Introduction

 I'm a native of Houston, where I live with with my wife, step daughter, and our tribe of friendly cats. I've traveled quite a lot, including backpacking through Central Europe as a young man, and have also lived in California and overseas - including over seven years in Moscow, Russia. I have been teaching since 1997 and currently teach high school World History and Sociology.

     I am working on a new degree in Computer Science (which in hindsight, I should have majored in in the first place!) at Lonestar College Cy-Fair.

     Outside of school and work, I enjoy reading, learning more about computers and various programming languages - and playing with my vintage Commodore system (my first computer!), watching old b and z grade horror and sci-fi movies, and spending time with my family and pets. I am also a dedicated tobacco pipe enthusiast, which you can read about on my occasionally updated blog, the Pipeman's Lodge! 

     In this blog I'll be discussing one of my favorite hobbies, collecting postcards. I have always loved receiving letters and postcards. There is something very special about finding a handwritten letter or card in your mailbox that can never be replicated by an email or text. In The Bantam Book of Correct Letter Writing (1958), Lillian Eichler Watson wrote, quite correctly, that "A letter is like a visit on paper. She went on to relate that "The late General Smedley D. Butler said, 'Give our fighting men bullets and biscuits and a letter from home and they'll lick the world!' He rated letters from home right up at the top with ammunition and food...the three most vital elements for a fighting man's well-being and morale."

     Of course, I have kept almost every piece of personal correspondence that I have ever received, and enjoy writing to family and friends near and far. However, in this blog I'll be covering the picture postcards that I actively seek out and collect and share them with you, dear reader. I will also be writing about how you can get involved in deltiology (the collecting of letters and postcards), and where you can find your own! 

    You can reach me through the contact link on this blog, or through Postcrossing, where I go under the user name jamesh.