I apologize if I held up the swap. The postman picked up my "2 day priority" package on Monday. I mail a lot for work. Two day packages typically travel between my home and NYC in 1-3 days. I sent the tracking number, so the host knew it was on the way. I am surprised that the package didn't arrive until Friday. I didn't expect priority mail to be that slow. Holiday mailings and the resulting NYC area terrorism paranoia may have slowed things down on my end. I apologize.
As for payment for group swaps. I print out postage via usps.com. It is very easy and safe to set up a mailing account. You get free tracking with packages that way as well! I enclosed cash for the return postage. I didn't want Dave to have to bother with a check or money order. For future swaps, people can prepay by paypal or via their banks. My bank has a "surepay" feature. It protects both the sender and the recipient's identity. I log into the bank online, and send the money to an email or phone number. The recipient gets message with instructions how to transfer the funds. My bank doesn't charge a fee, unlike paypal. Another advantage is that it has less tax implications for the recipient than paypal.
I have been offline because I have work being done at the house. Gorillas are supposed to remove the old insulation from my attic and from one crawl space. They are also supposed to heat trace some pipes. I hung plastic to minimize dust and debris in my home. They have been crawling around and fiddling with pipes so far for days, getting "supplies" and generally wasting time.....If I weren't allergic to dust and mold, I could have had that insulation removed in a few hours and arrange for the new insulation to be done before the cold weather arrives - it has been a luxuriously late winter here.....I guess that is the difference between a woman and gorillas.
