Snail Mail Surprise

When I first started with the internet many years ago, opening my email inbox and seeing the 'You have 27 new items in your inbox' message used to be an exciting thing to see. Unfortunately, over the years, spammers of all flavors have crept into the mix and some of that early excitement has waned. I love to get emails from all of my blog buddies, my "realife" circle of friends, co-workers, and family that has moved away. Out of that favorite list, double or triple that number of emails would be from that everfamous Dr. Samalamma von Dinoppooha, or Prince Yaanabo Sansosadmi who has passed away, but has megabucks his banker/lawyer/wife/mistress/son/daughter/illegitimate child/cousin/embalmer/taxidermist/hair dresser would like to hide in your own bank account. Then there's those 'You have been chosen', or 'You have won the Irish-UK-European-Yahoo-Google-Whatchemacallit Lottery to a total of 10,000,000.00 Euros'. Then there is the Porn Mongers that have every type of kink that you could imagine, or never even thought of imagining, wanting you to become their Slave-Maid-Lover-$%$#Buddy-Hetero-Homo-Metro-Beastro-Yuffy-Fluffy-Anthropo-Ultimo-All-For-Only-$1.99-This-Week-Only-mo. It's enough to make you want to 'Spooge' (Don't look up Spooge in the Urban Dictionary, my bad).

The only good thing about all this spam--it's not on paper. No one killed a tree to send this garbage to you. Unlike the garbage that shows up in everyones Snail Mailbox. Flier, after flier, after flier, and they just keep coming. Because snail mailboxes are of limited size, they have become crafty and stuffed what won't fit in the box into Wednesday and Friday newspapers. All this snail mail spam comes sans porn spam though, which makes no logical sense in my world (which is aquamarine by the way), for you would think Porn Mongers would be adamant about sending out hard copy (I know, my bad x 2). To make matters worse, the only other thing to look forward to in your snail mail box are your monthly bills, the ones you haven't or can't set up for ebilling yet. No one writes the old fasioned way anymore, so that favorite list that comes to your email inbox is in no way duplicated in your snail mail box. It's come to the fact that you know you just have to go empty it for fear that the mail carrier has been given the power to fine people for overstuffed boxes.

Every once in a while, you do go out to clean the box out and do find a pleasant surprise amongst all the fliers. Last year, I went out and in the box was a parcel pick up notice. The parcel was a Pennsylvanian Mug that I had won in a contest on Gale Martin's Blog, which Lola immediately took possesion of and has used ever since. And then there was today, I went out with my Heftybag in tow, because you know you are just going to fill it and place it directly in the dumpster *ahem* paper-only recycle box. In this batch was a letter from Picture.com, which had two cellophane windows in the envelope, one for my address, and a larger one that included a photographer's proof of this picture of Lily smiling through the envelope window.

My first reaction was to start laughing because this picture makes me giggle every time I see it. My second reaction was, "How did the mail carrier get Lily's picture." Then I noticed the sender on the envelope, then I really got excited. Early in October last year, I submitted my picture of Lily to Picture.com to enter it in an amateur photo contest. Picture.com has many categories of pictures for amateur photographers to submit their photos in. I submitted mine in their Children section for the contest. Then, once your submission is approved, you email everyone you have ever known (framming, that's friend + spamming) to go and vote for your picture, and rate it on their site. More votes, more chances to win is how I believe it works. I only put a quick link to that rating page on my facebook page. As far as I know there has been very few votes submitted for this picture. Excited as hell, I put all the fliers, bills, deals, carpet cleaning coupons all back into the mailbox, and went to show this letter to Lola so we could both open it and share the excited giddiness together. This is what the letter stated:

Dear Frank:

After thouroughly reviewing and discussing your photograph, I am pleased to inform you that our Selection Committee has advanced your contest entry to semi-finalist in the Children category in the Interational Open Amateur Photography Contest. Your photo will now be automatically entered into the final competition to be held in the Winter of 2008....

.....In celebration of you unique talent, and the priceless moment you have captured on film, we also wish to publish your photograph in our forthcoming anthology...

Endless Journeys

Library of Congress ISBN-0-7951-5247-7

.......

Sincerely

Jeffry Brian

Managing Editor

P.S. Frank, you should be genuinely proud of your accomplishment. Of the thousands of photographs we see each year, only a fraction can be published. We are pleased that your photograph will appropriately achieve the recognition that a national publication can give it. ...

The only scary part about this, I hope I didn't miss any deadlines. I have to send in an authentication form they provide to prove I'm the owner/photographer of the picture to keep copyright of the picture. And with snail mailbox garbage collection only once a month, I know I'm late as usual. Express post, here we come! Now, anybody know the URL address of Gerbers? I've got a famous Grand daughter in the works!

Oh yeah, I still have that mailbox to empty. Nah, I'll wait till the overdue notices come in.

* * * * *
If you'd like to help increase Lily's chances of winning prizes as well, click here to rate the photo nudge, nudge.

* * * * *

So, tell me, what colour is it in your world? You know we all want to know.