The New Year's Resolution That Isn't

I don't buy stamps often. In fact, I only buy them in December to mail Christmas cards. Last year (or 2 years ago, now that it's 2014) I bought 2 books of stamps and then didn't even mail my cards. In one of those "kids, clear the counter while I scrub floors! Company is coming!" moments, the kids put my stack of Christmas cards in a place that I didn't think to look until February. I never did mail those. One can get away with mailing Christmas cards in January, but February is just embarrassing. I opted to waste the money spent on them and feed them to the trash can.

Those 2 books of stamps that I'd bought in December, 2012 just ran out as I stamped the cards for this past holiday season. (For those of you who haven't received a card from me yet, it's in the mail!) And then because I procrastinate about all things important, I just bought stamps to finish mailing those cards this week. (See? I told you so.)

Because I rarely buy stamps, I have no idea how much a book of stamps cost. I got on the post office's website to get that pertinent information, and doubled it since I wanted 2 books, and wrote out a check. I was going to put it in the mail box in an envelope marked "2 books of stamps, please" because I can do that with our post man. He's pretty awesome that way. And he'll also take stamps off those books that I just purchased and put on the unstamped letters I have in the mailbox as well. He's THAT awesome. So that's why I wrote out a check, because I use checks only slightly more frequently than I use stamps. One can't just put a credit card in the mail box. Or at least one shouldn't. I choose not to.

But then I realized that I needed to be in the town with the post office that I love to visit because it's never busy and there are no lines, so I chose not to inconvenience my post man and took the check and unstamped letters with me.

I took just those things into the post office, leaving my purse in the van with the boys. I told the post man that I needed 2 books of stamps. He said that'll be $18.90. I had my check written out for $18.40. So I proceeded to write over the 40 to make it 90. It didn't look too doctored, either. I was just too lazy to go to the van to get my checkbook. Plus it was the coldest day in 20 years. And then the post man was incorrect anyway, so I had to re-doctor the check. It was a mess.

 "Oh, shoot," I so eloquently said.

*******OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE ALERT*******

"Oh, shit?" inquired the post man.

No! I said shoot! I didn't swear. Honest.

And because the post man knows me pretty well there, and has an awesome sense of humor, he said, "I thought you may have taken it up as a New Year's resolution."

Ha! No, that wasn't one I made. Maybe I should stop saying "shoot" though. Maybe that should be my resolution if that's what the public hears.

"Or you could just take up swearing. It kind of makes you feel better sometimes."

So this year, just to clarify, I am NOT taking up swearing as a new thing. The kids, however, find this highly amusing.