Archive for June, 2008
Rhodia and Football
Today, allow us to be swept by the football fever that gripped Spain. Save for our participation in last year’s Chicago Marathon and swimming in college, we’re not really that sporty. But, we’re also a news junkie so we do follow sporting events. And we do love those winning moments. So for hours now, we’ve been hooked to the Euro 2008, which just ended with a long-sought victory for Espana. From Andalucia to Galicia and Catalonia, the whole of this Iberian state is celebrating, after winning the 2008 Cup, only it’s second in more than 40 years. So indeed it’s a huge, huge celebration. Even King Juan Carlos was in the audience during the final match against Germany. One sports critic dubbed it the “Beautiful Game.” Football, or soccer as it is popularly called here in America, is the most popular sports in the world. And we’re genuinely interested, albeit our knowledge of it is rather limited. But mind you, Rhodia actually has some football connection it being a sponsor of the French Olympic soccer team. In Lyon, France there’s even a Rhodia Football Club, although we’re not too sure if it’s related to the company. Is there anyone out there in the Rhodia world wants to share their own sporting moments? Oh, actually, we’ve got one more to share: A top boxer autographed our orange pad. But that’s probably for another entry. For now, we say, Viva Futbol!
Flickr Friday: Grannykass
We love Grannykass here at RhodiaDrive. She’s one of the first to join us on Flickr and the very first to subscribe to our YouTube account. But we envy her youthful spirit and vitality. As she fondly says, “Over the Hill and still thinking like a 20 something.” Indeed, Grannykass is a kid at heart. She’s an avid collectors of pens and notebooks. Of course her collection wouldn’t be complete without the trusty Rhodia. She’s also a prolific writer so the pens and notebooks come in handy. As you can see, Grannykass also loves to travel and explore nature. We suspect her adventures keep her “20 something” joie de vivre.
Flickr photos via Grannykass
RhodiaDrive in Konigi!
We’re so thrilled! We’ve been mentioned in the design portal Konigi! A big shoutout is due to the design genius from New York, Michael Angeles, the self-confessed information geek behind this year-old project. Konigi is basically a gallery of designs that takes you to a world you may not have wandered into before. It’s a virtual candy store for design aficionados, with the screen shots of the websites as the merchandise. Only better: It’s for free. But no, Konigi is not taken from Japanese mountain where the Goddess of Sun, Amaterasu’s sanctuary is located. Rather, it’s a “nonsensical riff” on the Esperanto word “koni”, which means, “to know”, according to the website’s creator. Now you know. To satisfy our curiosity, we’ve searched further and we also learned that Esperanto is an obscure language that dates as far back as the late 19th century. It’s mostly spoken by Jewish people and was banned during the time of Hitler in Germany and Stalin in Russia. But that’s for a separate thesis paper.
Flickr Friday: ThudButt
Almost every Friday now, we’ve noticed that we have become fixated with things Japanese. This Friday is not an exception. Although we hesitate to conclude that this will become a regular enterprise. Let’s just say, it’s just a bunch of coincidence. So coincidence it is! We don’t know where the name originates, but we can assure you that our featured Flickr friend, and Rhodia fan ThudButt has nothing to do with body parts. Far from it. ThudButt is our guy from Japan who apparently loves sushi and likes to hang out with his friends. Who doesn’t? His many photos capture so many fun times with friends in his hometown of Japan.
Flickr Friday via ThudButt
A Love Story from Nice
Allow us to daydream and let our minds wander to the south of France, if only for a few virtual minutes. As the weather in the Windy City veers from stormy to muggy, we’re tempted to frolic in the beach. Nice is the famous European getaway of princesses and Hollywood royalties. And it is where our love story blossomed, with a Vegas twist to it. No, it doesn’t involve celebrities, but it’s as heartwarming as any romantic flick. But yes, the trusty Rhodia notebook has something to do with it.
Greetings from Nice, France. My name is Claudia and I would like to share with you my Journalisimo moment.
Many years back a couple of girlfriends and myself went on a cross country ride in the United States. We ended up in Las Vegas and had the best of times. In my purse was a Rhodia notebook. On a whim, I started writing down the addresses and phone numbers of all the new friends we met. On our last night I left the notebook in a bar and thought I lost it. The next morning, it was waiting for me at the concierge as we checked out. A young man (then) had apparently found my trusty Rhodia and returned it to my hotel. To my pleasant surprise, he added his own information on the last page!
Read the rest of the story on Journalismo.
Happy Father’s Day!
Flickr Friday: Bizmac
Every time we revisit the Land of the Rising Sun, virtually that is, we are always filled with a sense of nostalgia. It was there where we had our first taste of shabu shabu, our first and so far, only encounter of Sumo wrestlers, and our first snow. This Friday, we return once again to the land that invented karaoke and bento boxes. This time, it’s courtesy of another Nihon-jin, Bizmac, another Rhodia as well as Iphone fanatic who is really fond of taking pictures from all over Japan. Which only makes us wanting for more of things Japanese. As we’re enjoying his photography, we spotted a bunch of sushi pictures. And it only made us hungry at 20 minutes past midnight in Chicago.
On a separate note, we would like to ask you guys to send us more photos of your Rhodia travels. We would really like to keep up with our “Where in the World is my Rhodia?” segment. Paging people from Brazil, or London, or Madrid, or Timbuktu! Wherever you are in the world, please send us your photos with the backdrop featuring the cities you’re in, or the most popular landmark of the place you’re at (Mt. Fuji? The Eiffel? The Grand Canyon?). You can upload it in our Flickr group or email it to us with the corresponding captions. Send it to us, and we’ll feature you on drive, Rhodia Drive. Have a great weekend ahead folks!
Flickr Photos via Bizmac
Wality on Rhodia
This clever pic caught our attention while surfing the net, and our curiosity was enkindled. What’s a Wality we asked? It sounds like a cute name for a stuff animal! From the land of Maharajahs and Mahakavyas, this fountain pen has emanated. Manufactured by Airmail Pen Co. in India, Wality is a line of pens, whose reputation has only increased after more than half a century of being crafted. One reviewer, calls this product as “a smooth writing pen” that “holds a ton of ink.” Another reviewer from FountainPenNetwork.com writes, “for a very inexpensive pen, there are no inconsistencies I notice. The pen looks exactly as advertised and certainly meets my expectations.” Do you have your own “Wality” experience, pleasant or otherwise? How does it work with your Rhodia pad? What’s the fountain pen brand you would recommend that is best suited for Rhodia? We would like to hear from you guys. Soon!
Flickr Friday: Lexi_con
Flickr Photos via Lexi_con
Tokens and Coins
Authenticity is a currency that’s very hard to find. Thus, it was with great pleasure to find out about Token and Coins, a specialty shop that has a knack at incorporating actual, authentic tokens, coins and artifacts in its specially-designed items such as cuff links, bracelets, watches and pens. One of our favorites is a cuff link featuring the clock of New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The Big Apple’s favorite meeting place is captured in fine detail and given an antique brass finish. It could a perfect gift for Father’s Day we thought. Another favorite is a sterling silver bezel cuff link that features a square of wood taken from the seats that once graced Wrigley. Now that is really cool! The personalized Qwerty Pen also caught our attention. And we’ve learned from a reliable source that at a recent show in New York, they’re using Rhodia pads to test their pens. Neat!
