, either. I am not sending any March on Washington or Emancipation Proclamation stamps to anyone, etc., although I support/supported both, obviously. No cartoon stamps. Muscle car and go green stamps are probably two sides of the same problem. (Maybe if I could get all 1964 GTO stamps, I would use them.) No state stamps. How can I be sure that the person's family's traditional undergrad school is not a rival of Kansas or something similar? 20th century poets seems a little too refined for my personality, and what ambiguous thing I am saying in sending someone a picture of Sylvia Path, Wallace Stevens, or Denise Levertov. At least Ezra Pound is not on there.
Hollywood Directors is pretty cool and I like movies. But Hollywood is not popular politically among some, and some of those guys lived kind of "hard."
Heart Health could hit particularly home in a way I might not be aware of, but is getting there.
Bonsai is neutral, but does not have much to do with me.
So I am down to lighthouses and breast cancer at this point! (Breast cancer stamps seem common and my wife did have breast cancer, so I am safe there.)
I am kind of kidding around, but it is something I think about and am a little frustrated with. Anyone else have any thoughts?
I find myself writing a fair number of professional-related handwritten notes, and I feel like if I am going to go to the trouble and use good stationary, I might as well put an interesting (or at least not run of the mill) stamp on it, and certainly not something from the postage meter. In a perfect world, I suppose, the stamp would be something that referenced something I knew the receiver liked. I suppose, also, it would be nice if the stamp had some reference to something I like, or at least did not reference something potentially dicey.
Valentine's Day stamps are out.
However, even though there are lots of different stamps out there, finding ones I want to consistently use, seems hard, and individual stamps often seem loaded with pitfalls if I think about them very hard. There is a nice major league baseball series out there right now of a bunch of old times. Seems pretty good right. What's not to like about baseball, particularly heroes from the past? And masculine enough from my perspective without seeming too macho for virtually any recipient. But, maybe a big Red Sox fan would wonder at a Joe Dimaggio stamp. Or a Yankees fan at a Ted Williams stamp. And how do I know what team someone supports or where they are originally from?
The Medal of Honor stamps look nice and are reverent. But referencing war and often death in battle seems a little heavy for congratulating someone on the birth of their first son.
The Battle of Lake Erie from the War of 1812 seems kind of a cool historical reference, but I do not know what the politics of that battle might be. For all I know the person I am writing might have some recent British heritage. Any reference to war seems out. No way I would send a civil war stamp to anyone.
The Made in America: Building a Nation stamps seem very cool. Patriotic, celebration of the working man/woman, etc. Some great photographs. On the other hand, I do not think I want to send a photo of a woman working in what appears to be a sewing factory to a woman who has just been made CEO. And I am not sure I want to be sending photos of guys with shirts off to anyone. I do not want anyone to think I am sending any subtle messages. (One of the stamps has a photo of a guy being hoisted into the air by a crane, that seems to me likely intentionally shall we say suggestive. Pretty funny photo, when seen through my arguably perverse eyes.)
The modern art set is great, except I do not know who I would send the Man Ray one, too.
I find the Miles Davis stamp perfect for nearly anything. But I am not sending the Edith Piaf stamp it comes with to anyone--no dis whatever to a singer that, in fact, I find very affecting.
I am not sending modern or other dance stamps to anyone. No flower stamps, either. I am not sending any March on Washington or Emancipation Proclamation stamps to anyone, etc., although I support/supported both, obviously. No cartoon stamps. Muscle car and go green stamps are probably two sides of the same problem. (Maybe if I could get all 1964 GTO stamps, I would use them.) No state stamps. How can I be sure that the person's family's traditional undergrad school is not a rival of Kansas or something similar? 20th century poets seems a little too refined for my personality, and what ambiguous thing I am saying in sending someone a picture of Sylvia Path, Wallace Stevens, or Denise Levertov. At least Ezra Pound is not on there.
Hollywood Directors is pretty cool and I like movies. But Hollywood is not popular politically among some, and some of those guys lived kind of "hard."
Heart Health could hit particularly home in a way I might not be aware of, but is getting there.
Bonsai is neutral, but does not have much to do with me.
So I am down to lighthouses and breast cancer at this point! (Breast cancer stamps seem common and my wife did have breast cancer, so I am safe there.)
I am kind of kidding around, but it is something I think about and am a little frustrated with. Anyone else have any thoughts?
(forgot the exact number).
