Sunday, December 30, 2018

My Favorite Stuff In 2018: Coffee, Stationery, & Folding Knives Edition

I hope to become an adult before I collect Medicare, but the odds aren't very good. I nerd out about a lot of stuff: comics, coffee, fountain pens, folding knives, and a host of shiny objects associated with each. As part of growing up, it seems prudent to try to discern what attracts me to each part, so I thought I'd start with a 2018 favorites list.

(I'm going to need some time to put together my favorite comics of 2018, but I am ready to rank the best stuff from my other esoteric interests.)

Favorite coffee: Koffee Kult Road Dog. It's described as "a highly aromatic blend features a full body complemented by spicy, earthy notes and just a hint of nutmeg." It delivers that, but what sets it apart is a pleasant long finish that doesn't degenerate into ashes.

Favorite notebook(s): This one is a tie. The Write Notepads "This Machine Kills Fascists" notepad is an awesome product currently being used as a commonplace book. The product description says it all:
Our Paper Journal edition pays tribute to the iconic folk artist Woody Guthrie. Guthrie's music was heavily influenced by 1940s social and political inequality and the burgeoning Civil Rights movement, and he used his music and influence to challenge the ideals of the time. His two favorite guitars were famously emblazoned with the phrase "This Machine Kills Fascists," a bold statement showcasing the simple power of words. We've replicated the phrase with the same sentiment in mind: ideas are powerful tools in the fight against injustice.
The Story Supply Company's "Ithaca" is a salute to The Odyssey that the mythology teacher in me could not resist.

Odysseus' desire to return to his home symbolizes the struggles we all have in our own lives. Each one of us has our own version of Ithaca—creative projects we put off, personal goals that feel out of reach, lost loves, the occasional flesh eating cyclops, vengeful gods who will stop at nothing to create obstacles that stand in our way. 

And yet, it is through these struggles that we learn and grow. It is through the journey that we come to understand what it means to be human. And so, we persist, and we endure, and we await the Rosy-fingered dawn that brings a new day.

Favorite new fountain pen: Purchased at the St. Louis pen show with the forbearance of my long-suffering wife, the Franklin-Christoph Model 19 with a SIG nib writes wonderfully and provides an analog escape from 2018's digital madness. If the past two weeks are indicative of what we can look forward to in 2019, both the pen and the notebooks will get a lot of use in 2019.

Favorite pocket knife: The operative word here is favorite. This is not the best pocket knife I bought in 2018, but when a bride on her wedding day asks if her gift includes "sharp objects," it seems in poor taste to refuse her request. When we got home, I ordered a pair of Ka-Bar Doziers for her and her new husband. Any tool that makes it easy to spread sharp object addiction has to top a favorites list.


1 comment:

Witch Tracy said...

I love your blogs!!! Levity, intelligence, and insight~ the trifecta of goodness!

My Favorite Stuff In 2018: Coffee, Stationery, & Folding Knives Edition

I hope to become an adult before I collect Medicare, but the odds aren't very good. I nerd out about a lot of stuff: comics, coffee, fou...