epic USPS confusion       last updated: January 2, 2014
I mailed a first class parcel on December 11, 2013. It wasn't going all that far (in-state, about 200 miles).

It looks like the guy at the Post Office who accepted my package made a mistake in typing, so the wrong ZIP code was barcoded on the postage label. A simple human error: very forgivable.

Reasonable things that might have happened next: But no. Three weeks and 51 tracking events later, the USPS is still passing my package around various facilities in southern California.

The tracking report has to be seen to be appreciated:
USPS tracking results, page 1 of 3 (most recent dates first) USPS tracking results, page 2 of 3 (most recent dates first) USPS tracking results, page 3 of 3 (most recent dates first)