Forget Rain, Sleet, or Snow...[30 Day Photo Blog]

I turned in my card to have my mail forwarded to my new digs three weeks ago.  According to USPS, mail forwarding should have started within 10 business days of them receiving my request.  They received it on May 5th.  So, something ain't right.  The next logical course of action was to call the JackVegas Post Office.  The online yellow pages gave an 800 number.  For JackVegas?  That couldn't be right, so I looked it up in the papery blog yellow pages.  Same thing.  What?  I called the number and the automated system said "for questions concerning your address change, please contact the local post office at your former address."  **left eye twitching**  Then it asked for the zip code for my former address and gave me a local number to call.  I dialed it.  Nothing but ringing.  I dialed it again.  Again, nothing but ringing.  I dialed it a third time.  After about 20 rings, it sounded like a fax machine picked up.  **right eye twitching**  Dialing the 800 number and making different selections gave me the exact same information.  **trying not to cuss and throw my cell phone across the room**

OK, I need to talk to a real person.

I headed over to my new post office, and low and behold, the lady behind the desk was a mom of one of my former students.  HALLELUJAH!  Someone with sense!  She looked up my file and we discussed it.  Apparently my filling out the paperwork differently to try to keep the goofballs in JackVegas from forwarding my mom's mail wasn't going to work.  See, my mom and I not only have the same last name, but except for the apartment number, our address is the same.  If the carrier isn't going to pay enough attention to put my mail in my box and mom's mail in hers, there's no guarantee they will get the forward right.  So, we changed it.   Thanks, Tracey!

Now to hope for the best.   By the way, I posted an open letter to the US Postal Service on Facebook.  It is as follows:

Dear United States Postal Service,

Thank you so much for the rigamarole you provided today. It's so comforting to know that when you call the 800 number provided in the phone book instead of the local number, the automated system will give you the local number. Albeit, that number doesn't work so no one answers it.

Thanks also goes to the Jacksonville Alabama Post Office not answering your phone... today (if indeed the number provided by the post office website and the yellow pages is even correct). I don't really need to find out why my mail isn't being forwarded to my new address anyway. I just enjoy having to sit and hold the keys to an apartment I moved out of weeks ago because your agency can't get its act together. After all, you are a government entity; I don't know what possessed me to think that you would be efficient or that the money raised from the ever-increasing price of postage would actually be worth it. Silly me.

Sincerely yours,

Shannon D. Maddox
Ticked off in Cedar Springs, AL

All right, time for a respite from nuttiness. 

On our way back from Gadsden,Monday, my friend Susan took me by a gorgeous spot in my new town.  I decided to drive back over there today.  This place is off of Saks Road and Cane Creek Circle in Weaver.  When I just want to take a pretty drive, I'm going here.  Understand, Weaver is even smaller than Jacksonville, so this kind of scenery is a pleasant surprise.  I don't want to live there though; they proudly post a sign boasting of their Home Owner's Association.  No, thank you.  The rules of government housing were bad enough.