Text, Email or Write

Last week I did a "What's Bugging You" report on the vanishing practice of handwriting letters.

I blamed our reluctance to put pen to paper on technology such as instant messages, email and online social networking like Myspace and Dogster. Even my dog, Willamena, insists on having a page because her boyfriend, Otis, has one.

Don't get me wrong. I like the ease and immediacy of keeping in touch and getting to know new people. I just want both! But I can't remember the last time I received or mailed a letter. I started thinking about it while I was digging through an old popcorn tin of letters, all about 20-years-old. With it, I have a  stamp collection, cool postmarks from all over the world, pictures and interesting letters from people, some I have to admit I don't even remember. However, young people who rely on the internet to communicate with pen pals and write love letters aren't going to have the memories. I mean, really, when is the last time you printed an email that you ended up saving? Plus I only keep sent pictures as long as they stay in my inbox.

I started thinking about the issue again yesterday after receiving an email from a Peter Kovar in Germany. Attached was this picture to the left, with a message reading: hi heather,
my name is peter kovar and i'm a university lecturer in germany.
i find your e-mail adress by seaching a picture of my own. do you know something of your regional provenance?
i wrote this e-mail simply because of your friendly picture and your name.
i send you greetings from germany
peter kovar

I think getting an email from someone with my same last name in Germany is pretty cool. It didn't come with a postage stamp, but it did prompt me to look again at the region my family is from.  I thanked him for the email and told him my Kovars were from Ublo, Moravia Czechoslovakia. He wrote back saying that's the basic area his family is from as well.

I'm not sure how long his picture will remain in my inbox. I'll try to find a way to save it like I try to save some email addresses that somehow have disappeared whenever I need them. But another thought about those old letters: I wonder what I wrote in return and if anyone still has mine? Oh, no! Maybe instantly deleted text messaging is the way to go.