UPS vs. USPS

[Big Frank]

The good news is I won't have to drive to Detroit if I'm picked for jury duty. It's the U.S district court downtown in the federal building. I can park in the ramp that has an elevated walkway directly to 2 state district courts, but instead of just walking in there, I'll have to go down to street level and walk a few blocks. In downtown Flint, Michigan, while carrying nothing that could be used as a weapon. But at least it's not Detroit. The bad news is that it's 2 weeks in July and I planned on being gone all month.

[Big Frank]

Good news. I got the following message in an email tonight.

Dear ---------------------------,

This letter is to inform you that your request to be disqualified from Jury service in this federal court has been granted. You are not required to report for jury duty.

Sincerely,
-----------------------------
Clerk,U.S. District Court

Drinks are on me tonight! Tap water for everyone! It's about time I got some good news. More good news actually. A few days ago I got a check for $113 as a premium refund on my car insurance. My premium is due in July and I won't make a payment until June at the earliest. And if I paid too much last December why did it take so long to get a refund on it? I don't know what the heck's going on but I'm cashing the check anyway.

But I'm still having problems with the post office. One day Informed Delivery showed me a bunch of mail that was on it's way to me. Four pieces of mail didn't come that day, but one of them did come the next day. They say not to report any mail missing for seven days, but by the time a week was up I couldn't remember which three things never came. I hope they weren't more checks.

Also, a few days ago when I was getting ready to leave I saw a long narrow box leaning against the back of my house next to the porch. I wasn't expecting a package from anyone so I was puzzled. It had my address on it but the name of a neighbor half a block down the street. I haven't talked to anyone other than his son in a long time and wasn't sure he still lived there. I gave it to his son and wife who told me he died the week before. It was an engraved commemorative baseball bat that he ordered. I don't know why the box had my house number on it and not his, but his family has it now. Maybe it will be worth something in the future. I've had a lot of other people's mail delivered to me, and at least one package belonging to someone else delivered to me when the label clearly had their address 2 streets away on it. This was the first package a dead neighbor ever sent me.

[Big Frank]

I have a package coming via UPS. Overnight it went from one city in Ohio to another, then another, and another, to a UPS facility here this morning. It came in too late for them to deliver it today but it will be here Monday. Friday to Monday isn't bad for 200 miles. If it was shipped earlier than 8:00 last night I may have had it today. The postal service is never that fast. With any luck my package will be in great shape as usual.

If anyone wants to join me for drinks I have unleaded water now. The lead and iron pipes were replaced with copper right up to the water meter this week. When they drilled from the street to my basement the hole in the wall was right where they said it would be. The whole job was done in one day. I heard jackhammers a little before 7:00 in the morning, after I got 2 hours of sleep, and the holes in my yard and street were filled in that evening. By that time a guy filled the hole around the new pipe with some kind of expanding concrete and plugged the remnant of iron pipe in the floor with it too.

The next day I got a new electric meter that the power company wanted to install in December but my fence was in the way. The guys who put up my privacy fence put the end of it right in front of the meter with a notch cut out to clear the front and bottom. The meter could be read but the front of the box couldn't swing up and open to replace it. If the fence went a foot farther, to the corner of the house instead, I would have had to pay for another 8' section of fence and another pole. I think that's why it doesn't go any farther. I told the power company to give me a few months until I finished physical therapy for my shoulder and I'd take care of it. Last week I marked an arc on my fence with a pencil and piece of string. A coarse-toothed blade in my jigsaw made a quick job of cutting through the 3/4" white cedar. The power company never called me back, so I called them when I was done and they said they'd put the meter in this week.

I've had the water, gas and electric meters all replaced in the last 27 years. I heard that they read the water meter by radio when they drive by. That's better than me reading it every month and a guy going down in my basement to read it once a year to keep me honest. And I didn't have to pay a bunch of money to get a meter installed outside. The gas and electric meters are both smart meters now. Wow. I got way off track. It looks like I'm working on a novel. 

[Rastus]

You gonna melt down that discarded lead pipe into boolits?

[Big Frank]

You gonna melt down that discarded lead pipe into boolits?

I can't. They took everything with them except the dirt on the floor. I'll hose it down good one of these days. The lead was all outside anyway.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

Instead of delivering my package today, UPS drove a few miles farther and took it to the post office. It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow. If I'm lucky I'll get it before I go to the doctor. If not, they'll leave it on the front porch where anyone passing by can see it. They like putting packages next to the door where when I look out a window, I'm the only one around who can't see it. They still won't knock or ring the doorbell when they're right there. I'll know the box is there when I get an email telling me it's been delivered.

[Big Frank]

My package came while I was at the doctor's office, and it was still sitting there next to the front door when I got home. I used 300 points I accrued at oldtimecandy.com and paid 7 cents plus shipping for my $30.07 order. If you're interested in candy you ate as a kid but haven't seen since, take a look. And if you know of a place that's cheaper let me know.

[Big Frank]

I placed orders 2 places one right after the other Wednesday night before my discounts expired. UPS delivered one this afternoon less than 48 hours later. Less than 40 hours later actually. UPS is giving the other one to the USPS and said I should get it next Thursday. UPS alone can get a package here in 2 days, but get the post office involved and it might take 8 days. And this one is from Midway USA who I thought had fast shipping.

[billt]

I placed orders 2 places one right after the other Wednesday night before my discounts expired. UPS delivered one this afternoon less than 48 hours later. Less than 40 hours later actually. UPS is giving the other one to the USPS and said I should get it next Thursday. UPS alone can get a package here in 2 days, but get the post office involved and it might take 8 days. And this one is from Midway USA who I thought had fast shipping.

I hate UPS / USPS combined deliveries. You involve 2 outfits that doubles the chance something is going to get screwed up. It used to be called "UPS Basic". Now it's called something else. It's the slowest and the cheapest. I'm waiting on some O-Rings for mounting 1911 grips. They aren't in Phoenix yet, but the USPS Tracking Number say's they'll be here today. I'm not holding my breath.

[Big Frank]

UPS Mail Innovations. Innovation was when UPS was started and they delivered packages at a fraction of the speed of the USPS, and they were nearly always intact. My box shows a slight indentation on the bottom from setting atop another box, but otherwise looks like it just came from the box factory. I've had packages delivered by the post office that the product inside of was damaged, if all of it was even in there. You're right Bill that it doubles the chance something is going to get screwed up, but I think it's way more than double. UPS' regular old ground service gets me packages from nearly anywhere in CONUS in 3 days. Sometimes less. The post office is like, yeah we'll get it there in a week or two.