Have I said that I like a good pen?I love the feeling of a well balanced pen, a pen with a bit more width, length and weight than the usual pen. So I have my collection of a dozen or so pens that I use on a regular basis. I also have a few pens that I have purchased just because of their beauty. There are some absolutey gorgeous pens being produced nowadays.
New production techniquesv mean that an absolutely stunning pen can be produced for not a lot of money, but it also means that there are some fantastic artists producing top-notch pens worth collecting.
Here is a link to juts one example by one of the first pen manufacturers:
Faber Castell - 2011 Pen of the Year - 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
A Day of Change
NSW State elections were held today and the result was very similar to what the polls predicted - the 16 years old Labor government was thrown out of office and will be lucky if they retain 20 seats out of the 91 seats in the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. The upper house, the Legislative Council, will take several weeks to decide my friend stood for the upper house and of course I gave him my first preference.
So today to celebrate the day of the long knives I watched The Godfather Pt 1. It is a wonderful film - very long, but always rewarding to watch. Al Pucino does a wonderful job as the younger son of the Godfather. I don't hold it in quite the same esteem as some Americans appear to do, such as Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail", or Josh in the series "The West Wing", but it is a five star film nevertheless.
Now speaking of Italians, one of my old bosses stood as a candidate for a lower house seat. He stood as a Liberal candidate and needed a 15% swing to win. He got over 20%! So now he is a proper politician. Regardless of his new status, he looked better with his moustache.
U
So today to celebrate the day of the long knives I watched The Godfather Pt 1. It is a wonderful film - very long, but always rewarding to watch. Al Pucino does a wonderful job as the younger son of the Godfather. I don't hold it in quite the same esteem as some Americans appear to do, such as Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail", or Josh in the series "The West Wing", but it is a five star film nevertheless.
Now speaking of Italians, one of my old bosses stood as a candidate for a lower house seat. He stood as a Liberal candidate and needed a 15% swing to win. He got over 20%! So now he is a proper politician. Regardless of his new status, he looked better with his moustache.
U
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Fountainhead
This film and book by Ayn Rand is one of my favorite movies. I first saw it on TV many years ago just after I had left home and moved to the big smoke. At that time I felt so constrained by the conservatism of my parents. Being the youngest of four means having your life dictated to you by everyone around you and my upbringing didn't instill any sense of self-worth or self-confidence.
This movie helped me have that self-belie that I was crying out for.
The Fountainhead is the story of a young architect Howard Roarkn(played by Gary Cooper) who doesn't design buildings according to the traditional values of the time. Those values dictate that every building imitate classical Greek and Roman architecture. So he is thrown out of university and only gets a small number of commissions for houses. However he cannot earn enough to survive and goes to work in a quarry, where he is seen by a journalist played by Patricia Neal. A complicated love story evolves around Roark's struggle for his intellectual and professional freedom.
This movie helped me have that self-belie that I was crying out for.
The Fountainhead is the story of a young architect Howard Roarkn(played by Gary Cooper) who doesn't design buildings according to the traditional values of the time. Those values dictate that every building imitate classical Greek and Roman architecture. So he is thrown out of university and only gets a small number of commissions for houses. However he cannot earn enough to survive and goes to work in a quarry, where he is seen by a journalist played by Patricia Neal. A complicated love story evolves around Roark's struggle for his intellectual and professional freedom.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Fountainpen Hospital sale
Fountainpn hospital is this wonderful little pen shop in Manhatten. I have bought a number of pens from them over the years. This week they held a big sale and I bought some very nice pens from them. No David Oscarsons this time as my bank account is still in recovery from the recent Los Angeles Pen Show. Fountainpen Hospital has one of the better websites. here is the link:
Fountainpen Hospital
Fountainpen Hospital
Memoirs of a Geisha
This was one of the first audio books that I received from Audible.com. I joined Audible when it first appeared and have been a member ever since. I have always loved audio books and had a large collection of books on tape. Before Audible came along I struggled with other music players, even a hard disc player that was as big as a portable cd player. The hardware was klunky, and the software even klunkier. But then Audible came along, and then the iPod and everything changed.
I had purchased my first audible player for some absurd price - it had 64 Mb of RAM. Memoirs of a Geisha came in 3 parts, each over 100 Mb, so the player could only hold part of each file. I thought I was near the end when we went on holidays to Tasmania. We decided to visit Maria Island and I was happily listening when the file reached it's end - but the book was far from over. I was so angry at the cruddy technology of the day. Later I bought my first iPod, was amazed by how advanced it was compared to all my other mp3 players, other hard disk players and cd players. I have been an Apple devotee ever since.
My first iPod was a generation 2 hard disk unit. As I said, this iPod was fantastic, and I have been sold on iPods ever since. I was amazed by people's skepticism about ipods when I showed them mine.
I had this for about 2 years when I bought my second (an iPod mini) that I got as part of a telephone deal with Telstra. This became my portable device and the first one was confined to the bedroom! I eventually tossed it when the screen became so faint I couldn't read it, but mechanically it was fine.
After about another 2 years I bought a iPod nano which I lost on my China trip. I also bought an iPod Classic for the car which I still have.
Then the second revolution with my first iPod Touch 8 Gb (which I later sold to Marie). I used this when in Western Australia. I then upgraded to a 64 Gb iTouch generation 2, then a 64 Gb iTouch v3 with camera, which was later replaced under warranty.
But back to the film. Once more the book is so much more complete than the film, and the reviews when it irst came out reflected this, so I didn't go and see it. Now that I have seen it on DVD I can say that it is a good film, maybe a pretty good film, but not a great film.
What the film can do that the book can't is bring all those lovely kimono to life, and old Kyoto. The sumo, the dancing, the playing are all done remarkable well. I really enjoyed the movie, despite having read the book first. The movie does leave large chunks of the story out, but does a reasonable job in retelling the story.
I had purchased my first audible player for some absurd price - it had 64 Mb of RAM. Memoirs of a Geisha came in 3 parts, each over 100 Mb, so the player could only hold part of each file. I thought I was near the end when we went on holidays to Tasmania. We decided to visit Maria Island and I was happily listening when the file reached it's end - but the book was far from over. I was so angry at the cruddy technology of the day. Later I bought my first iPod, was amazed by how advanced it was compared to all my other mp3 players, other hard disk players and cd players. I have been an Apple devotee ever since.
My first iPod was a generation 2 hard disk unit. As I said, this iPod was fantastic, and I have been sold on iPods ever since. I was amazed by people's skepticism about ipods when I showed them mine.
I had this for about 2 years when I bought my second (an iPod mini) that I got as part of a telephone deal with Telstra. This became my portable device and the first one was confined to the bedroom! I eventually tossed it when the screen became so faint I couldn't read it, but mechanically it was fine.
After about another 2 years I bought a iPod nano which I lost on my China trip. I also bought an iPod Classic for the car which I still have.
Then the second revolution with my first iPod Touch 8 Gb (which I later sold to Marie). I used this when in Western Australia. I then upgraded to a 64 Gb iTouch generation 2, then a 64 Gb iTouch v3 with camera, which was later replaced under warranty.
But back to the film. Once more the book is so much more complete than the film, and the reviews when it irst came out reflected this, so I didn't go and see it. Now that I have seen it on DVD I can say that it is a good film, maybe a pretty good film, but not a great film.
What the film can do that the book can't is bring all those lovely kimono to life, and old Kyoto. The sumo, the dancing, the playing are all done remarkable well. I really enjoyed the movie, despite having read the book first. The movie does leave large chunks of the story out, but does a reasonable job in retelling the story.
My Love of a Good Pen
Celestial Limited Edition
The Celestial Collection is the eighth in the David Oscarson series of Limited Edition writing instruments. Produced in five color variations, each will be limited to production of 88 pieces (including fountain pens and roller balls). The Celestial Collection continues in the spirit of artistic mastery and the tradition of Old World craftsmanship by combining the centuries-old technique of Guilloché with the art and expertise of Hard Enamel. Each Collection piece is engraved with multiple levels of Guilloché, then adorned with multiple colors of Hard Enamel.
The five breathtaking color pairs featured on the caps stand in bold contrast to the translucent midnight blue hard enamel on the barrels. The sun and sunburst designs featured on the Celestial cap require multiple levels of engraving; the rays of the sun remain in high relief while the sunburst pattern in the background features occasional omissions in engraving, reflecting heat and solar flares. Most remarkable perhaps is the three-dimensional face of the sun engraved on the tapered and rounded surface of the cap. The level of difficulty involved in the moon and stars featured on the Celestial barrel equals that employed on the cap.
The four phases of the moon (new, quarter, half and full) are outlined in high relief while the stars are represented in various widths and depths. Three different diameters of stars are featured in high relief and three in low relief (above and beneath the midnight blue enamel) as a reflection of the midnight sky.
The Celestial Collection is the eighth in the David Oscarson series of Limited Edition writing instruments. Produced in five color variations, each will be limited to production of 88 pieces (including fountain pens and roller balls). The Celestial Collection continues in the spirit of artistic mastery and the tradition of Old World craftsmanship by combining the centuries-old technique of Guilloché with the art and expertise of Hard Enamel. Each Collection piece is engraved with multiple levels of Guilloché, then adorned with multiple colors of Hard Enamel.
The five breathtaking color pairs featured on the caps stand in bold contrast to the translucent midnight blue hard enamel on the barrels. The sun and sunburst designs featured on the Celestial cap require multiple levels of engraving; the rays of the sun remain in high relief while the sunburst pattern in the background features occasional omissions in engraving, reflecting heat and solar flares. Most remarkable perhaps is the three-dimensional face of the sun engraved on the tapered and rounded surface of the cap. The level of difficulty involved in the moon and stars featured on the Celestial barrel equals that employed on the cap.
The four phases of the moon (new, quarter, half and full) are outlined in high relief while the stars are represented in various widths and depths. Three different diameters of stars are featured in high relief and three in low relief (above and beneath the midnight blue enamel) as a reflection of the midnight sky.
Mr Smith Goes To Washington
I finally got around to watching this film last night. It's been in my collection for years but for some reason I had't bothered to play it.
It was interesting to see a very young Jimmy Stewart and to see Claude Rains as an American politician instead as a Brit.
The film is about corruption in American politics, and how elected officials are servants of the people that control the purse strings and the power. The film doesn't have a complicated plot, and fairly simple character development.
Three stars.
Storyline
Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal. Written by James Yu
It was interesting to see a very young Jimmy Stewart and to see Claude Rains as an American politician instead as a Brit.
The film is about corruption in American politics, and how elected officials are servants of the people that control the purse strings and the power. The film doesn't have a complicated plot, and fairly simple character development.
Three stars.
Storyline
Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal. Written by James Yu
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