A Post Office Adventure

Unplug from the Comfort, Face the Beast... of Real Life!

I just got back from taking a walk.

Okay, it was a walk with a purpose. I had to mail a package. This is something that I haven’t done in a long time… mailing a package. But just going for a leisurely walk too.

So let me tell you about my Post Office adventure!

I didn’t have any tape. So, to get my package there, I wrapped my nylon belt around the box to secure the flaps. It’s cold outside, so at least I could run my finger through the belt loop I made and keep my hands tucked in my sleeve/pocket.

The Post Office is just shy of half a mile. Now, hopefully, this being my second time to the place, I’ll remember how to get there without having to rely on Google Maps. Yes, I did get lost on the way there, but not by much. A little backtracking and crossing a street, and I was good again!

Once I got to the post office, I had to wait in line to buy some tape. Then I had to tape up my package and fill out an address label. I filled out an Express Label, that would have cost something like $53 and change, and it would have been delivered possibly on Sunday. I didn’t even know the Post Office delivered on Sundays! Needless say, the clerk, a very nice woman, gave me the correct label to fill out, a Priority label, so then I had to stand in line again. We’re counting, yes? This would be number three.

I get up there, agree to everything, and luckily, I remember to unlock my debit card before I got up to the counter. That would have been stressful to say the least, having a declined card. But, with the tape, mailing the package to be delivered by Tuesday, because Monday is a Federal Holiday. No I don’t get it off from work…lucky…. people! Anyway, it cost me like $15!

YAY! So now I’m walking back home. The sun is out, people are going from where ever to anywhere, I’m smelling dinner foods beginning to be cooked up for the evening shift at all the local diners and hole-in-the-walls in my Downtown Square. And I finally get a chance to do something I’ve wanted to do for months: There’s a comic book/hobby store literally in my path towards home. I can’t help myself. The Geek in me is pulled towards it, like that of an Event Horizon trapping light within it’s grasp.

I tug on the door, and it opens, to my surprise! The last two times I’ve walked past, the store was closed. I guess they open around 1:00 pm. I’m impressed with the size of this place. It’s roomy, and big, and open. The walls are lined with role playing games, Warhammer figurines, and board games. Down one half of the store is a column of tables, with enough seating to easily accommodate twenty or thirty people. Comfy but empty chairs eagerly await patrons to come and hang out to play games later tonight, every night, as I would later find out.

Browsing the store, and feeling guilty for not selecting anything, my eyes caught the glimmer of something sweet. A role playing game called Queerz! based on the City of Mist RPG. What caught my eye was the rainbow colored lettering, and the Katakana written in dark, bold, black lettering. Yes, I was immediately sold. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, was another selling point for me.

“The super sentai LGBTQ-themed tabletop roleplaying game Fight intolerance with rainbow powers, empathy, and fierce battle stances! Based on the City of Mist tabletop RPG and the amazing manga by ISA.”

So, this scratches my Queer itch, my Japanese Culture itch, and potentially Magical Girl itch— well, superhero itch anyway. And, no, I couldn’t just walk out with the Starter Kit, I had to pick up an extra book and some silicon dice, and then the store owner pointed out a third book that I had missed, sitting on a random display table.

Do I feel good about spending nearly a hundred dollars? No. Do I feel good supporting a locally owned, and LGBTQ positive third space business? Hell Yeah! I’m so glad I got my tax return! Now, I just need to find some friends to try my new toy out with!

Oh, and before I totally forget, the entire purpose of this post was to mention how awesome I feel right now. Not because I bought something, not because I connected with a local person, well, maybe that connection part has something to do with it, but I think it was mostly just getting out of my boring routine and exploring my local area. I had a sense of adventure! Something that I totally miss! I definitely recommend disconnecting from the internet and just associating with living, breathing human beings. It turns out, that most people aren’t actually assholes and bitchy Karens, but truly decent and wonderful beings full of life— and sometimes humor!