& Other Awesome Things
It was a great surprise this weekend to open Refill, the weekly pen addict members newsletter. Brad gave a nice shout out to my Chicago Cubs carry post.
Brad’s kind words from the Refill newsletter.
Thanks, Brad, for your continual support of the little guys in the pens blogosphere. You always treat us as community members and not competition. If you are not a Pen Addict member yet, go sign up now!
Life moves faster
than the speed
of blog
The desire to write
is often stronger
than than the writing
The use of pen and ink
continues
-Dr. Pat Hannon
8.3.15
TWSBI Eco 1.1
Sailor Yama-dori
It’s been 10 days since the 2015 Atlanta Pen Show. Finally, here’s the official Pens ‘n’ Coffee report.
The Lead-Up
I’ve had the Atlanta Pen Show on my calendar for a year. Last year Brad hosted a small soiree at the show. Upon hearing him share about this experience I did two things. I checked for a pen show in Charlotte. Not finding one, I placed the Atlanta show on my calendar. Who knew that things would heat up as they did. Brad’s soiree turned into a full blown bash (a #sassafling even). I backed the Pen Addict Kickstarter and knew I had to attend.
However, driving three hours to look at pens sounds fabulous when it’s months away. The week of the show gives a different view. It was a very busy week. Could I squeeze in the trip? I tried to convince my daughters to skip school on Friday to go to the show. They choose school. (Is this a parenting win or a parenting fail?) I nearly attended on my own on Friday, which would allow me some time at the Big Party before I made the drive home. The final decision? Get up early on Saturday, throw the Hannon 5 in a minivan, make the 3 hour trip to Atlanta, look at pens for a while, and make the 3 hour trip home. Crazy? Possibly.
The Show
Finally, we arrived at the show, the first pen show for our family. Holy pen show, Batman! Sensory overload! Pens! Ink! Paper! People! Yes, it was crazy. Crazy awesome!
Someone recommended making a lap around the show and viewing everything before settling in and making purchases. I tried to do that, but it was hard. We couldn’t even get past the hallway. Lovely pens everywhere. The kids were almost as excited as I was. And of course, there was two rooms full of venders as well, selling most anything pen related you could imagine. Vintage pens, modern pens. Ballpoint pens, fountain pens. Pen parts. Cheap pens ($3), expensive pens ($1,000+). Ink and paper, oh my.
We loved seeing and touching all the different options. I handled many pens that I had only seen online before. Pilot Vanishing Points and Lamy 2000s are on my wishlist now, when before I considered them just too darn expensive. (This is certainly a danger of going to a show.)
The People
As wonderful as all the products were, the people were even better. Vendors were eager to chat, sharing about their pens, eager to teach onlookers whether or not a sale seemed promising. Meeting people I only knew from the interwebs was worth the drive.
Brad Dowdy and Myke Hulry from the Pen Addict Podcast were the rockstars of the show. Still they took time to engage with everyone. It was great to talk with them. Brad chatted like we were old friends, even though I doubt he even knew me from online.
Mr. Pen Addict with Dr. Pens ‘n’ Coffee
It was also a treat to meet Brian and Lisa Anderson from Anderson Pens. Great people with a great shop! And Lisa Vanness from Vanness Pen Shop. And Jeff “The Beard” Bruckwicki from NockCo. And Dan Bishop from Karas Kustoms. And…
People didn’t only shop, we shared – pens, ink, and life. I’m pretty sure I sold some Field Notes to a sweet lady who had never heard of the brand and a TWSBI USA to someone else. Two of us randomly shared our Muji Aluminum Fountain Pens with Myke Hurly and discussed converters that fit (Retro 51 does).
The Haul
So, what did I buy among all this awesomeness?
The Kids
Among all this, the highlight of the day was experiencing the kids excitement. They looked and looked. Several vendors gave each of them a free pen. They also each picked out their own Pilot Varsity. Lisa Anderson made their day truly special. She sent the kids on a scavenger hunt, looking for things you can only find at a pen show. When the kids had their scavenger hunt cards filled up by other vendors, Lisa gave each one a free pen and a bag crazy full of cartridges. Such joy!
The Kids with Lisa Anderson
The Kids with Brad and Myke
When it fas finally time to go find some pizza and make the 3 hour trek home, the kids were begging to come back next year. You can count on it! And I may have let it slip that there is a Pen Show in Raleigh in May…
Don’t forget the pizza!
By the way, my wife isn’t in any pictures because she spent most of the day in the corner reading. She loved it!
Today is the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Death.
Lincoln was a great president – a great man – who lead our country through it’s most difficult days.
Last week my family spent several Spring Break days in Washington D.C. We visited the Petersen House, where Lincoln died on April 15, 1865. It was a sacred place for us, honoring the life and work of Abraham Lincoln and remembering our own call to work for justice.
In honor of the 150th Anniversary, the Petersen House displayed a special exhibit of artifacts from the Lincoln assassination. The display included the coat and hat Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theatre that night, the dress Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing, the gun Booth used to assassinate Lincoln, and an American Flag from the President’s Box at the theater, stained with Lincoln’s blood.
Of special interest to the readers of Pens ‘n’ Coffee, the exhibit contained the contents of Lincoln’s pockets when he was shot. These contents were displayed much like a modern EDC pocket dump, showcasing his tools for the day.
The contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets on the night he was assassinated. File photo from Library of Congress.
What did Abraham Lincoln have in his pockets on the night he was assassinated?
Did you catch the last item? What writing utensil did Lincoln carry in his pocket that night? A small pencil.
In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, I declare that April 15 henceforth shall be National Pocket Pencil Day. I encourage you to carry a pencil in your pocket today, perhaps a small one, to honor the life and work of Abraham Lincoln and as a reminder to carry on his legacy in our own work.
Spread the Word – Click A Photo To Tweet It
Train children in the way they should go;
when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.-Proverbs 22:6
My daughter’s 12th birthday wish list. Proud daddy.
Paper: Office Depot Premium Laser Paper
Pen: Muji Fountain Pen
Ink: Diamine Blue-Black
Coffee: Verismo Expresso
The first time God declares something is not good is when Adam is alone in the Garden of Eden.
We were created for connection.
It is not good for us to be separated.
February is a month that many identify with connection. We celebrate Valentine’s Day in the middle of the month. Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic connection, but that is only one way for people to be connected. Romantic connection is unique and exclusive – we share it with only one person at a time.
A rich life includes more than romantic connection. It also includes the rich relationship of friends and family.
Enter InCoWriMo
International Correspondence Writing Month is celebrated in February each year. InCoWriMo participants are challenged to hand write and mail one letter or note each day of February.
Letter writing is becoming a lost art. We communicate at the speed of tweet. But nothing replaces the connection one receives from opening a letter. It is a tactile experience. You read an email; you experience a letter. You see, touch smell, and – if you are weird – taste a letter.
The movie “You’ve Got Mail” wouldn’t work today. It is an artifact of a particular moment of time when receiving an email was exciting. Today, an email is an interruption. A letter is exciting.
Let’s build connection. If it’s not good for Adam to be alone, it is good for us to be connected.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee.
Grab your favorite pen and paper.
And write a letter.
Join InCoWriMo 2015.
Want to send me a letter?
Or share some coffee, pens, pencils, or ink?
Write me at:
Pat @ Pens ‘n’ Coffee
PO Box 584
McAdenville, NC 28101
I’ll even write you a think you note.
Analog Blog
Paper: Baron Fig Apprentice Notebook
Pen: Muji Fountain Pen
Ink: Diamine Blue-Black
Coffee: Starbucks Pike Place in the January Free Refill Tumbler
Today is National Handwriting Day, and those of us who are pen, pencil, ink and paper geeks have a great opportunity (excuse – cough, cough) to trot out our stockpiled treasures to engage in some life-giving writing. For some of us, everyday is a handwriting day, but today we are proud analog writers. No hiding our pens and notebooks in our pockets. No shame that we write (instead of type) our to-do list. Not today! Today we proudly take meeting notes with a fountain pen, declaring above the clack-clack of others’ keyboards that today is a day to write with our hands. It’s a national observance for crying out loud!
So, lift up your Blackwings! Wave your Field Notes! Today, we, the patriots, write!
John Hancock loves National Handwriting Day
Supporting National Handwriting Day, I heard this week from the good folks at Inkly. Inkly is the company behind the nifty Inkly Cards app that sits at the intersection of low-tech analog handwriting and high-tech digital communication. Inkly Cards allows you to digitize your own hand written message to send in a custom card or postcard.
The process is quite simple: download to Inkly Cards app to your smartphone or tablet, select a card design, write your message on a blank piece of paper, and take a picture of your message with the Inkly Cards app. Your handwritten message is digitized and included in the card. Your card is then mailed directly to the recipient.
I created my first Inkly Card today. It was easy and fun. I especially enjoyed the selection of custom photo cards. I selected a card that let me add my own photos along with my own handwriting.
Handwritten note.
The final card.
Inkly offers a unique spin in the custom card space. Prices run £2.99 plus postage for a greeting card and £0.99 plus postage for a postcard. Total cost for my card, before a generous discount code, was £3.98.
I’m eager to see the quality of the finished product and the time it takes to arrive. I’ll update you awesome ones when my wife receives her surprise Valentine’s Card.
Analog Blog
Some of my very generous Christmas gifts. A very NockCo Christmas to me!
Why start a blog called Pens ‘N’ Coffee?
ANALOG BLOG
