...Happy Friday everyone! Thank goodness it's finally here - even though it's still freezing here in California. Odd. Very odd.

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1) Do you enjoy letter writing [as in snail mail]? When's the last time that you wrote someone a letter or a note? When's the last time that you received something in the mail from someone [not including regular stuff like bills, junk mail, etc.]?

Oh boy... I love writing, but I've not written a standard letter in years. I use email and this blog. Most of the people that I want to reach in a letter format I see daily anyway, or I can email very quickly and start a dialogue that way. Or pick up the phone.

That said, I think that letter-writing is becoming a lost habit - a lost art. It's been so long since I last received a real letter in the mail that I can't remember when it would be - other than the annual Christmas newsletters.

2) Do you plan to send out holiday cards this year? Why/why not? Do you spend a lot of time on them? About how many holiday cards do you usually send each year?

I plan to send holiday cards every year, it's just a matter of whether I actually sit down and do it. Last year I had all the best intentions, but never got around to it. I think I need to sit down this weekend and take care of it immediately. I've been known to send around 20-40 cards a year when I do get around to it (DH has a large family)

And I do spend time on them - it takes quite some time to sign and address all those cards by hand.

3) Have you ever had a penpal? Where and when? How long did you write to them, or are you still in contact with them? What kinds of things did/do you talk about with them? How did your penpal relationship come about?

I've never had a penpal. Not even as a school project sort of thing. B has one now as a classroom project with a school in Florida. That's a nice thing, so that she can practice her penmanship a little more than just regular schoolwork.

4) Do you feel that you have good penmanship? Did you ever have to take a handwriting class in school? Do you prefer typing letters or writing them by hand? Have you ever had your handwriting analyzed?

I'd better have good penmanship - especially after all the hours that we spent learning cursive in third grade. I modified my handwriting as the years went on from what I'd originally learned, so now my handwriting is truly mine. Of course, since I don't write letters a lot, it's a little rusty at times (except for my signature) - I type much faster.

I've never had my handwriting analyzed, but I'd sure be curious to see what it reveals.

5) If you could receive a personal, hand-written letter from anyone in the world right now, who would you choose and why? Why would you want a letter from him/her?

Oh see, I reserve the right to not answer that one - it's exclusionary and would make a lot of people feel bad wondering why they didn't get picked by me to be the one to be heard from.

And no, I wouldn't pick a celebrity or a political figure because I believe a good handwritten letter should be from someone close to you, and I can't even begin to think of choosing anyone. So I'd rather say that I'd love letters from anyone - written or typed in an email - because it's the thought that counts and the conversation that's valuable, no matter the format.

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Well, that's it for today, and I'm off to write up a few things and make my way through yet another Friday in a very long and cold week. Have a great weekend everyone!