Be Careful What You Ask For

Coming soon!

Quite an Education

Coming soon!

The Weird and the Cute

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Christmas Time is Here

Coming soon!

The Southern Hemisphere

Finally, my first card from below the Equator, and it's a beautiful view of the docks in Brazil! Sent by a gentleman named Tarcisio, he lives not far from the city of Sao Paulo (the city), capital of Sao Paulo (the state). It's got a great big clear blue sky, deep-blue waters, locals working, verdant green trees, mountains miles away, kids playing in the water in the far background... it's very lovely and tranquil scene, I quite like it. Thank you Tarcisio!

P.S. Tarcisio is such an awesome name :)

Have You Seen My Cow?!

This is absolutely one of my most favorite cards thus far! Sent from L'viv, Ukraine, it comes from Christie, whose boyfriend is into graphic design. Together, they picked this card which is designed by a fellow graphic artist named Grycja. It's fantastic, completely original, and wholly unexpected! Thanks for the great card, Christie!

Multiple Multi-Views

After about 15 or 20 postcards sent out, you begin to notice some trends on Postcrossing. Two of the biggest trends? A lot of people LOVE lighthouses. And a lot of people HATE multi-view cards. I don't really belong to either of those camps.

I received two multi-view cards today, the first from Victoria in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It's interesting that this is only the second card I've received of these unique dimensions (unique to me, anyway), and only a week after receiving the first one. It's larger and longer than the typical cards I've been receiving, and that size difference doesn't really show in the way they're presented on this blog. The pictures on the card show beautiful snow covered hills on the grounds of the Radziwil Castle and of the city of Nesvizh. Thanks, Victoria!

The second one comes from Katrin, and it shows her beautiful city of Frankfurt, Germany. It's a much more traditionally sized card first of all, but it also shows a great variety in the views and architecture seen around the city. Thanks for the card, Katrin!

Trees & Beans & Doors, Oh My!

Three cards as once :D

The first card comes from Yiyang, China, from a guy named Liuyang, though he prefers to go by Jack Furns. The image is of a beautiful scenic vista overlooking the Wulingyuan Mountains in the West Hunan Province. It's a beautiful card to begin with, but on top of that... this is silly... the card looks like the 'hometree' from AVATAR. Thanks for the great card, Jack!

The next card comes from Sveta in Moscow, Russia. She sent me this rockin' card of coffee beans shaped liked a coffee mug, a perfect example of graphic design put to excellent use! Now, regarding what the last sentence says, I have no idea--it's in Russian! Well thanks for the card, Sveta! I'm going to try to get it translated at the UWF International Student Center, but that's nothing compared to the work ahead of me for the NEXT card...

So, Cecilia from Taipei City, Taiwan sent me this great card from the Penghu Islands. The card itself is much larger than the scan can really shows it to be, quite striking actually. Anywho, the entire card is in written in either Mandarin or maybe Taiwanese, I'm not sure yet. I'll be taking this one up to UWF also, lol. Thanks for the card, Cecilia!

Maria in Ireland

Kids in New Zealand?

Strangely enough, today Nathaniel received his second card from a kid residing in Gisborne, New Zealand. He's only received 5 cards(!), so it seems particularly coincidental.

In any case, Zeb (age 6) sends us this card showing the junction the Waimata and Taruheru Rivers as they flow together and become the Turanganui River, the shortest river in the Southern Hemisphere. For 6 years old, Zeb has some decent handwriting, too. He likes aeroplans, Cars, dragons, Ben 10, and Buzz Lightyear. Thanks for the great card, Zeb!

Braille on a Stamp

This card comes from Päivi in Hyvinkää, Finland. Pictured is the Cathedral of Tampere, a place Päivi worked when she was in college. Now, it doesn't really show up in the scan above, but on the stamp, I noticed a series of aligned bumps that raised (no pun intended) a bit of curiosity in me. So I messaged Päivi and she replied, stating "Yes, you are right. There is braille on the stamp. There are some Finnish stamps with tactile characters for the blind." That is something new and interesting that I didn't know, and having never had any real experience with braille except on the keypad at drive-through ATMs (lol), I thought it cool enough to share. Thanks for the great card of the beautiful cathedral, Päivi!

What Country is ID?

Today's card comes from The Netherlands, but you wouldn't know it from the Postcrossing ID! Beau from Leiden in South Holland sent me this great multi-view card with images from all over her beautiful city. The only thing... she didn't put the country abbreviation in the ID code! Not to fear--with a helpful hint from Marianne (lover of Toy Story from a few cards down), I was able to get the card registered. Thanks for the card, Beau!

A Long Time Coming

So there was a bit of a humorous coincidence that happened with the next card...

I started thinking there was a problem when I hadn't received a card in over a week. Out of the blue, on Thursday night, I receive a message from the Colonel: "Greetings from India. Dear Adam, did you receive my card IN-15192? Col. Akhil." I replied, told him no, and now I'm thinking "Oh no! My postcards are getting lost in the mail, this poor guy has been waiting ages for me to get his card!" The very next day, his card shows up, and I realize that he didn't write the register code on the card. So now I'm thinking "Oh, THAT'S why he messaged me, to give me the code!" So I register it only to see that it has indeed been travelling for 60 DAYS, right on the verge of expiring! This very patient man (from Bangalore) must think that I've just been sitting on this card with no code, and what a coincidence that he messages me the day before it arrives, and it arrives on the very last day before it expires.

As for the card itself, it's a pushkarni, or a temple tank--ancient architecture from the Vijayanagara Empire located in Hampi, a World Heritage Site. Thanks for this awesome architecture card, Colonel!

"Friends are like stars. You cannot always see them, but you always know they are there!"

This card arrived on the same day, and not only is it a perfectly composed shot by a photographer named Rainer Jordan, it's also a very modern piece of architecture, and a unique juxtaposition to the architecture photographed in the card above it. It comes from Helie who lives in Berlin, Germany. She even went that extra mile by giving me a quote to translate, which I did! with the help of one of my old roommate's German speaking grandmother. Thanks for the card and the quote, Helie!

That reminds me... I still have to try and translate the quote from the card from Lindsay in China!

Cartoon Corner

So I got two cards today, both of a more animated variety, and I just thought it was kinda funny :)

The first one comes from a lovely woman named Marianne who lives around Leidschendam in The Netherlands. It seems that where she works or shops, they've been anxiously awaiting the release of Toy Story 3. Well, I'm only just now getting around to writing about this card a bit late, and in the time since I first posted the card here, Marianne messaged me say "Toy Story 3 [is] here and I saw it FINALLY. I loved it. I think it was even better than the first two! The characters seem 'alive'. Woody is definitely my favorite :-)" I couldn't agree more, thanks for the great card!

P.S. How in the world can it be that The Netherlands have Duck Tales stamps (featuring none other than Scrooge McDuck himself, no less) and we here in the US don't?! Awesome stamps, thanks again Marianne!

The next card comes from Leonor, probably the cutest kid you've ever seen, and officially the youngest Postcrosser I've ever received from. Leonor is from Porto, Portugal, and at only 18 months old, has sent over 8x as many cards as I have! Granted, she's getting some help from her Aunt, but still, wow! The card itself is a colorful and humorous depiction of the proverbial 'wolf in sheep's clothing,' and is one of Nathaniel's favorite cards now. Thanks for that, Leonor!

Spaghetti & Sails

Both of these card were received by Nathaniel!

The first one I though was very creative. See, when I first pulled it out of the mailbox, I though "hmm, a cat card... meh." Let's just say I'm not a cat person. But on the contrary, it wasn't sent as a cat card at all! Nathaniel's profile clearly states that he loves "food cards most of all... recipes, local delicacies, tasty treats, etc." And the oh so observant Pirkko from Espoo, Finland, chose this particular card because of the cats' apparent fondness for spaghetti & marinara with parmesan. Pirkko is points out that this isn't just any cat, but a Kliban Cat, drawn by the renowned cartoonist, the late Barnard Kliban. Thanks, Pirkko!

The next card comes from YiLi who lives near Xinzhuang City, Taiwan. She must have an interest in photography, because apparently she took this great photo herself in the Summer of 2007. It's a great scenic shot of a pair of catamarans in the waters at Fu Long Beach. Thanks, YiLi!

The Niña, the Pinta, & the...

Santa Maria!

Yeah, I completely forgot to upload this one, so just like the very first card I received, this one's out of order. Oh well. Today's card comes from Debbie in Columbus, Ohio, so named after the explorer, Christopher Columbus. The card shows the city's famous replica of the Santa Maria, one of the three ships Columbus sailed when he first reached the Americas. Apparently, you can tour the ship, as Debbie and her son did. Thanks for sending me the great card, Deb!

Not from Postcrossing

So, I'd like to tell you about two acquaintances who quickly became friends of mine... and then I'll tell you about the cards they sent me!

Laura is the type who's a bit of a stranger to technology, but she gets by online and knows how to text on her cellphone quite well. She's absolutely charming, a vegetarian (or maybe vegan, I'm not sure), and she positively LOVES postcards. In fact, Laura is the one who turned me on to Postcrossing. See, I was showing off my new favorite toy, my iPad, and the best way I could think at the time to demonstrate it was to ask, "What's a website you visit all the time?" And with that, we were both whisked away... her, getting to play around on my little shrine to impotent consumerism; and me, getting my first taste of what would soon become my next obsession.

Knowing that they'd be right up my alley, Laura sent me the above pictured pink and green 'gay-friendly' postcards. The pink card with the two grooms advertises the now defunct PlanetOut.com, and the green one playfully urging those in the community to come out? It's from Chicago's Lesbian and Gay Community Center. Love em' both, thank you Laura!

The card in between comes from Amanda, who was a co-worker at Books-A-Million with Leslie, one of my roommates at the time. She's super sweet, strong willed, assertive, loves all things Disney, and we even enjoyed a fantastic weekend trip to New Orleans once with Nathaniel and Leslie, too. With her bookstore background, it's no surprise that she sent me a book-cover postcard, of Sex and Society, by Alex Comfort. I've never read it, but I might be inclined to now. What was surprising, though? She sent me the card with a Postcrossing code, and filled with all the best Postcrossing clichés. Only at the last sentence did she basically say "gotcha!" Loves it!

L.A. by way of Houston

This card comes from a Laura in Houston, Texas. The card itself, however, is of the famous Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California. The building is impressive on size (not immediately a distinguishable by this card alone), and being a fan of art and graphic design, I absolutely DO want to visit on day as Laura recommends. Thanks for the card!

Kubuswoningen

Love it, love it, love it! Wouter from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, has sent me this great card of the Kubuswoningen, a.k.a. the Cube Houses. Built in 1984, the houses still have a look that's sleek and modern. Like, this is a piece of architecture that simple, but so unique enough that I want to visit it in person. One day! Thanks for the phenomenal card, Wouter!

The Lviv Opera House

Let me first say that from a purely aesthetic point of view, blue and orange are a very striking pair. For anyone familiar with the color wheel, this is no surprise--they're complimentary colors of course. I bring it up because Carla from Cologne, Germany sent me this striking card of the Lviv Opera House of Lviv, Ukraine. Notice it's similarity to the card a few spots below from Kate in St. Petersburg. That one was gorgeous, and this one is gorgeous! Thanks, Carla!

Half a Bridge & a Lodge

So, I got two cards in the mail! The first comes from Grace in Taiwan. She's sent me a beautiful card of the Longteng Broken Bridge in the township of Sanyi. It's not a cave, and since it was more or less destroyed by an earthquake in 1935, it's not exactly "architecture" anymore either, so Grace feels it's a happy medium, and I couldn't agree more--thanks Grace!

Next, a card that has frustrated me, but not in a bad way, ha ha. Laura from Tampere, Finland, sent me a card with architecture drawings of the "A.S.K:n Ampumamaja," what Laura calls the "A.S.K:s lodge."

I cannot find anything about either of these things anywhere online! I want to learn more, and I think the only thing I'll be able to do is to message her back and ask her more about it. Anywho, for the challenge Laura, I thank you, lol.

Quit "Russian" Me!

Get it? Lol, pardon my stupid joke. It's just that, upon registering this fantastic card, I went on to realize that it had been traveling for 26 days, easily the longest any card has been traveling to me so far. In any case, it comes from Kate in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and it showcases the beautiful Mariinsky Theatre. A lovely card from a fellow dog lover... great stamps, too! Thanks, Kate!

P.S., I've got Kate beat on time traveled though. One of my cards that I sent to a Maria in Valongo, Portugal, took 32 days travel time before being registered!

Graphic Design + Harry Potter

This awesome card comes from Debbie in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I majored in advertising in college, and played around a bit in graphic design, so this card is pretty awesome in terms of composition. The photo, it's also a clever illustration of the word emblazoned on the card. There's no artist credited on the back, but the colors, too, just everything... I really like this card. And THEN she goes and chats me up about Harry Potter? Loved it!

Unexpected

Typically, Postcrossing works when you A) request an address, B) send the card, C) that card is registered by the recipient, and then D) & E) are simultanous--you get to now pull another address, while your address is suddenly next in line for someone else to pull. The point is, in theory, you shouldn't be receiving more cards than you have sent out and had registered elsewhere. Make sense?

Well, we can't really explain this one then. Nathaniel has had exactly ONE card successfully received, and a 2nd one was only placed in the mail Saturday. He has already received what we THOUGHT was the one card he should be expecting, and yet he today received a second card himself--no clue why. It comes from a girl name Georgia of the Gregory family who lives in Gisborne, New Zealand. It's a cool card too, a kiwi, and from a country I haven't shared any cards with yet. Thanks, Georgia!

Two Very Different Cards

I received today, in case you haven't read the title, two very different cards in the mail. Let's discuss.

The first card is from Lindsay (aka 郑文欣) from the small town of Shanghai, China. Not only did she provide a unique and scenic postcard (of West Lake), but she also shared with me about herself and her family (her brother, whose birthday falls on Halloween, was born in the Year of the Tiger, just like me!). On top of that, she also included a quote for me to attempt to translate, something I asked for in my profile. Lindsay, you're awesome, and yours is now officially one of my favorite cards I've received!

The next one is a fine card on its own, this one from Gerkje from Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. I particularly like the stroopwaffles pictured, a delicacy I've never had but always wanted to try. However, I wish the Postcrosser would've said something a bit more... personalized. I'm starting to gather that the more postcards you have being sent & received, the harder it is to make every message meaningful. Which is understandable, I suppose. Anywho, I like waffles, so thanks Gerkje!

Ask & You Shall Recieve

So about the complaining below? Yep, here I go getting this great card to shut me up! About a natural wonder I had never even heard of, too! (Let me stress again, I LOVE EVERY CARD I RECEIVE, so send me whatever you have :) Anywho, today's card come from Tiffany who lives in Owatonna, Minnesota. I am a sucker for awesome land formations in the first place, and this just happens to be a fantastically well composed shot of a glacier-carved cave on the edge of Lake Superior. Thank you Tiff', you made my day!

The grass is always greener...

My devoted boyfriend of 4 years now... I give him so much grief. Nathaniel is a great person, but where I am super positive and optimistic, he's far more conservative and realistic (let's just go with pessimistic, shall we?). Where I can stretch a story out for miles with little details and flourishes, he's fairly cut & dry, and very "to the point." I presented Postcrossing as something entertaining we could do together, but getting him to send any cards past that first one out has been like pulling teeth, so I figured I'd give up and stop pestering him.

Then he finally received his first card, from Leung in Hong Kong, China... and I AM JEALOUS. Not that I haven't loved every card I've received, but this is fireworks, architecture, color, style, a memorable event, and an accompanying illuminating story, etc. Yes, it's very very touristy, but it's also just a great card no matter how you slice it!

Nathaniel just says "cool card." URGH!

"Whacky" Germans

This photo makes less sense than I do, ha ha. And that's apparently exactly why Iris chose it for me, lol. She's from Osnabrück, Germany, and she said she picked it especially for me since I love "dogs and whacky images." Must be a European spelling of wacky, like color/colour. Either way, good call, Iris! Thanks!

The Red Squirrel of Estonia

I came home for my lunch break today to grab a PB&J (decided not to buy lunch since I'm going for sushi & a movie tonight), and look! I received a postcard!! This one comes from Piret of Tallinn, Estonia. I love the card, and I'm not ungrateful at all, but I love it when I receive cards that say a bit more than "Happy Postcrossing." Tell me about yourself, or where you live. In any case, the squirrel is awesome, so thanks Piret!

Larissa - Photographer, Postcrosser

Okay, this is pretty cool. Today's card comes from Larissa who lives in Buena Park, California. She took this photograph herself, a piece of Larissa Sibiglia Photography. It's a great photo of the park near her house, and it's cool that it's unique to her--thanks Larissa!

Two Lighthouses

So I left town on Thursday, September 16th, and I didn't have a chance to upload these then. But on that day, I received two more postcards. More importantly, they were BOTH postcards of lighthouses, from two different corners of the world. Coincidence, I suppose.

The first one comes from Angie who lives right on Lake Michigan in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It's shorter than any lighthouse I've ever seen, which makes it unique (to me at least), so I love it! Thanks for the card!

The second one is from Ricardo who lives in Portocolom, Spain. This lighthouse, located on the island of Mallorca (aka Majorca), is positioned at the entrance of their natural port to the Mediterranean Sea. God, I can't wait to see outside the U.S. Thanks, Ricardo, for a fantastic card!

Not my card, but a favorite!

As you can see on the address here, this is not really my card at all, and I'm OH so jealous about that. This actually was sent to my great friend Leslie by one Rebecca of Pittsburgh, PA. The card is a vintage drawn map/overview of Allegheny County taken from the Library of Congress, only in this historically revisionist version, the state of Pennsylvania is being attacked by Godzilla...

HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THAT?!

The artist is Matthew Buchholz, and he apparently does this with zombies, androids, UFO's, etc., incorporated into other historic photographs and maps. I, for one, am in love with it! Great call Rebecca!

Two postcards at the same time-woot.

I worked a later shift today, didn't go in until 1:30, so I was home when the mail ran. Two cards, sweet!

The first one above is from Taiwan, showing an awesome shot of the renowned Taipei 101. It was sent by Emily (aka 心怡), a high school student with the most perfect handwriting I've ever seen. I'm jealous actually! She seems really smart and really dedicated to her studies. You rock Emily, and thanks for the card!

The next one is from Norbert. This guy is in his mid-50's and stays more active than most 20-year-olds I know. Even the card he sent me is all about rock climbing and hiking that's available inside Saxon Switzerland National Park. One day, one day... Thanks Norbert!

Finally, my first postcard!

So, my first card, a beautiful scene from Helsinki, Finland! I actually got it in the post on Saturday, September 11th. Oddly enough, the first think that struck me was the way people outside the U.S. swoop their 9's. I've never seen that before, lol. Other than that, I LOVE that he drew a picture of his cat. "Him" being a Mr. I.J. who loves his cat Tyyris. Thanks for the card!

My first post is my SECOND postcard!

This is my first post, indeed. However, this is my SECOND postcard ever received through Postcrossing. I put the first one up on my desk at work, and only JUST decided to start putting up my received cards here, so I'll post it as soon as I bring it home tomorrow. Anywho, this one is from Ewa, a beautiful girl from Poland. Thanks Ewa!