Lets Talk Hobbies
stargrace 
Despite the fact that the majority of this blog is chock full of gaming posts, and the same can be said for my brief blurbs over at NomadicGamer – there are other things that I’m interested in and do (gasp). I decided I’d talk about a new feature that happens to coincide with one of my favorite hobbies, photography. For those who are unaware, for the past year and a half I’ve been uploading a ‘photo a day’ to a small site called ShutterCal. Well, it’s not quite so small any more and I’ve really enjoyed watching it grow. The site is free to use, but they also offer items for sale in their store. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty big on supporting the things you enjoy, be it games, photography, reading, or anything else. Just like I have no issue spending a few extra dollars in a video game to show I support the company, I do the same in other real life endeavors. I bought one of the limited ShutterCal pillows when they came out, and I also own a shoebox filled with sets of my pictures that I’ve taken over the months (though I tend to slack on purchasing those ones).
So what does this have to do with my hobbies? Well, there’s another thing I really enjoy aside from photography, which is getting and receiving mail. I know that probably sounds odd but it’s been something I’ve loved all my life. I used to have a lot of penpals growing up and as we evolved into a more online fashion those ‘snail mail’ days seem to have been left behind.
I got involved with PostCrossing, which is a site that promotes sending postcards all over the world. You register your user name and address, and for every postcard you agree to send out (to a random person) you’ll get one back (ideally that’s how it works, some times people will forget to send yours out or they’ll get lost in the mail, it happens). I’ve sent out 8 postcards so far, and gotten 10 back.
ShutterCal has added a new feature where you can pay $2.90 and they will create a postcard out of your chosen picture, and they’ll even mail it for you and that includes the postage. I was incredibly happy to learn about this feature for a number of reasons. Number one, I love to support the small folks, number two, I love photography, three I love postcards and sending things in the mail, and four who wouldn’t want to send personalized postcards of their own pictures? It works as both a promotional tool for ShutterCal and for yourself, and adds a personal touch to each one. $2.90 is cheaper then what it costs me to actually purchase a postcard at the post office and then send it internationally.
I’ve sent my first two purchased cards out (I was a part of the beta, and have just been biding my time to talk about it when it went live) and I am really excited about them getting to their destinations. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in then please by all means head over to PostCrossing or to ShutterCal and get involved.
I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!