Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Not too many songs mention mail and dog bites so, I’m going to use the same one I used last year. It’s by Dave Matthews Band and  the official video doesn’t offend me but it has some images that I worried might be NSFW so I’m using this one.

I like this song but I hope that by next year, I’ve found another that meets the requirements for Mail Music Monday and National Dog Bite Prevention Week. But if I use this one again, I ask you, “What Would You Say?”

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According to the U.S.P.S. nearly 5,900 mail carriers were attacked by dogs last year. And dogs bite about 4.7 million Americans annually.

That’s why they and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), aap.org; the American Humane Association (AHA) americanhumane.org, the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), microsurg.org; the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), avma.org; the Insurance Information Institute (III), iii.org; State Farm Insurance, statefarm.com; and Prevent The Bite (PTB), preventthebite.org,are delivering (see what I did there?) the message that dog bites are a nationwide issue and that education can help prevent dog attacks to people of all ages.

Do you have any tips, advice or stories to share about dogs and mail carriers?

The post National Dog Bite Prevention Week 2013 is May 19 through May 25th appeared first on iPresort.

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This mail music song is dedicated to my mom. Probably one of the reasons that I can’t imagine a world without music is due to the fact that my mom loves music. Growing up, there was always music. Some of the music she played herself on guitar or ukulele. We sang folk songs like “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Froggy Would a Wooing Go.” Or Beatles tunes like “Rocky Raccoon.”

I remember the excitement when we got a new station wagon that had an 8 track player! Road trips were even more fun now that we could sing along with our favorite bands.

These days, I’ll get a phone call, “Cammie, I just heard a good song for Mail Music Monday.” I’ll grab my pen or iPhone and take down the details. This is one of the songs suggested by Mom and it’s perfect for the day after Mother’s Day. Let this one get rollin’ and you’ll definitely be rockin’. I hope you’ll love it and I hope you’ll share your favorite ‘mom music memories’ with me. Until then, like Ruth Brown says, this little girl’s gone rockin’.

The post Mail Music Monday for Mom’s Who Rock appeared first on iPresort.

The Coalition for Music Education’s theme for the 2013 edition of Music Monday is, “Filling the Skies With Music.” The official song for the event was co-written by Col. Chris Hadfield and Bare Naked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson. It’s called “Is Somebody Singing?” or, I.S.S. — like International Space Station. Clever, huh?

The coolest part of all this is that it’s a live stream event and school children and others, all over the world are encouraged to watch and sing along. For information on technical requirements to view the webcast, please follow this link: https://ustream.zendesk.com/entries/22546906-Tips-for-Best-Viewing-Experience-on-Ustream

The official song does not mention mail, so I tried to find a good song that had a sky or star reference and a mail reference. My reasons for choosing this particular mail music song are many:

1. It’s one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite local bands, Fate Lions, from Fort Worth, TX.
2. It”s called “Starsign” and today we can all take part in an event that is the result of the partnership of Coalition for Music Education, CBC Music and the Canadian Space Agency.
3. I follow Col. Chris Hadfield on tumblr.com, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for an insider’s view of what goes on in the International Space Station.
4. I like the band, Bare Naked Ladies.
5. Of course, the song also mentions mail — “drop it in a letter, send it airmail.”

If you like our song or have another that you think would meet today’s Mail Music Monday challenge, please let me know. Or if you take part in the sing-a-long, I would love to hear about your experience.

The post Coalition for Music Education Music Monday 2013 appeared first on iPresort.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Shouldn’t Every Day Be Earth Day? The Go Green/Get Green program from MaxBack.com is supported by specially marked kiosks, located in more thank 3,100 post offices. It’s use of a QR code to bring customers directly to a mobile site, where they can find the estimated value of an old device, enables people to take enough steps to make the decision to grab a return bag, follow through and go green with the program.

Earth Day reminds us to be conscientious about how to care for the planet we live on so that future generations can enjoy healthy living. The U.S.P.S. is one of the most environmentally conscious organizations in the United States and this video highlights one of the ways it’s making it easier for all of us to be Earth friendly.

The post USPS and MaxBack Go Green / Get Green appeared first on iPresort.

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This is such a happy, mellow, mail music tune from Jack Johnson. It from his “In Between Dreams” album and I’m so glad that Jamie McLennan suggested it. I think it’s the perfect song to listen to when one needs a break from all the hustle and bustle — it just takes me on a relaxing little mental vacation.

I was going to save it for Valentine’s week but I like it too much to wait. If you’re on Twitter, you should follow Jamie (@Jamieprints) for all things print and a whole lot of fun. He’s the real deal, no robotic auto-tweets. He’s also a regular at #printchat, which is hosted on Twitter by Deborah Corn of PrintMediaCentr.com, on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. EST. If you’re a graphic designer, marketer, printer,  or presort mailer, you should join us because, like music and Mondays, and like the song says, “It’s always better when we’re together!”

The post Mail Music Monday Better Together appeared first on iPresort.

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Oh, if only I could have found a song that would not take us back to the days of stereotyped roles for women and men. This is the only one I could find that I could connect to mail and to Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day. If you ever have a mail music suggestion, please send it my way — as you can clearly see I need lots of help.

The post Mail Music Monday before Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day appeared first on iPresort.

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Was beginning think I would fail the challenge but I finally found a Mail Music video that ties together the theme of today’s Google Doodle celebrating the birthday of Leonhard Euler and is also mail related. Whew!

The math connection is obvious but would love for you to leave a comment on this post stating how this song is mail related. As always, thanks for listening and sharing.

The post Mathematical Mail Music Monday appeared first on iPresort.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

I was so excited to get this suggestion from a friend I met on Twitter, Paul Bobnak (@PaulBobnak). Why? Well, because I often wonder if anyone else is really appreciating the Mail Music posts and this tells me that, ‘Yes, there are folks out there enjoying it that I may not ever realize are doing it.’

Also, I really like this song and this band who’s front men are a couple, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Win Butler actually grew up just a few miles from here. I love to see local musicians and when they actually find acceptance on the world stage it gives me a kind of weird pride.

Another really cool thing about this song is that in 2010 it was used in a special Google Chrome experiment called “The Wilderness Downtown.” It was part of Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” tour interactive campaign that let you create a postcard to your younger self. That would also trigger a video and the whole interactive experience didn’t end online. It was truly a multi-channel marketing campaign in that you would create your personalized postcard and video and then the postcards were shown on a screen during Arcade Fire performances.

And the experience didn’t end there. Some postcards were then mailed at random and when recipients got them they were instructed to plant them and trees would grow. Now how cool is that?

I really wish that I’d received a postcard but, alas, I did not. If you did, I’d really love to hear about it. Or, if you’re a fan of Arcade Fire or Mail Music Monday or have a suggestion for mail music, please let me know in the comments. And once again, thanks to Paul for listening and suggesting this really good song! If you’re on Twitter, you should probably follow him as he’s obviously into some pretty cool stuff.

The post Mail Music Monday: We Used to Wait appeared first on iPresort.

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One of the best things about Mail Music Monday is finding out about bands that I might not ever have heard of, otherwise. In my search for an appropriate song to celebrate the beginning of Spring, I came across River City Extension. They’ve evidently been out there for awhile but I have just discovered them. “Letter to Lainie” is the perfect song as it mentions a “letter” and a “postcard” and coming out of winter into Spring. I like the upbeat tempo and should this band ever play at a venue near me, I hope I can hear them live.

I hope I’ve introduced some music to you that you like and might not have heard of, too. Thanks for listening and, as always, if you have a suggestion for Mail Music Monday I’d love to hear it.

The post Mail Music Monday celebrates Spring! appeared first on iPresort.

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I used this song about this time last year. “P.S. I Love You” was published in 1934. The music was written by Gordon Jenkins, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It’s been recorded by artists such as Billie Holiday, Rudy Vallee, Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Last year, I asked if anyone knew how this song could be connected to Pi but got no replies, so I thought I’d try again. I’ll admit it’s a bit of a stretch but it’s there. Besides, have you ever tried to find a snail mail song that could in some way be related to Pi? So, as irrational (heh-heh, math humor) as it may seem, I ask again, what could this song have to do with the number Pi? Oh, and here’s a clue this time: It has something to do with the lyrics. Let me know what you come up with and Happy Pi Day!

The post Mail Music Monday anticipates Pi Day appeared first on iPresort.

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The Harlem Shake has jumped the shark. At least that’s what I keep reading but what I keep seeing is video after video after video. So was its demise exaggerated?

By now you have, no doubt, seen many versions and perhaps your company produced it’s own version. There is even a reverse version. And this version does not quite follow the main version format exactly. At the beginning, the other employees should be ignoring that guy in the black leather but they just can’t help snickering at their coworker in that get up.

When I first set out to write this piece I had no idea if I would find a video that featured postal employees. I hoped that I would find U.S.P.S. postal workers giving it a go but no luck. Then I hit the jackpot! I never dreamed I would see the likes of this from employees of an organization that’s name sounds as stodgy as ‘the Royal Mail.’

Love it or hate it, tell me how you feel about the Harlem Shake? Seen enough? Can’t get enough? Done your own version?

The post Mail Music Monday does the Harlem Shake appeared first on iPresort.

Stagecoach Mary

Born a slave in Tennessee, she had an independent streak as wide as Montana, which is where she went when she was freed. In spite of her affinity for whiskey, cheap cigars, and fist fights, she got a job working for the Ursuline Sisters. Maybe it was her size and strength that got her hired because she did pretty much everything a ranch foreman would do including making supply runs through very rough territory.

Then one day there was a bit of dust up when one of her coworkers found out she was getting paid more than he. He called Mary some awful names and Mary decided to shoot him. Her coworker ended up wounded when a bullet ricocheted and struck him in the buttocks but the real victim of the shoot-out was the bishop’s laundry, which was hanging on a nearby line. The bishop fired Mary and gave her ex-coworker a raise.

Nearing 70, Mary retired from the United States Postal Service and started a laundry business. At age 72 she was still drinking and busting noses. There is at least one story about a man who didn’t pay his bill getting fed a knuckle sandwich, which, as she learned earlier, was the type of sandwich Mary made best.

Even though people saw her hard living ways, they also saw that she was mostly kind hearted. As a child, the famous actor, Gary Cooper was on her mail route and he remembered her with adoration in an article he wrote about her for Ebony magazine. When her house burned down in 1912 the whole town of Cascade helped  build her a new one.

In 1914 Mary died of liver disease. She was a true Pioneer Woman who, after years of “heavy work”, hard drinking, brawling, and trailblazing, lived to be 82 years old.

The post Real life legend of Stagecoach Mary appeared first on iPresort.

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They Might Be Giants have been representing alternative rock’s brainier and slightly quirky side for more than 30 years now. Perhaps their most recognizable song is “Boss of Me,” the theme to the TV show “Malcolm in the Middle,” but today’s Mail Music Monday selection is their song “James K. Polk.”

The band explains the song as a history lesson, and an attempt to get people to remember dry historical facts about mid-19th Century American politics. Running just over three minutes, the song touches on many national milestones reached under the first term of Polk’s presidency, which Polk considered so successful he declined to seek a second. One accomplishment the band left out of the song, however, was Polk overseeing the USPS’s first implementation of postage stamps in 1847.

Postage Stamps had been introduced in Great Britain just seven years earlier. Polk played a massive role in making the United States span the North American continent, and while his foreign policy’s role in the current shape of our map is often acknowledged, it would be a mistake to overlook the role domestic policy played. Modernizing the nation’s mail provided a part of a communications infrastructure that was essential to settling and governing the vast new territory added to our country.

The post Mail Music Monday fit for Presidents’ Day appeared first on iPresort.

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We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day in our Mail Music Monday post today, with “The Ballad of Love and Hate” by the Avett Brothers. This bluegrass-influenced folk song, which begins with a letter being mailed, sounds as if it could have been written 70 or 80 years ago, but its origins are much more recent than that. It was released in 2007 on Emotionalism, the album credited with bringing the Avett Brothers to wider recognition in the music world.

The Avett Brothers have a wide range of influences in their sound, and have been compared to acts as diverse as The Beatles and The Ramones. The band has been active since 2002, and recent interest in the folk genre has boosted their profile. They performed with Mumford & Sons and Bob Dylan at the 2011 Grammy Awards.

As for “The Ballad of Love and Hate,” it may seem an oddly melancholy song to pick for Valantine’s Day at first. It’s certainly not a sweeping romantic crooner or a high-energy dance number. But to me, at least, the song is a reminder of how we look at things affects our ability to enjoy them. These days it seems too many people use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to lament what they don’t have in their lives, whether it’s singles unhappy with their status or people in relationships unhappy with the relationships they’re in. Me, I’d rather go the other direction. I see Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate love, and all the good things it brings, regardless of relationship status.

The post Mail Music Monday celebrates Valentine’s Day appeared first on iPresort.

When it first came to my attention I was shocked at the varied response of the mailing industry. My fellow mailers were all over the board with some making comments like, “No use wasting time worrying about it, they’re the post office and they will do whatever they want.” and others saying things like, “It will never happen.”

I also heard a lot of comments, mostly from leaders and board members of various mailing organizations, who said things like, “Well, better 5 day delivery than ‘no’ delivery.” All I could do back then was shake my head and keep sharing my own point of view, which was, “Six day delivery is too important to our industry and American citizens — mostly the elderly and those in rural communities — to end.” And now it appears to be ending without a fight.

Well, a few are still fighting but is it enough? I agree with American Postal Workers Union (APWU) president, Cliff Guffey, when he says, “USPS executives cannot save the Postal Service by tearing it apart.”

I just feel sick about this. Seems that few put much thought into others who are affected by and dependent on mail for important life affecting correspondence, government checks, or contact with the outside world that they may not otherwise have because they live in rural areas without access to a great internet connection.

How do you feel about this announcement?

The post USPS closer to ending Saturday delivery of your mail appeared first on iPresort.

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 Cactus by The Pixies

In the ‘70s, the Velvet Underground’s reputation was summarized thusly: Not many people heard their records, but everyone who did went out and started a band of their own. By the early ‘90s, that summary was being applied to another newly defunct band called the Pixies.

The Pixies’s influence on the alternative-rock movement that took over the music world in the ‘90s cannot be overstated. Kurt Cobain himself claimed he was trying to cop their style when he wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was appalled by the idea of a freshly reformed Pixies opening for his band in 2004, saying it was “like the Beatles opening for us.”

“Cactus” was recorded in 1988 for the Pixies’s first full-length album, “Surfer Rosa”. The song is unique for its nod to one of the band’s own influences. Before the second chorus of the song, band members shout P-I-X-I-E-S. This was lifted from the band T. Rex, who spelled out their own name in their song “The Groover”.

The lyrics to “Cactus” are a bit more obscure than the typical love-letter song. They feature a protagonist who misses somebody, and requests odd, sometimes macabre mementos be sent through the mail. It is emblematic of the Pixies’s style that they would take a frequently recurring theme in rock music and put their own twist on it.

The post Slightly Macabre Mail Music Monday appeared first on iPresort.

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And the Oscar goes to … Paper! Yes, because paper has a starring role! Proving, once again, that even in this digital age, we all appreciate the tangible qualities of paper and how it enhances our everyday lives.

Although it was first introduced in June of 2012 at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, this Oscar®-nominated short film created by Disney Animation Studios is just now winging it’s way across the internet.

This is classic boy meets girl but is considered innovative due to it’s use of both computer generated and hand-drawn animation.

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This just cracks me up! I think that because it also busts the perception of  the Postal Service as a stuffy, quasi-government agency  makes this video especially amusing. Another thing I found highly amusing; at about the 45 second mark I thought, “Oh! Hello, NEWman.”

I can feel that afternoon slump creeping up on me. After seeing this, I’m not gonna just saunter over to the coffee pot I’m gonna bust a move. That’s right. I’m gonna feel that Young MC beat and get some blood circulating through my brain “postal style.” Won’t you dance with me? Come on now. Work it, baby, work it! It’s just what I needed to perk up my Monday and I hope it does the same for you.

The post How ’bout We Bust A Move this Mail Music Monday? appeared first on iPresort.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Thought this was pretty cool — President Obama has an Official Inaugural Playlist on Spotify! These are reportedly songs that were picked by the President himself and his number one pick, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder,  is perfect for today’s Presidential Inauguration Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Mail Music Monday! Wow! Today we have lots to celebrate!

The post Mail Music Monday Inauguration Day 2013 appeared first on iPresort.

Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

And just to help keep you on track for the rest of 2013, here’s a list of future USPS holidays:

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Yes, he was born Joseph Henry Burnette on January 14, 1948 in St Louis, Missouri. He was raised in Ft Worth, Texas and came to be known as T-Bone Burnett. A singer, song writer, soundtrack and record producer, he won a Grammy Award for his work producing this song, “Please Read the Letter” by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. I tried to find a song written by him but couldn’t find any with lyrics or a title that would meet the qualifications for Mail Music Monday. I was impressed to see that he also won a Grammy for his work on one of my favorite movies, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Texas lost him to Los Angeles many years ago, where he continues to work in music and on movies. Thanks for checking out today’s mail music. If you have any favorite T-Bone Burnett stories, songs or movies, we’d love to have you share them with us.

The post Mail Music Monday on T-Bone Burnett’s Birthday appeared first on iPresort.

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I generally try to find something a little peppy to start off the week bu this one by John Lennon has always been a favorite of mine. There are several versions and I really like the one that starts with birds chirping but I couldn’t find a good youtube of that one.

Maybe the calming tone of “Across The Universe” will bring a moment of zen to help us focus on the tasks ahead. Speaking of tasks, have you every tried to find peppy mail music?

The post Mail Music Monday to start off Universal Letter Writing Week appeared first on iPresort.

The fact is that the “Save a Tree” myth has been so well promoted by businesses, that are really trying to save money and increase profits, that many read about ‘deforestation’ or ‘loss of habitats for wildlife’ and immediately jump to the conclusion that it’s a result of the manufacture of paper. Think about it. How many times have you read about some species losing it’s natural habitat and jumped to that conclusion in your own mind? Have you ever thought about what prompted you to go there?

We’ve been brainwashed (or greenwashed) and it’s time to start thinking for ourselves. Here are some links with some facts and interesting information about trees and the environment and the role they play in our economy:

http://chooseprint.org/PPF.html

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/03/is-digital-media-worse-for-the-environment-than-print090.html

http://www.paperbecause.com/paper-is-sustainable/paper-truth-or-fiction

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471904576228712797236124.html

http://www.printgrowstrees.org/paper-facts2.html

http://www.internationalpaper.com/apps/gopaper/index.html

I hope you will reach the conclusion that paper is pretty cool in lots of ways. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go save this tree …  for dessert

The post I’m about to save a tree! appeared first on iPresort.

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So last week we had my all time favorite Christmas song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” sung by Lisa Layne with Vince Vance & the Valiants. I lucked out when I found this song with a similar name and theme because  it not only mentions mail, but also, the lyrics say, ” … it’s Christmas Eve” and today is just that. I hope you’re having a great holiday season and that you’ll enjoy Alan Jackson’s “I Only Want You For Christmas.”

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