We Get Letters: A Pen Pal From The Pen
I get a lot of letters from prison, but I found this one amusing due to the juxtaposition of the way he addressed me and the inmate informational bit above.
Yes, of course -- he wants a pen pal. And he thinks I'd be a great candidate.
Hint: Very bad person to pick -- person who gets mail for a living.
He's got better handwriting than I do!
jerry at January 2, 2013 2:38 AM
I like the way they misspelled "institution." Do you suppose the inmates run the office?
Steve Florman at January 2, 2013 5:41 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/we-get-letters-1.html#comment-3538793">comment from Steve FlormanHah - didn't notice that. I'm 48 now and I just started growling about small print on everything. (Not that this was small -- I was just exhausted and opening it in dim light, and maybe wouldn't have noticed anyway.)
Anyway, I went to mail something to a friend, and couldn't read the damn print on the stamps -- they just made forever stamps in yellow, in a tiny size, with tiny print on them. I think I need to buy a magnifying glass.
Amy Alkon
at January 2, 2013 5:47 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/we-get-letters-1.html#comment-3538794">comment from Amy AlkonOh, they're Purple Heart stamps. I thought it was the Ace of Spades in purple.
And it's way smaller and lighter than it is in the picture here:
http://www.postofficeworld.com/2011/05/09/purple-heart-forever-stamp/
Amy Alkon
at January 2, 2013 5:49 AM
"Institition"? Are the administrators as starved for feminine company as the inmates?
ValiantBlue at January 2, 2013 5:53 AM
This gentlemen has very nice penmanship.
Insufficient Poison at January 2, 2013 6:03 AM
They can spell it however they want... Why do I have to pay for it? Since when do prisoners get franking privileges? Is this to remind them of their years in Congress? ("Equality," indeed.)
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at January 2, 2013 6:51 AM
Oh, OK, it's the cancellation.
Sorry. For some reason I woke up worrying that my government was spending too much money.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at January 2, 2013 7:05 AM
Oh, don't worry, Crid. They'll just print more.
What kinds of things do the prisoners say, Miss Alkon (without being specific)? Do they read you on line? I suppose a lot of them are just kind of lonesome.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at January 2, 2013 7:50 AM
My prison letter:
A year or two ago, we got a letter delivered to our house addressed to a girl with the same last name as my husband but not someone we know. I opened the mail to see if it was something I should try to get to the correct owner. It had a handwritten, three page letter written in pencil. It was a lengthy letter, complete with cartoon illustrations, claiming to be from a boy looking for a pen pal. It felt weird to me so I asked my husband about it. He googled the return address and it was the local county jail! So I called the police. It turned out this guy, a convicted sexual offender, and his friend sent out about 20 letters to young girls in the area trying to get a response. Creepy!
Astra at January 2, 2013 9:01 AM
Oh, and they managed to get around the "Mailed from a State Correctional Institution" stamp by smuggling the letters out and having someone else mail them. That was another reason they seemed fishy: purportedly from a young boy in Colorado but postmarked from Florida!
Astra at January 2, 2013 9:03 AM
"I thought it was the Ace of Spades"
Here, in case anyone wants to see it, is the Ace of Spades:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at January 2, 2013 10:50 AM
It's nice that inmates have so much time to reach out to the community.
http://www.krem.com/news/Inmates-the-beer-made-us-do-it-185441701.html
Meloni at January 2, 2013 11:22 AM
In general, I feel badly for the prisoners. Of course, some of them are real POS's but too many of them are stupid, unlucky, or mentally ill.
The smart criminals, and the ones with money can buy their way out of prison, and a lot of rwally dangerous women, never go to jail becuase they cry, and those sucker judges and police feel sorry for them.
He does have very nice handwriting. So, some discipline somewhere in his life.
I would much rather prisoners spend their time writing letters, than watching TV.
Isab at January 2, 2013 3:53 PM
My husband works with many people in prison. The handwriting is often amazing. Many illiterate prisoners copy words that someone else has written.
Jen at January 2, 2013 4:49 PM
You never have to worry where he is at night.
jefe at January 2, 2013 5:33 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/we-get-letters-1.html#comment-3539477">comment from jefeYou never have to worry where he is at night.
Hah.
Then again, with Gregg, I can count on his loyalty; I just worry that he'll forget to lock his car doors and get jacked when he's in Detroit.
Amy Alkon
at January 2, 2013 6:02 PM
Maybe you can buy him a $1k home to occupy his time. ;-)
Jim P. at January 4, 2013 9:32 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/we-get-letters-1.html#comment-3542071">comment from Jim P.Maybe you can buy him a $1k home to occupy his time. ;-)
I don't have $1k spare dollars and he doesn't have spare time!
Amy Alkon
at January 4, 2013 11:46 PM
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