In feature

News: The Case For Cursive Continues

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Case for Cursive

The new American educational curriculum called the Common Core State Standards Initiative is being discussed in the news in part because cursive writing is no longer going to be required instruction. Handwriting instruction has been waning and many states have already chosen not to require it. A national chance in teaching strategies in the US will pretty much guarantee that the few remaining states teaching it, will abandon it as well.

I’m at a loss what to say. So much more is gained in learning penmanship beyond merely the skill to read and write the characters: motor skills, brain pathways, patience and so much more…

I won’t rant here, but there’s plenty of other people who have said it:

Some links from the graphics (couldn’t find the Washington Post article):

(graphic via Montessorium)

In link

Link Love: Holiday Mail and More

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USPS Holiday Post Deadlines

Letter Writing and Postal Follies:

Neil Gaiman and his Lamy 2000

Pen & Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Misc:

In Pencil Review

Review: Pentel Graph 600 Mechanical Pencil (and Tombow Mono-WX 0.3mm HB leads)

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments

Pentel Graph 600 0.3mm

I blame Mr. Dudek and, of course, Jet Pens for continuing to stoke my interest in evermore writing tools. My most recent foray was into modern technical pencils. I’ve used the sort of “standard” mechanical pencils for years but wanted to upgrade into a more substantial tool. This lovely, aqua blue Pentel Graph 600 0.3mm technical pencil ($10) seemed like as good a jumping off point as any. This pencil uses the finest lead I have ever seen at a mere 0.3mm which was part of the appeal since I’ve been using 0.5mm and 0.7mm leads in the cheaper mechanical pencils I’ve purchased in the past.

Pentel Graph 600

The body of the pencil is plastic but has a metal, knurled grip area. The metal helps to weight the end of the pencil as a purely plastic pencil would feel pretty lightweight in the hand. I wish the body of the pencil was also metal. I have a Caran D’Ache 844 mechanical pencil that is painted aluminum so I know it’s possible to have a great color and still get the consistent weight of a metal body.

The cap can be rotated to indicate which lead grade (from B, HB, H-4H) is in the pencil. Under the cap is a white eraser which is functional and at least gives you a chance to erase if needed and you forgot to pack a good eraser. The clip is metal. It looks removable but its not.

The pencil uses a standard click mechanism to reveal the lead and with the delicate 0.3mm lead, I only advanced a little bit at a time to eliminate the possibility of breaking it if I got heavy-handed. The lead can be retracted back into the pencil but the metal casing around the lead does not retract so I wouldn’t recommend carrying this pencil loose in a pocket or bag as impaling yourself is a risk.

Tombow Mono WX HB leads

I paired the pencil with Tombow MONO-WX 0.3mm HB leads ($5) which come in a sturdy plastic dispensing case. The leads are available in 2H, H, HB and B (HB being the grade most like the #2 pencils we used in school). The lead on paper was buttery smooth and withstood quite a bit of pressure for something so fine.

I do love writing with graphite and I think this would be a lovely addition to my ever-growing collection.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Ask The Desk: Small, Durable Notebook

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Ask The Desk Header

Sandy asks:

HI, Love your site. I am looking for a semipermanent notebook approx 3×5 size, not hung up on this size but cannot be big. I need it to keep some things I will look at several times a day, in and out of a bag every day. I was trying a small Rhodia unlimited but the perforations are a problem. Any recommendations? I need it to last about a year. I love what you put on your site and that I can jump to others from here after looking @yours. Happy Holidays.

Paperblanks Safran

The first thing I thought of was the Paperblanks journals. They are hardbound with a nice quality ivory stock. I’ve been using their planner this year which has endured the same sort of  abuses and holding up quite well. They have a “mini” version which is 3.75×5.5″ which is a tiny bit bigger than you wanted but they are available with an assortment of cover options including a wrap cover and a clasp version. Most books are lined but some are available with blank paper as well. They also sell an even smaller version called the “micro” at a mere 2.75″ x 3.625″.

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Rhodia also makes a small Webnotebook that is 3.5×5.5″ and the Rhodiarama. Both are hardbound, vertical elastic closures and  3.5×5.5″ The Rhodiarama is available with an array of colored covers and lined 90 gsm paper  ($17) and the webnotebooks are available in orange or black covers with dot grid, lined or plain paper ($15.25).

weatherproof notebooks

If you need paper durability and are more inclined to use ballpoint or pencil, one of the weatherproof notebooks might appeal to you like the Field Notes Expedition Edition, Rite in the Rain or the Alwych. They are all soft cover books but use durable materials to create books that can stand up to inclement weather. Both the Rite in the Rain and the Alwych have over 100 pages each, the Expedition Edition is a thinner volume at 48 pages per book but are sold in sets of three. All Field notes are 3.5×5.5″, the Alwych is 3.25×5.25″ and the Rite in the Rain Memo Book is 3.5×5″.

With this pocket-sized notebook, there are options for leather covers that could turn any notebook into something durable as well as refillable. This would allow the use of any of the pocket-sized notebooks from Field Notes, Word, Doane, Scout Books, Moleskine Cahiers and so forth.

Does anyone else have any other recommendations for Sandy?

In feature

Black Friday Purchases

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Note: Some of the items mentioned below would not strictly be considered “office supplies” but I thought you might enjoy them. Please leave comments if you’d prefer less (or more) of this sort of post. Thanks!

I was in Chicago for Black Friday again this year. I decided the best course of action on such a nutball shopping day was to shop local. We definitely wanted to visit Pieritz again so we visited other shops in the Oak Park area as well. My husband discovered the fabulousness of HooDoo Headwear, a beautiful hat shop that opened in July. He bought three hats! And we both put the independent bookseller, The Book Table, on our radar after discovering a classic Chris Ware illustration of their storefront on their web site.

I visited with my pen pal Kimberly and her husband and we all had lunch at the Prairie Bread Kitchen. The cookies, coffee and tuna melt were all excellent.

Then we decided to trek into town and hit Challengers Comics and meet with the postal princess  and comic book super heroine Donovan. We also bought a load of new reading material.

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At Pieritz I was able to purchase a new pad of Clairefontaine Triomphe paper ($5 at Pieritz, online from JetPens $9) and a pack of red labels ($4). At The Book Table, I bought a packet of Telegram Postcard from Girl of All Work ($6.75) and a copy of The Drunken Botanist ($16) which I highly recommend for the cocktail connoisseurs out there.

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At Challengers, we bought an array of graphic novels including the Mind MGMT Volume 1, Mister X: Eviction and Batman: Death by Design. Oh, and I found a booklet of watercolor postcards by Jill Thompson (signed!).

What did you do with your Black Friday shopping day?

In photo

Holiday Cheer: Office Style

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holiday red desk

Do you string fairy lights across your cubicle wall or put a tree on your desk to get into the spirit of the season? If not, maybe its time to put a little holiday cheer in the office? Hang some decorations from your bulletin board or wall.

free Santa Claus stationery

Maybe download some printable stationery “From the Desk of Santa Claus” to write your lists and notes?

wreath over desk

Hang a wreath or a stocking from your chair or on the wall in your office?

Holiday Desktop Wallpaper

Or for an understated sense of holiday cheer, download a desktop wallpaper and tune into a holiday radio station or Spofity playlist and sing along to a little Bing?