It’s a dispatch from the frontline of dissertation land. As she wrote this postcard, she was two weeks away from her deadline.
She says “I want to be done” twice in the space of this postcard and ends, “Ah well, to the last push!”
Sara sent me these postcards, which both arrived on the same day, miracle of miracles. They are promo cards for a coffee delivery subscription her husband received for Christmas.
She had a plan to perhaps pass them off as some quick exotic travel, but that plan was thwarted by the information on the back about the coffee beans from the regions.
Her plan would have also been thwarted by her many social media updates about the writing of her dissertation, which is due soon. This work doesn’t lend much to the Secret International Travel Narrative.
They are nicely-designed postcards that made it through the mail mostly unscathed.
It’s been a few days, but the final three postcards arrived today. This was numbers 1, 9, and 14. I could finally read the whole message!
Six postcards arrived today, but I only took pictures of five of them. now I have 2–8, and 10–13. I’m only missing three.
Five postcards arrived today! Unfortunately, they were out of a series of 14. I got numbers 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12. I will stay tuned for the next set.
Sara reports all 14 went into the mailbox at the same time.
Dana sent me this lovely card from New Zealand where she and her husband are visiting for a little over a month. (Nice!)
Sara sent me this postcard with the express purpose of commenting on my recent observation (sent to her via postcard) that despite a postage increase, the post office is sticking with the blandly offensive seashell postcard stamps. Ugh! At least there was a nice postcard to temper my disappointment.
You know you’re corresponding with an academic when you get postcards like these in the mail.
Sara speaks of her dissertating. The day before she mailed this postcard was the start of the three-month countdown, presumably to defense day. That seems very close, both to Sara and to me. I know she’s going to do a bang-up job though.
Postcard 1 of 3 arrived today (two days after postcards 2&3/3, if you are keeping count.)
It’s an ad for a fun-sounding film series taking place at the Heights Theater. All the films focus on the “fille fatale.” The card defines this as “a cunning girl bent on destroying her parents, or a loving daughter whose keen eye exposes dark family secrets.”
Movies listed in the series: The Bad Seed, The Big Sleep, The Curse of the Cat People, Mildred Pierce, Shadow of a Doubt.
It looks like a good film series. Someday, when my life arranges itself in a different order, I hope to be able to attend film series such as these.
Trista Hendrickson does custom pet portraits and this postcard and the one below arrived today. They are, alas, 2 of 3 and 3 of 3, so we will have to wait until the first one arrives, but any day with mail is a good day.
In this card, Sara tells me she is planning a dissertation writing retreat, which I happen to know she has done and that it went well.
She also reminded me that she sent me a picture of Lauren Strom’s work over Instagram. I couldn’t recall the picture until I went to Ms. Strom’s Etsy shop (which you can find here). Then I knew what she was talking about.
I don’t think this is the greatest introduction to Lauren Strom’s work, but I really like her stuff.
Sara has sent me a hotdish postcard. While she was writing it, she reports that we were texting. Texting and social media. The bringers of death to the postcard culture.
It makes me glad we can both text and send postcards.
I find this woman’s eyes creepy.