Archive for August, 2011

The impossible heap

Posted August 31, 2011 by
in Editorial, Planning Tips | 3 comments »

Intellectually, I know what to do when I’m faced by a seemingly insurmountable task: take it step by step. Emotionally, it’s not so easy. I’ve been sick these past few weeks (feeling better now, thank you), and our basement just took a big, slobbery hit from Irene. We’ve cleared out the wet bookshelves and desk and a cleaning crew’s dealt with the carpet. The sofa is next on the list, as is gradually lugging everything out to the trash and continuing to wash/salvage what we can. Unfortunately, the house still stinks like a dirty dishrag, and I’m still thinking of Beckett:

Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there’s a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap.

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17-Month Planner

Posted August 29, 2011 by
in Where to Go? | Add your comment »

One question we’re getting a lot these days is: “Where can I buy the 17-month Scholar planner?”

Here are three places to shop online:

- Barnes & Noble

- Alko Office Supply

- Classic Office Supply

Quo Vadis makes the 17-month version primarily for sale at Barnes & Noble, but a few other retailers also stock them.

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Hurricane Irene

Posted August 26, 2011 by
in Where to Go? | 3 comments »

Good luck to everyone on the Eastern Seaboard as Hurricane Irene heads up our way! 

I volunteer for East End Seaport Museum in Greenport, NY. We’re located way out on the far tip of Long Island. Because of the storm a lighthouse cruise we had planned for Saturday was rescheduled for September 10th. Otherwise, we might have ended up a new version of “Gilligan’s Island”!

I am headed out to Long Beach Bar (“Bug”) Light today with some other volunteers to do an inspection and safety plan before we begin to land people on the lighthouse next month.  I expect it to be a little choppy even though the hurricane is not expected to be felt until early Saturday evening.  My neighbor in Greenport went through the famous “Hurricane of ’38″ which is also known locally as the “Long Island Express.” At 78 – she gives us courage.  She also has a good sense of storms – and when to batten down, and when the weatherman is being dramatic. 

What’s your call on Hurricane Irene – a monster, or will it go east out to sea?

Again, I hope everyone comes through safely.

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Vintage Quo Vadis TV Commercials

Posted August 23, 2011 by
in Cabinet of Curiosities, Editorial, Videos | 1 comment »

Remember rabbit ears? 

Here are some old Quo Vadis commercials to enjoy!  In French, of course!

Clique ici!

 

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Check us out at the International Gift Fair

Posted August 18, 2011 by
in Announcements, Where to Go? | 2 comments »

If you’re in New York and you’re free this morning, check us out at the NY International Gift Fair at the Javits Center! We’re sharing the booth with a company called l’Agenda Moderne; above, you’ll see a picture of it courtesy of Cecilia and her iPhone. The event ends today at noon, and we are offering free shipping to all retailers who place orders of $150 or more at the show.

Not a retailer? Though it might be hard to arrange on such short notice, bloggers have long been given press passes to trade shows, and I’ve had great luck on the last days of the National Stationery Show going around and asking exhibitors if their samples are for sale. Usually, the answer is yes, and you can score some great deals, too.

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Friday review roundup

Posted August 12, 2011 by
in Product Reviews | Add your comment »

Notes and notebooks today, with one review all the way from Turkey!

Thanks to both!

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Calligraphy in Quebec: Gestes d’encre

Posted August 10, 2011 by
in Announcements, Beautiful Creations | Add your comment »

We’ve featured the work of calligraphy artist Lorna Mulligan here before. Now through the 4th of September, she and fellow members of the Les Calmars calligraphy group are exhibiting at Carrefour Culturel in Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec. By way of preview, Lorna sent us the following two pieces, entitled L’océan and Le ciel (click to enlarge):

Of them, she writes:

My pieces are on handmade paper (Saint-Armand) using Herbin inks, sumi and gouache… All of my pieces for this exhibition are based on fragments of text taken from Victor Hugo’s Contemplations, a collection of thoughts, poems and reflexions, published in 1856. His evocative words conjure up images of nature and landscape for me, becoming gestures of ink.

Must be something in the air.

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General’s Pencils

Posted August 9, 2011 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 6 comments »

I do most of my writing in pencils, especially in my datebook where I have to erase a lot.

I discovered General’s Pencils at the art supply show in Phoenix.  Made in Jersey City, NJ, General’s Pencils offers writing and drawing pencils.  I ordered two boxes of Semi-Hex to use at the office and home.  Even though I am very attached to the #2 Ticonderoga that I have used since grade school, General’s is gradually replacing them. They are smooth to write with, and I like the grey of the line.  They also have a good eraser!

But for the life of me, I cannot figure out why a five-generation New Jersey-based company would have a Conestoga wagon on the box! Perhaps it is a 19th c. romantic notion of the pioneering spirit?

Any other General’s fans out there?  What kind(s) of pencils do you use to write or doodle?

Read more about General’s here.

 

 

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Snail mail my email

Posted August 8, 2011 by
in Cabinet of Curiosities, Pens, Paper & People | 3 comments »

Via our product manager, Ceclia, and the Pen Boutique Facebook page comes word of an interesting new project. As you might expect from the name — Snail Mail My Email — it enables people to email a message to the project’s volunteers, who then write it out by hand and mail it to the recipient.

Ivan Cash, the San Francisco designer and art director who founded SMME, sees it as a “jumpstart to help raise awareness,” according to this CNN article. Personally, I think it’s more interesting for as a bit of creative conceptual art, but the response has been fairly impressive: the team now has 134 international volunteers and has sent thousands of letters.

If you want to participate, email your letter to snailmailmyemail@gmail.com before August 15.

(Or, you know, break out a pen and show off the quirks of your own handwriting.)

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Write to history

Posted August 4, 2011 by
in Cabinet of Curiosities | Add your comment »

Another thing from France that I’ve been meaning to share for a while is this post about the site Dialogus, where you can discuss, ask questions, and engage in a fictive dialogue with historical figures like Marie Antoinette and John F. Kennedy (who answers in perfect French) as well as fictional characters like Emma Bovary and Peter Pan. “Who are you?” someone asked Lolita. “I’m not really sure how to answer that,” she responded.

I’m not aware of anything like this in the US, but it strikes me that this is the Internet at its best — engaging, educational, and diverting in the best sense. If you speak French (or, like me, muddle through), I highly recommend it. There are a few letters in English, too, though the answers strike me as somewhat less spirited.

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