Postcards with Questions

Sharon, could you give, like, two examples of the type of question you are thinking of -- maybe from the book you mention? I assume you don't mean one like "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" but rather something deeper?

Would you like us to write a different question to each partner, or could they all receive the same question?

Good questions, both!

I think it's up to you whether to send a different question to each partner. Maybe you have one you think is really great -- why deprive any of them of that question?

As for examples --

In Sophie's World, the first question she gets is "Who are you?" or something like that. That's also what the caterpillar says to Alice in Alice in Wonderland. It can be a really banal one or a really provocative one, depending on how you look at it.

Both Alice books are excellent sources of philosophical ideas and questions. For a really enlightening read, get The Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner, where he gives all the historical and cultural context for all sorts of things in the book (including that "who are you" question).

Here's one I saw on a bumper sticker that's both philosophical and silly: "What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about?"

Other examples:

What do you really believe in? Is money real? If there is one animal that has a higher intelligence than humans, what animal do you think it is?

I hope those give you an idea. I will see if there are some good Web sites for ideas and post the links here, too.

OK, here's one site with questions and several different people posting with their "answers." It leans a bit too much toward egg-headed philosophy (a little too esoteric and in some cases the posters taking themselves too seriously), but it also has some interesting ideas and some of the responses have a bit of humor in them. I read a few of the responses, by no means all:

I researched questions all morning and found seven good ones. I tried not to find the typical "If a tree falls in the forest questions..." Now I just need to get some postcards....A reason to go to Barnes and Noble....:LOL!~~~

One of my favorite online places to get cool postcards is Gorey Details --

(If you scroll down you'll see that they have both EG (Edward Gorey) postcards, and then further down, "peculiar postcards and notecards" -- those are especially fun.)

That link for the postcards is great! I'm making a wishlist of future purchases now. Thanks for the link! Still deciding to sign up for swap or not.

swapseverything, feel free to sign up now so that you can easily find this swap page, and then if you decide that you are overcommitted, you can always drop it later (up until May 12). I understand that some people do that in order to keep track of swaps they are considering, so I won't take it personally if you decided to drop later.

I like this swap idea! :)

Do we post our answers here, to those questions after we've received them in the mail?

Interesting idea, Wicked Cheese. I think posting the questions you receive and your thoughts/answers as well would be really great. And then others can share their answers to those questions as well, if they like. It could make for a really interesting discussion.

I know you posted something about the postcards, but can they be ones of our city? Just because, where I am, the only postcards I can seem to find are ones of London sights!

Any kind of postcard is fine. This swap is all about the questions.

Id there anyway I can put my email address on the postcard so that my partners can answer the question? That way, I get to know them better.. Or should we post our answers here?.. Or are we not allowed to know their answers??? :P

Is there anyway I can put my email address on the postcard so that my partners can answer the question? That way, I get to know them better.. Or should we post our answers here?.. Or are we not allowed to know their answers??? :P

I think it would be fine to put your e-mail address on your postcard and ask your partners to send you a message with their answers to your questions.

It would also be great if people shared their questions and answers with the group. So I wonder . . .

Is this a good forum for sharing our questions and answers? Or should I set up a Yahoo group just for the particpants in this swap so that we can continue the discussion there? Then, for example, if you put the question in the subject line, others can share their answers/thoughts and you could follow the thread of a given question if you wanted to see what others had to say about it.

If I set up a Yahoo group, I would send an invitation to everyone in this swap, and then members could decide if you wanted to keep the group open so others could drop in and join the discussion or make it a closed group just for us.

Please post your thoughts on whether you'd like to take the discussion to a Yahoo group here and if enough people are interested, I'll go ahead and set it up.

Sharon

Either would work for me. I think a Yahoo group might be a little easier in some ways... maybe more versatile because it would allow for separate topics.

I always use these comments sections as a "diary" of when I send and when I receive, so would still do that.

If you do that Yahoo group, I think it would be better to keep it closed, at least until most everybody in the swap has had his/her say. Then you could open it up if you wanted.

Hope that's helpful.

mine have all been sent off, I hope my questions are ok!

yahoo could be interesting

Thanks for the feedback, Summerlion and Cinnimi, and I am glad you (Summerlion) mentioned posting here when you receive cards so that you can go back and check your posts when it comes time to rate -- that's an excellent idea and I encourage everyone to do that. It also helps me when I look things over after the send date is past to see how it's going (some people send their items and forget to click and, unfortunately, sometimes some people click "sent" when they haven't -- so messages of items received are very helpful).

I sent mine out today. All the questions were introspective ones, and I hope people don't think that I'm trying to imply anything about them =). It was my first attempt at collaged cards. I think they look pretty good, however, I tried using self-stick laminate to keep things from getting ripped by the postal system, and it was crummy laminate and not very good at sticking. So the cards are kind of...bubbly. I pray that laminating them didn't make them more prone to damage!

Mine are off to fromthepines, GiddyUp, Saor, amandapage, NMJulie, Dlowein, and Robin Grose! Happy thinking, everyone!

Got my first card today from Dlowewin. That was quick! Thanks.

Questions headed to Tara in colorado, artgeek, angellise97, special k, GypsySong, PinkGeek and Phoenyx. I picked the questions then drew your names at random for them...

Recieved my first question today from Elisabeth Mueller Nylander, and it's an excellent one: What heals you?

A wonderful thing to ponder, and I think my answer will be different at different times.

OK. I will start that Yahoo group so we can start sharing these questions!

hmmm....after re-reading the details of the swap (after writing out all my cards, of course) I'm not sure my questions fit the bill, exactly...but they are interesting, I think, so I'll give them a shot. I just don't know that they fit under "extrememly vague philosphy" questions or not...lol

anyway, sending out tomorrow morning, hope they arrive safely.

Take care, everyone.

Tara

Elizabeth Mueller Nylander, received your card yesterday. Gorgeous postcard by the way! And it goes with the question. Thanks!

Joined the Yahoo group, haven't had a chance to respond there yet, but what a fun way to continue the swap. Can't wait to read all the questions and some of the answers people try to come up with for them. Working on my questions still, then I need to get some postcards.

I got a postcard for this swap from someone in Canada, but they never signed their name.

Sue that might have been mine... but I thought I put my name at the top under the "postcards with questions" on all of them... but I might have missed one. :)

Tara, I'm intrigued! I hope we all get to find out what questions you came up with!

Received my first card from Beckra today - What is the difference between the mind and the brain?. I was interested to get this card because this was one of the questions I thought about when I was writing my cards but didn't use.

Okay, postcards went out today to suefitz, Victoria, Jeanne3k, ginm, PostMuse, sugareyes, and Cinnimini. Hopefully they won't take too long to arrive to New Zealand and Canada!! They're all "If" questions so hopefully they'll make for good discussion over at the yahoo group.

I received postcard #2 yesterday, but I don't know who it from. Its looks like the postmark says Wilmington, DE?? Thanks!

Heehee - thanks MAM, shouldn't take too long - I received cinnimini's one quite quickly!

I'll wait til I have most of mine and then place them all on the yahoo group - great idea too!

I received a handmade postcard from Gypsysong today with a great -- and classic philosophical -- question: what is the nature of beauty? I'll upload the image both here and to the Yahoo group.

I tried to mark one of the postcards as sent, and it marked it for all of them. The rest of them will go out next Friday when I get some stamps. Sorry if I confused anyone.

Hi guys,

I received one yesterday - a beautiful Frida Kahlo postcard from New Jersey (south) with their question - but no name whatsoever!

Please if anyone knows who this is or if this is you could you post here or msg me so I can rate you and say thanks!

♥ sugareyes

Got a wonderful postcard from Saor today: Ireland's famous writers on the front and these questions on the back:

What is Art? What is the good of Art?

Emily asked "Would you rather be the lion or the antelope? why?"

And Victoria asked "if a movie were made of your life, what would be the title and who would be the star?"

Hey MAM - that was my postcard. I'm famous for leaving off important details on my mail (I forgot to put postage on my tax return...3 times in a row). Sorry about that!

Hi Victoria :)

Thanks for the postcard - received it yesterday!

Will post the Q on the yahoo group.

And thanks MAM - I got your postcard the other day - will post in the yahoo group too.

Now my turn! I've sent my postcards to the following today:

suefitz, emily post-punk, girlzoot, aerochik, lava rocky, vade_mecum and urban exotic.

♥ sugareyes

mediatinker, question arrived this weekend. Tough one to answer, I'll have to ponder it a bit before I post it on Yahoo. Thanks!

Rats! I accidently clicked the sent button for this swap rather than another postcard swap this morning. I hate it when I do that! I have the cards for this swap almost done, so they will be going off in a day or two, but they are not quite gone.

fromthepines sent a lovely vintage peacock postcard (and some really amazing bird extras) with this bird-y question: Why does the early bird get the worm, but good things come to those who wait?

SharonP, I received your postcard yesterday. Great question. Is that a photo from the Cities? It looks kind of familiar? (I'm from Rochester originally)

I need to get my butt in gear and get the last two questions I've received up on the yahoo group!

I did use some postcards I had made from photos I took. I'm not sure which one I sent you, sorry! But it might be the downtown Minneapolis riverfront. If it's multiple bridges, then that's what it is, with the Hennepin Ave bridge in the foreground, then looking east under the bridge at the Central Ave. and eventually (very small and distant) the Stone Arch Bridge. Does that description fit? I took some photos last fall on a very clear day when the water was like a mirror.

Sharon, Hennepin Ave Bridge it must be. How fun!

Sparrow, your postcard arrived yesterday, but it was a victim of the postal machine (unless of course the question is hidden in the glue lines....). I've sent you a PM about it. Gotta love it. ;P

I received a photo postcard from Sparrow yesterday, with the question: Where do you belong?

Sparrow, I love the ivy-covered house, I even remember admiring that photo on your Flickr page.

An excellent question,too. I'll add it to the Yahoo page.

oh man.. Sparrow the pic got ripped off mine too :( Maybe if you took pics of it you could post them so we can see what it looked like?

I went on a trip. And on that trip I did a mailing. And to that mailing some horrible things happened. Awful postal machine horrors I dare not get into on a public forum. I've already sent out an re-swap to MAM and I just heard today of Cinnimini's misfortunes so that will be rectified with a mailing by close of the post office day tomorrow. It looks like a couple made it through ok (phew and gosh am I glad!) However, if you are an innocent victim of a postal crime involving my mail art (Victoria? Jeanne3k??) please let me know & I'll fix it right away!

Sparrow, I'm so sorry, what a drag! Such wonderful photos, too. Are they all posted on your Flickr page?

I have taken to using Modge-podge when I am making postcards that involve glueing things -- and putting a layer of the Modge-podge over the top to seal it all in. Gel medium would work for that too. I highly recommend it.

Here they are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hostofsparrows/557681994/ That's a great suggestion Sharon - I'll have to look for some of that! I normally just put my handmade postcards in envelopes - just in case. This time I went out on a limb thinking it would be nice to have the NYC cancellation right on the postcards - oops :( live and learn - it's ok though because I've had a lot of fun sending out replacements, too - sort of like a bonus swap :)

Sparrow, the new postcard arrived yesterday, alive, intact, and unmangled by the evil postal machines. Somewehre in New York, there is a machine with some lovely pictures decorating it, I'm sure. ;D Thanks so much for being so willing to resend, I loved the picture and the questions.

Received this interesting question from GiddyUp (and her little sister): What if when we die we wake up, and God says, "Welcome to life"? Smart little sister, I think.

Got a great card from Amanda Page today. A cartoon of a cat taliking to his owner saying; "Cats can't talk, Harriet. You're losing your mind."

And the question - "If you had to choose to save either the life of a pet you love or a human you loathe, who would you chose to save?"

Tough one ;)

Sparrow! thank you for the resend, you didn't have to do that :)

Of course I wanted to do that after the horrible atrocities your postcard witnessed inside that postal machine! :)

Received two today...

From NMJulie: How do you know when you're in love?

And from Robin Grose: When did you begin to exist?

From Amanda Page: How can we know when something is true or not?

From lavarocky - "what's the one thing you fish you could do and what keeps you from doing it?"

Good question and one that's pertinent to me at the moment.

Just wondering, did anyone else receive a postcard from Kimmie? I know she left SwapBot but she marked sent and she had said she was going to try to fulfill any remaining swaps before she did, so I was wondering if maybe mine just never arrived, or maybe if in the end, she wasn't actually able to send and just marked sent so she was able to delete her account (because I believe you can't delete it if you have outstanding swaps listed....)

Thanks everyone! This was a fun swap.

Nope, never received one from Kimmie either.........:(