210 replies to this topic

[al-x]

Hello:

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Al...

[stephanie familiar]

Hello:

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Al...

those are actually pretty accurate, particularly #3. beware of "fine," "it's fine," "i'm fine" and "it's okay." they're always bad.

[njerry]

"Never mind" aka "forget it" are also good ones to avoid at all costs.

[Robert B]

Today is my ninth wedding anniversary.

Next year is the big one. We're supposed to take a trip to the European continent, unless we're pregnant or in financial ruin (both possible!). We used to travel a lot but not so much with kids. We are either going to go to England or to Venice.

[craggy]

England, and the rest of Great Britain aren't really on the continent. Might be less of a change in culture here. I'd go for Venice if it was me. Possibly be more expensive, but assuming you're travelling from the colonies, it's not going to make much of a difference.

[Robert B]

England, and the rest of Great Britain aren't really on the continent.

Edited by Robert B, 10 May 2012 - 11:37 PM.

[Adam Balson]

Today is my ninth wedding anniversary.

Next year is the big one. We're supposed to take a trip to the European continent, unless we're pregnant or in financial ruin (both possible!). We used to travel a lot but not so much with kids. We are either going to go to England or to Venice.

Congrats, man!

[al-x]

Hello:

OK, now back to relationships...

I emailed the girl from Yale and she wrote
me back. She is in the home stretch with
finals, graduation, and the bar exam but
she appreciated me wishing her well.


Al...

[Christian U]

Hello:

OK, now back to relationships...

I emailed the girl from Yale and she wrote
me back. She is in the home stretch with
finals, graduation, and the bar exam but
she appreciated me wishing her well.


Al...

I am not sure that that is a relationship, as such. It's an opening, though. Keep that mail contact going, Al!

[brucegray666]

Maybe we should have a thread about correspondence, that might fit better in there...

[Mike]

Do people still have pen pals, or has that concept died with the Internet?

(Given we're all far more connected than we were when I was a kid)

[Christian U]

Yeah, it's getting kind of obsolete. But I think there's still pen-pal-ship happening, there are a few organisations offering to find pen-pals in language learning, and some schools have programs.

[Robert B]

I was looking through some old comic books recently and I had forgotten that on the letter page they listed the full mailing address of the people who wrote the letters. I think in some instances they'd mention if that person wanted correspondence. In retrospect that all seems pretty weird.

[al-x]

I am not sure that that is a relationship, as such. It's an opening, though. Keep that mail contact going, Al!

You are right... It isn't a relationship, just a friendship.


Al...

[garjones]

I was looking through some old comic books recently and I had forgotten that on the letter page they listed the full mailing address of the people who wrote the letters. I think in some instances they'd mention if that person wanted correspondence.

Yeah they always asked you to stipulate if you wanted your full address shown, otherwise it was like J. Smith, Wisconsin or something. I believe certain groups of fandom came out of those full addresses.

Pen pals do seem a bit pointless when you have message boards and Facebook groups.

[Martin Smith]

The Pen Pal thing always seemed a bit weird. I mean, I could maybe see the point when they paired you up with foreign kids who speak a different language, so you could each get better at writing or reading the other's language. But I remember my brother had an American pen-pal when he was just starting secondary school and it just seemed a bit pointless and odd (especially for him given how frequently we moved house). But even with the foreign language thing, it's still weird. "You just want me to write a letter to a kid I've never met talking about my life? Why would he care?"

At least when people write messages to strangers now, on the internet message boards, they can do it through a common interest that they're actively looking to talk about.

[garjones]

It's odd now. I don't think it was then, it was a way of learning about another culture in a way that's very accessible now.

I was 30 before I had a conversation with an American, a New Zealander or an Indian. last Friday in work I spoke to people in New Zealand, Japan, the USA, China, Australia, Singapore, India, Ireland, Brazil and France. That's such a norm now I barely think about it but it just never happened only10 years ago.

[Robert B]

The Pen Pal thing always seemed a bit weird. I mean, I could maybe see the point when they paired you up with foreign kids who speak a different language, so you could each get better at writing or reading the other's language. But I remember my brother had an American pen-pal when he was just starting secondary school and it just seemed a bit pointless and odd (especially for him given how frequently we moved house). But even with the foreign language thing, it's still weird. "You just want me to write a letter to a kid I've never met talking about my life? Why would he care?"

At least when people write messages to strangers now, on the internet message boards, they can do it through a common interest that they're actively looking to talk about.

Why is the pen pal thing odd? I don't really think it's that much different from the message boards at all. In terms of common interests there is at least one: the desire to have a pen pal. But common interests aren't really as interesting as differences, and I think that was a big part of the pen pal appeal.

I always wanted a pen pal as a kid but I had cousins that I wrote back and forth to that I would only see once every few years, which was more or less the same thing.

[Jim Ohara]

There's nothing weird about wanting to make friends, and it's a good thing if you're making friends with people you wouldn't normally meet. Pen pals are no different from the hundreds of friendships that have resulted from Millarworld.

I had a pen pal when I was younger but only for a couple of years. I really liked that the service let you select someone from any country and they'd pair you up. I know of some pen pal friendships that have lasted lifetimes, with people be incredibly close. It's easy to be more honest and open if you're talking to someone remotely.

Pretty soon there's going to be a generation who have never received a letter. That'll be weird.

[stephanie familiar]

i don't think it's weird. when i was younger, a horse magazine i had a subscription to let you post your interests and address in case someone wanted to write you. i ended up with something like 40 pen pals over those years. it was awesome to get letters in the mails, and even still, an actual piece of mail, as opposed to an email is the best thing ever.

but then again, i'm old school. i love writing paper, fancy envelopes, wax seals and all that snail mail accoutrement.