Once I got a letter written on the steps of the Louvre at 3am Paris time. There were tear stains on it, very romantic. A friend of mine had lost her love on vacation and had to pour her heart out to someone who spoke the same language. More recently, I got a letter composed in Singapore by an old flame who was waiting for a train. At the very moment it was happening.
Email is experience once removed, most of the time.
The very act of sitting at the keyboard creates a certain near official environment. Don't get me wrong, I love my email. Especially those really long delicious letters that my good friends and readers put a lot of thought into. It's like candy - an unexpected treat, since I'm never really expecting them, but secretly hoping I get them. I just miss the days when I could go to my mailbox and know that once in awhile, there's be something besides a Val-Pak and a phone bill.