February 14, 2014
Dear Everyone:
Update on the new-and-improved mail boxes here where I live.
The day before the new mail boxes were to be installed I just
happened to encounter the
Vendor who was going to install the new mail boxes.
He was stoically pulling down all the announcements showing the
new locations and replacing them with completely different locations.
Say what?
Well, it seems the new
Postmaster was, once again, figuratively,
throwing his weight around.
The Vendor had just learned that the Postmaster, not satisfied with
rearranging a mere portion of the mail boxes, decided to change the
locations on all of the mail
boxes.
So, if your mail box was in Location #1, it would now be in Location #4.
Location #2 has moved to Location #3, and #4 is now #1.
Why? you may ask.
Could it be that it’s more efficient?
Well, let’s consider. The
buildings were originally put in place, over 25 years ago, in
clockwise
order, lowest number to highest number.
And the original postal “service” assigned residential numbers in
clockwise order as well.
The new mailbox locations are now officially in
counter clockwise order.
Because the mail delivery truck travels in counter clockwise
order. So it’s more
efficient, right?
Wrong.
I was curious just how much further away my new-and-improved mail box
was going to be from where it had been for the past 25 years, so I took
a counter with me and walked to the “old” location.
(Anyone who knits and/or
crochets has at least one counter.
It’s a little plastic gizmo that advances one number each time
you press the little plunger.)
At the “old” location, I encountered the mail carrier, who was
spitting nails, figuratively speaking, about the new-and-improved
situation. She told me that
all the mail was in the “wrong” order, since it was arranged the same
way that it had been for over 25 years.
She also told me that the “last-minute” decision by the Postmaster to
rearrange the locations was known all along at the Post Office.
The Postmaster just didn’t tell anyone else about it until the
day before the installation.
Having determined how many steps there were from my front door to my
“old” mailbox location (approximately 93, give-or-take a step or two), I
went back to my front door and began counting steps to the
new-and-improved location.
It came to about 180, or just about twice as far away.
And I ran into the same mail carrier again.
In fact, she was having to go around the complex at least three times in
order to deliver the mail because, apparently, the Postmaster’s
new-and-improved plan had not been communicated to the people who sort
the mail for delivery.
So much for efficiency.
Speaking of efficiency, I discovered a “shortcut” to my new-and-improved
mail box location. By going
behind one of the parking lots, instead of around, I found that I could
shorten the journey to a mere 177 steps.
That’s an “improvement” of a grand total of 2%.
Or, looking at it another way, instead of increasing the trip to
the mail box by 100%, it’s only a matter of 98%.
Unfortunately, in doing so, I kind of overtaxed the little counter and
it broke. Oh, well.
On the Plus Side, you might be thinking, I’ll get a little more exercise
walking to pick up the mail.
Wrong. Now I drive to the
mailbox. More accurately, if
I’m returning from driving somewhere on errands and such, I now swing
around to the new-and-improved location, park, get the mail, then drive
to my carport, which is on the opposite side of the complex from the
mail box.
And as for breaking the poor, little plastic counter, I now have an
excuse to drop by the sewing-and-craft store to get a new one.
And, as long as I’m there, I can pick up some more yarn for
crocheting. With all the
grand-nieces and nephews coming along there is a (perceived) need for
lots of baby blankets, along with cozy cocoons, hats and itty-bitty
sweater things.
There’s always a Plus Side, if you just look for it.
Love, as always,
Pete
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