What's With the Title?

           In the postal world, the term "semipostal" refers to a special kind of stamp. They cost a little more than a regular stamp, but that extra portion goes to a good cause. For example, one of our semipostal stamps has a picture of a sad-looking old woman on it. This is the Alzheimer's stamp. People called it depressing, including me. My favorite was the "Save Vanishing Species" stamp, which had an artist's rendering of an endangered Amur tiger, the extra funds going to the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.
           Most people haven't heard the term semipostal, but they have heard of going postal. It's a reference to several incidents of violence that were carried out by postal workers in the '80s and '90s. The first happened in August of 1986 when a disgruntled postal employee opened fire in the Edmond, Oklahoma post office where he worked, killing fourteen coworkers, wounding six others, and then pulling the trigger on himself.
          The Oklahoma Historical Society describes the shooter as "a socially inept loner." A former U.S. Marine who had trouble keeping a job, he had already threatened revenge against his superiors, twice. They had issued "verbal discipline" the day before the murders, and one of them was the first person shot to death that morning.
           These days, massacres like this are common. But several violent incidents within the postal service followed, and that's how the phrase came to be.
           The reason I have called my blog "Going Semipostal" has nothing to do with violence, but a lot to do with mental health. There have been many times during my tenure with the postal service that I've felt like I was losing my sanity. I can't blame it all on my job, though. I've struggled with anxiety and depression all my life. The job, coupled with personal problems, just amplified the struggle. I have gone semipostal at least a dozen times in my career. 
           So, let's get to it already. The insanity continues in my next post. Subscribe to be sure you don't miss it!