Tag Archives: handwritten

Day 21: Cade

Cade Pope's letter to the Carolina Panthers with owner Jerry Richardson's response below. Image courtesy of The Washington Post.

Cade Pope’s letter to the Carolina Panthers with owner Jerry Richardson’s response below. Image courtesy of The Washington Post.

Did you catch my post on Sunday about the 12-year-old from Yukon, Oklahoma who made the news with his handwritten letters to all 32 NFL teams? If not, take a moment to read the story, it’s inspiring. I got to thinking this week, I ought to write young Cade a handwritten letter to tell him how cool I think it was that he wrote each team – and he wrote them all by hand. It would have been so much easier to write the letter once and do a mail merge and send it out.

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Dear Cade,

I’m a big fan of handwritten letters and I love that you took the time to write all 32 NFL teams. You’re awesome! It just goes to show you that you never know who might write you back if you send them a letter – especially a handwritten letter.

YoL-7-2I can’t join you as a fan of the Panthers (I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan), but I am your number one fan!

Keep writing letters,
Reed Sandridge

 

Day 20: Katy

CITIZENFOUR COVERHave you seen Citizenfour? It’s the Oscar nominated film documenting Edward Snowden’s leak of National Security Agency documents in the summer of 2013. I was shocked when I went to see the film and saw that the co-producer was a woman I met during my Year of Giving.

Katy was one of my favorite $10 recipients back in 2010. I met her on Day 111 and will never forget what she did with her $10. You can read about that here.

Katy back in April of 2010

Katy back in April of 2010

Anyway, go see the film regardless of what you think you know about the events surrounding Snowden and the release of the NSA classified documents. It definitey changed my feelings about him and his decision to go public with the information.

 

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Dear Katy,

Congratulations on producing Citizenfour – such a beautiful and thought provoking film. It’s honest and opens a very interesting doorway into not only the leaking of NSA classified documents by Edward Snowden but also into the areas of privacy, security, technology, secrecy, transparency – what it means when we call ourselves a democracy. Your film changed my opinion of Mr. Snowden and the series of events that led up to and unfolded during the summer of 2013 – that’s awe-inspiring and powerful! I hope you are well and look forward to one day catching up with you.

All the best,
Reed

Day 17: Chaz, The Pug

I met up with some friends from my hometown last night and we ended up at a bar on H Street that I had never been to. The Pug is a bar. Plain and simple. In fact their website describes the place as, “No idiots. No bombs. No shooters. No specials. No politics. Relax. Drink. Be cool. Behave.”

Me with Chaz from The Pug

Me with Chaz from The Pug

What they don’t tell you is that you might have to wear this ridiculous hat. Yep, that’s me on the left sporting the obnoxious Cat In The Hat style hat. This photo doesn’t due it justice as the long top of the hat has fallen over and isn’t really visible.

The guy next to me is Chaz, a bartender there. My cell phone was dying (this happens all the time since I have an ancient Samsung S2) and I asked Chaz, who was standing steadily behind the bar, if he might be able to charge my phone. “Absolutely,” he said with a grin that should have warned me, “but there is a condition.” He explained that I had to wear that hat the entire time the phone was charging. “If I see you not wearing the hat, I unplug the phone. Got it?” I laughed and agreed.

The weird part was that despite being packed, not a single person in the bar asked me why I was wearing the pitiful head piece. I didn’t even really catch anyone staring at me.

So if you’re on H Street in DC and want a no frills, good time bar that doesn’t try to be anything that it isn’t, you’ve found your home at 1234 H Street. Cheers!


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I found this in my pocket the next morning. It’s a Trivial Pursuit card from The Pug. I included it in my note to Chaz.

Chaz,

Great to meet you last night at The Pug – I appreciate you charging my cell phone and was honored to wear that ridiculous hat – very clever of you guys! I’ll definitely be back the next time I’m out on H Street.

Cheers,
Reed Sandridge