Bad post office, bad!

Had to go to my local time dilation field today.

I mean my post office.

It just seems that a minute in line for the next available clerk equals a year has passed in the outside world.

Anyway, I was chatting with the clerk about the new forever stamp. You probably saw on your various writer lists about postage going up. Sure is bad news for starving writers. It's official though. The dear old Postal Service is raising rates, effective May 14. You can read all about it on the USPS website.

First class stamp goes from $.39 to $.41, but the additional ounces for first class drop from $.24 to $.17.

The much ballyhooed Forever Stamp will be available in mid-April. You can buy as many as you can afford, and they will always be good regardless of future increases in postage.

Postcard increases from $.24 to $.26 cents.

Mailing boxes and large envelopes will cost more than letter-size envelopes of the same weight. Flat Rate Priority Mail box $9.15 with Delivery Confirmation $.65.

Media Mail Delivery Confirmation is $.75.

Read it and weep or just hope all manuscript submissions will eventually go to email or a lightweight CD.