Damn Mailman
When we bought our house, we received a shoe box-sized lock-box mail receptacle that is down at the other end of the block. Not ideal, but we didn't exactly get to choose.
In addition to the things we want to receive (birthday cards, Cooking Light, Dork Tower) and the things we expect to receive (utility bills, solicitations for pizza places) we also get strange, unsolicited packages (a "religious" tract of some sort ProEvo: Pro Evolution - Guideline for an Age of Joy), mystery magazines (Chris started receiving a subscription to ESPN Magazine which, in addition to being oversized was utterly unwanted and went straight into the recycling) and general mail clutter. We also get a lot of large packages that are too large to fit in the shoebox, so the packages are dropped on our doorstep by our mailman.
Our current mailman has not always been our mailman, and I hope he does not remain our mailman for much longer. He is extremely put out by the amount of mail we get, surly and unpleasant when he needs to talk to us for any reason. Sometimes he will shove an unholy amount of mail into our box, bending, creasing, mutilating and tearing things in the process. Other times he will simply leave a note that he's taken the mail back to the post office and I must go retrieve it myself if I want it.
After our most recent vacation hold, we asked that the mail be brought to the house after we returned on Monday. He left it in the box, and came up and rang the doorbell on Tuesday. Kate answered, and he told her "Tell your parents to check their mail." I was irritated, but I was also not going to go out in the pouring rain RIGHT THEN to go check the box, especially after he'd gone to the trouble to come to the door without bringing the mail with him! Yesterday, I was out running errands with the Flexcar and made sure to stop at the box. It was empty. I thought little of it: Chris must have gone out for it while I was gone.
Nope. Mr. Unpleasantness had to bring a package to the house, so brought our mail with him so he could chew Chris out. "Are you ever going to check your mail?!" he said to Chris, among other things. Very glad I wasn't home to hear that bullshit. I do NOT need that kind of aggravation from the fucking mailman, thank you very much.
Wonder if it would help at all to complain to the postmaster... though with my luck it would just result in a vindictive asshole mailman instead of the merely irritating and insulting mailman.
In addition to the things we want to receive (birthday cards, Cooking Light, Dork Tower) and the things we expect to receive (utility bills, solicitations for pizza places) we also get strange, unsolicited packages (a "religious" tract of some sort ProEvo: Pro Evolution - Guideline for an Age of Joy), mystery magazines (Chris started receiving a subscription to ESPN Magazine which, in addition to being oversized was utterly unwanted and went straight into the recycling) and general mail clutter. We also get a lot of large packages that are too large to fit in the shoebox, so the packages are dropped on our doorstep by our mailman.
Our current mailman has not always been our mailman, and I hope he does not remain our mailman for much longer. He is extremely put out by the amount of mail we get, surly and unpleasant when he needs to talk to us for any reason. Sometimes he will shove an unholy amount of mail into our box, bending, creasing, mutilating and tearing things in the process. Other times he will simply leave a note that he's taken the mail back to the post office and I must go retrieve it myself if I want it.
After our most recent vacation hold, we asked that the mail be brought to the house after we returned on Monday. He left it in the box, and came up and rang the doorbell on Tuesday. Kate answered, and he told her "Tell your parents to check their mail." I was irritated, but I was also not going to go out in the pouring rain RIGHT THEN to go check the box, especially after he'd gone to the trouble to come to the door without bringing the mail with him! Yesterday, I was out running errands with the Flexcar and made sure to stop at the box. It was empty. I thought little of it: Chris must have gone out for it while I was gone.
Nope. Mr. Unpleasantness had to bring a package to the house, so brought our mail with him so he could chew Chris out. "Are you ever going to check your mail?!" he said to Chris, among other things. Very glad I wasn't home to hear that bullshit. I do NOT need that kind of aggravation from the fucking mailman, thank you very much.
Wonder if it would help at all to complain to the postmaster... though with my luck it would just result in a vindictive asshole mailman instead of the merely irritating and insulting mailman.
Don't know if it's still the case, but the Postmaster is supposed to take complaints very seriously--they are a government agency, after all.
If the Dungeon Master and the Postmaster got together....
...okay I don't know where I'm going with this one.
Sorry.
I stumbled onto your blog because I, too, received the Pro Evo book, unsolicited, and I'm trying to find out who the hell sent it to me. And I was entertained by the mailman entry...
My mailman started feeding this nasty ass aggressive stray dog on my property. I didn't know for a week, and I tried to run the dog off but it kept hanging around my house, barking and growling at me and posing a threat to my dog. When I found out the mailman was feeding the damn thing I told him to take it home with him. He said no and drove away. So I had a chat with the postmaster, who was very concerned. No sooner had I returned home from the postmaster's office when the mailman -- whom I did not know on any personal level - called my house and chewed me out, telling me the stray dog posed no threat and I needed to mind my own business. I told him he was trespassing. And then I immediately got back in the car and visited the postmaster again. The mailman took the dog away the next day.
I googled "Pro Evo" and your blog came up. Ever figure out how or why you received this book? I got it in the mail today and can't figure it out...
I've been getting a lot of hits from people looking for more information on "Pro Evo" lately. Aside from the one mailing, I've never received anything else and I've never found any real explanation for why I received it. Just weird.
I got the Pro Evo book in mail just last night. At first I thought maybe it was because a friend was playing a joke on me. But now that I know other people have gotten it at random I have to wonder...
I too got a copy of this mysterious book. The oddest thing is it's full of barely understandable English nonsense. Something akin to a religious tract for some crazy group indeed. Very peculiar.
And I'm sorry to say your blog is about the only response to it that I can find in google. Weirder and Weirder.
I received the book Pro Evo also.
It's a real thing and was created with good intentions. It is now circulated for free from a Trust that was established by the author.
I read it and found it very inspiring.
The story and intentions of the author is on the back of the first page of the book.
The book is the result of his search for the origin and meaning of existence. It is (in his conclusion) a simple and reliable guideline for human thought and action which is oriented on "evolutionary ethic"
For those who are open to contemplate the meaning of life, it is a good read.
Uh, yeah...thanks there "Anonymous" for the comment on 2/5/07...so unbiased and believable! Now can you please tell us who you work for or what cult you belong to? I got the book today and have had the same experience as everyone else - not much info out there on the internet. I chucked the book and only really care to know which list my name was mined from...
it seems the prior anon is an evangelist posting on other sites too. he posted the exact same thing.
http://missourilovescompany.blogspot.com/2006/01/pro-evo-shenanigans-wtfx10-to-10th.html
I recieved the book shortly after becoming a member of the Sierra Club...
~woody
A friend received the book from the May Foundation. She does not know why she received it either. I read it and even though it makes some interesting points I think the utopian society it suggests will never materialise. Why did she receive it and why didn't anyone else in our town receive the book? How do "they" select you?
I too received the “Pro Evo” book in the mail a couple of months ago. I for one am not a fan of receiving books that I cannot trace where they came from. I finally skimmed through it and was not impressed with what this author was saying, and decided it would be best to throw it away.
another receiver of the mysterious unsolicited "Pro Evo" book.
i did read the whole book and found parts of it to be fairly interesting (regulating structures) right along with parts of it that i completely do not agree with (poor logic - relies on acceptance of the premise).
but even for material i did not agree with i still had a lot of fun trying to figure out why it was so... offending. sometimes i couldn't really find a good reason...
i agree with previous anon comment that it is a good read for those of you who are open and interested in the meaning of existence. there's plenty inside the book to think about and discuss.
i wouldn't pay for it. but if someone or some group is willing to pay the cost of the book and its shipping to me and not ask for any money in return then i will definitely give it a read.
seriously, there was no solicitation, return address or sender information and the only hint of contact information was the book's publisher's website address where even at that site there is no solicitation.
i had fun with it. thanks for whoever sent it out.
Hey, I loved reading parts of the book. I thought it was halarious. The one thing I couldn't figure out though is whether or not they're trying to be as cult like as possible, of if they're really just that insane.