{photo: I couldn't find to whom I should give credit, but I love the photo}

Granted, yesterday’s weather was rather pigheaded, refusing to cool down in the least bit, thus ensuring I tossed and turned my way through the night. I didn’t exactly bound out of bed as a ray of sunshine. That said, it was not the best time to find this awaiting in my inbox: “Paper cards, you’re on notice–digital greeting cards have arrived.” There’s more … ”Sign the Declaration of Independence from paper greeting cards and enter for a chance to win a $500 Amazon gift card.”

That last little bit? Let’s just say it incited some rather ill-will toward Punchbowl.

Which is sad, because I always liked Punchbowl. I think they have the best electronic invitations around. And, throw-back that I am, I still love me a good e-invite every now and again.

Still, there’s nothing quite like sending {and receiving} love and good wishes in the mail.

Paper, after all, requires something of the sender. Sending a note in the mail proves the addressee more important than your time and paper, ink and postage. Furthermore, paper is like sending a piece of yourself. I use to have friends who would write long letters. I would pour a steaming mug of goodness and snuggle in to read page after page of the details of their lives–details not found in status updates, texts, or emails.

You know, the first practical typewriter went on sale September 12, 1873. For the first time, people no longer had to write out their correspondence. Sure, it was a bit cumbersome at first; but, like all invention, adjustments were made. Still, people wrote letters. Even after the first computers came out, people wrote. We wrote through over one-hundred years of technological advancement because writing is personal.

You see, abandoning paper correspondence has nothing at all to do with progress–technology and handwriting can survive together quite nicely. It’s not about going green–if you write well, it becomes a piece of tangible history; if you tend toward rubbish, well, paper is recyclable. No, abandoning paper correspondence proves nothing more than a shift in priority.

So yes, there may very well come a day when we no longer have the luxury to write a paper greeting. But let it not be due the work of our hands {or lack thereof}. While we can, let’s take a moment here and there to write to someone we love–on paper. Let’s stop and think about what we write. Let’s write something worth keeping. Then let’s buy the stamps and pop it in the post. Because they are worth it …

Growing up, one of my best friends’ father was a little nutty–and not in a good way. Sometimes when I would call he would answer, “The sun is up and so are we … ”

*click*

Ah, the days before Caller ID; days when you could quietly hang up on someone you didn’t want to talk to and they would be none the wiser.

Today, however, his wacky greeting keeps looping in my mind–I can’t get away from it. The sun’s up; I’m up; and that’s pretty much all I have to say about it. We can only hope the caffeine kicks in soon.

Perhaps it’s all the sadness in the world. Perhaps it’s the fact I started walking again this weekend and every inch of my body hurts. Perhaps it’s the heat. We finally joined the ranks of the rest of you hot tamales, sweating our way into the triple digits. With that in mind, we did the only thing to do under such circumstances: we sat in an air conditioned theatre, sipping soda, watching Captain America.

Loved it, by the way. Loved the 1940′s period settings, the nod to Marvel history, and last, but certainly not least, the story. Chris Evans brought Captain America to life–and you can’t go wrong with Stanley Tucci or Tommy Lee Jones. It was simply a fun escape.

Now that I mention it, a Monday matinee would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon, wouldn’t you agree? Let’s play hooky! I’ll buy the corn, you bring the Vines …