Archive for May, 2008
Flickr Friday: Five_One_Seven
We’re writing this dispatch on the road. We’re somewhere in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains in the Midwest trying to get some really well-deserved rest. But we can’t miss our Flickr Friday. Today, we cross the Pacific Ocean once again, and visit one of our favorite destinations: The Land of the Rising Sun. Rhodia fan, Five_One_Seven took these images from his own road trips in his native, Japan. Browsing through his Flickr photos, you’ll know immediately that he loves sneakers and jeans. He also confessed to liking ramen and curry rice. Yum.
Flickr Photos via Five_One_Seven
We Remember
Rhodia at Container Store
In 1978, Kip Tindell, Garrett Boone and Architect John Mullen opened a retail store offering an exceptional and eclectic mix of products devoted to helping people simplify their lives. In doing so, they originated a completely new category of retailing, that of storage and organization. For Kip and Garrett, the goal never has been growth for growth’s sake. Rather, it is to adhere to a fundamental set of business values, centered around deliberate merchandising, superior customer service and constant employee input. Growth and success have been the natural and inevitable result.
Via Container Store
Flickr Friday: Paddyedge
A freshly brewed coffee: Exactly what the RhodiaDriver needs to be kicked out of slumber. This was our immediate thought while checking out the photos of Takesi-san, a self-confessed lover of everything coffee and espresso. “I like coffee. Really like coffee,” he writes on his site. We could almost smell the aroma wafting from the images he captured. Our man from Tokyo also maintains Paddyedge, a very sleek site featuring his cafe and his photography, which captures slices of life: From the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku to the serenity of the beach in Kamakura. This J.D. Salinger fan and Rhodia collector also loves his bicycle, which reminds us we should get one, what with the skyrocketing of oil prices. But back to the coffee, we probably need to get a cup already or else we’re gonna fall asleep again, just like what happened last night before we could even update the blog.
Flickr Photos via TaKc
This American Life
Tyler is a man with an unquestionable social conscience. From issues of immediate concern like the crisis in Burma to eco-friendly pursuits like biking, he’s got something valuable to say. We are proud to learn that in fact, he’s a “big fan” of Rhodia’s “graphed” notebooks. Recently, this blogger who calls himself wumpuscat writes about Ira Glass’ “This American Life”:
I just saw, in Batavia, a life cinecast of “This American Life.” (I won the tickets from WNIJ the local NPR affiliate) I have got to tell you it was damn entertaining. It has been quite some time that I have seen an audience so involved in a theater such as tonight. The show was a mix of clips cut from the first and second seasons of the TV show on showtime and also snippets from the radio show, along with animation, and question and answer sessions.
Read the rest of the entry here
Flickr Friday: Architekt2
Here’s what we know about Architekt2: He is a fan of Rhodia. He has a 2002 BMW dirtbike named Prinz Eugen, and he has been to the Marienburg Castle in Germany. While his photos give us some clue about his interests like collecting stamps and checking out vintage cars, he has essentially remained an enigma. Which only amplifies our curiosity. It’s safe to say, however, that he is an architect (Or is he? Hmm), based on his nomenclature, and his fascination for buildings, ancient and modern alike. One of his favorite quotes sounds like it is coming straight from Nobel Prize-winning Thomas Mann, and actually it is. It reads, “I have always been an admirer. I regard the gift of admiration as indispensable if one is to amount to something; I don’t know where I would be without it.” Well, let’s just say we admire his work.
Flickr Photos via Architekt2
RhodiaDrive interviews Chicago Pen Show Founder Don Lavin, Part II
We Heart Mom
From Dad and I, a million thanks to you Mom, for making this world such a wonderful place to live. Through you life emanates, and because of you it is truly worth living. Happy Mother’s Day!
(Photo by RhodiaDrive)
Museum of Pens and Writing to open in Chicago
Flickr Friday: Staana Studio
We were tinkering with our new YouTube feature late last night, and we didn’t realize we fell asleep. The next thing we know, it’s already eight in the morning. But what a beautiful Friday morning! The sun is peeking through the window blinds, as if to stir us up of our deep slumber. The stomach is already churning, longing for cereal, milk and blueberry. Anyway, today’s Flickr Friday feature is equally sunny and perky: Hoshina, from the Land of Rising Sun. This girl is one heck of a creative type. Last March 14, she launched a new shop online called Staana Studio, which features among others Rhodia-inspired items like a Rhodia Sack and a Rhodia Bag. Like many of Japanese persuasion, it’s of minimalist design and it’s very nifty. Why she calls it Staana remains a mystery to us. Perhaps she can explain it to us, when she visits us here.
and there goes the cat again…
Flickr Photos via Staana Studio
RhodiaDrive interviews Nicholas Frederick of Frederickpens.com
RhodiaDrive on YouTube
We’ve finally made our presence felt on YouTube. We’re still doing some tweaking here and there to make our entries even more appealing. Please bear with us. We’re just learning along the way, and it is so much fun to discover new things, and to realize that we can actually do it. Our first RhodiaDrive interview, posted two entries below, was with the founder of the Chicago Pen Show, Don Lavin. Don is an attorney, but we could see he’s a pen collector by heart. We’ll be posting the second part of his interview soon. So watch out! Our second interviewee was Sam Fiorella of Pendemonium. Amidst the hustle and bustle at the show, we managed to corner Pam and asked her about her true passion. Sam co-owns the Pendemonium shop in Fort Madison, Iowa with Frank Fiorella. In another video post above, we’re also introducing you Nicholas Frederick, a true pen craftsman, who came all the way from Arizona to attend his first Chicago Pen Show. Nicholas owns Frederick Pens. We are downloading and editing more videos of the show as of this writing, and we’ll post them at the soonest possible time.
Mr. Don Lavin being interviewed by RhodiaDrive, with Keith Saransky, curator of a museum that is being built in Chicago, solely for the purpose of highlighting the history of writing.
RhodiaDrive interview with Sam of Pendemonium.
Flickr Photos courtesy of Notebookism.
RhodiaDrive interviews Sam Fiorella of Pendemonium
RhodiaDrive interviews Chicago Pen Show Founder Don Lavin
Snapshots from the 2008 Chicago Pen Show
We had an energy-filled experience at the 2008 Chicago Pen Show! We didn’t even need coffee to keep us awake on an early Sunday morning. Since it was our first time to see the expo, we eagerly came early enough to see the place, just as it burst into life. We also met pen enthusiasts from around the world, from Iowa to Ohio, Australia to Germany, Italy to Japan, giving the event a truly global texture. It was such a delight, to say the least, to witness the collectors and craftsmen, as they go about with their business with so much passion. Seeing them, we knew it was more than just their livelihood, it’s their way of life. We’ll tell you more about the show later today. Meanwhile, here are some of the pictures we got…
We’ll also post more photos later today. For now, as our new Italian friend we met at the show would say, ciao!
FOLLOW-UP: Thanks to Notebookism for providing us some of the Flickr photos posted here! Check out the rest of the Pen Show photos in our Flickr Pool.
