Archive for October, 2008
Flickr Friday: Pumpkin Overdrive
Flickr Photo via Yenna
Flickr Photo via Qbal
Flickr Photo via Queeny Ru
Is it not obvious already that orange is our fave color, and the pumpkin our top veggie? HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!
What’s Up?
From October 4 to December 14, Tokyo’s Suntory Museum of Art and the National Art Center will simultaneously host an exhibit that centers on the work of the great Pablo Picasso. The exhibition is being hailed as “unprecendented.” The collection of works, mostly owned by Picasso himself is on loan from the Musée National Picasso in the Marais district of Paris. Of the exhibition, Tokyo Artbeat writes:
While Picasso went through various phases in terms of his painting style – from his “Blue” period, “Rose” period, Cubism, Neoclassicism to Surrealism – he also avidly sought out new possibilities for different materials and modes of expression. Living through the turbulent days of the 20th century, Picasso underwent dramatic transformations as an artist in search of the meaning of humanity and art, while also contemplating issues of war and peace. Another crucial element of his life were the women he loved and was inspired by. With approximately 170 works on view, this retrospective exhibition looks back on the 91 years of Picasso’s life, in which life, love and artistic creation were all closely intertwined.
Via Tokyo Artbeat
Jeff Abbott: In Praise of Clairefontaine Notebooks
Fear and panic are probably two of the most dreaded words that aptly capture the mood of the economy nowadays (although not us, because we’re always positively positive with a healthy grasp of reality). Our version of Fear and Panic, are of the literary kind, authored by best-selling story-teller Jeff Abbott. Jeff’s novels have been called “exciting, shrewd, and beautifully crafted” by the Chicago Tribune, “fresh, original… intricately woven” by Publishers Weekly. Jeff turned out to be a fan of Clairefontaine, the mother company of Rhodia. In his blog recently, he wrote:
I’ve used a variety of notebooks over the years, from a super-cheap composition notebook to more expensive varieties, and now I am wedded to the Clairefontaine nootebooks.
Clairefontaine is the only notebook company that makes its own paper.
Link via Jeff Abbott
Flickr Friday: Quattrokid73′s Rhodia & Fisher Pen
Design and graphic art extraordinaire Quattrokid is a self-described pen addict. Judging on the photos of pens that he has accumulated, it’s not too hard to believe his assertion. This student of the Academy of Art University is also into model making, including clay modeling and wood laser cutting. Not to be missed is his teapot design, which is just pure genius. A Mac guy, he also dabbles in macromedia flash, final cut among others. About his life as a design master he writes, “I want to be immersed in the world, designing for real life. Every day is a learning process, working towards the end goal of making the world a better place to live in.” Meet Quattrokid73!
Flickr photo via Quattrokid73
What’s Up?
If you happen to be in Chicago on Friday, October 24, and looking for some interesting diversion, check out animator Don Hertzfeldt as he tours the country and showcases his award-winning works. The event will be held at Music Box, 3733 N. Southport Ave. from 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Above is Hertzfeldt’s work, Rejected, which was nominated in the Academy Award’s Best Animated Short Film in 2001.
Pelikan Pen on Rhodia?
Your Rhodia Driver has always been fascinated with the pelican. Perhaps it was the novel, and then the film that ignited the interest. So it was such a pleasant surprise to discover a pen of the same name. The Toledo from Pelikan has been one of their signature pens for decades. Introduced in in 1986, the Toledo “was based on the classic Pelikan T111 of 1931.” The cap and barrel were as used on the Souverain M400, but the band on the barrel was a sculpted overlay depicting a mother Pelikan motif. We wonder if anyone has ever tried a Pelikan pen on a Rhodia paper? If not a Pelikan, in your estimation what’s the best pen on a Rhodia pad?
Via the Stylophile Online Magazine
Flickr Friday: 3views, Rhodia and Lomography
We look before and after
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
from 「To a Skylark」 by Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822)
Flickr Photos by Rhodia Notebook fan 3views
What’s up?
For all these years, Algiers, the city of Al Qasbah and grand mosques, still retains its mystique. Shaped by its Mediterranean influence, its African heritage, and uniquely French blend, its allure has remained intact. Did you know that not too long ago, your favorite orange notebook was so hot in this part of the world? In the 1950s, a production unit was set up in southern Algiers. This unit used paper produced locally, and supplied the substantial North African market of Rhodia. That may be in the past, but memories linger. We’re reminded of Algiers when we saw this painting by Eugène Delacroix. Now, a special exhibit is being held at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais at the Louvre (Denon Room) in Paris. This event is still ongoing, so if you happen to be in Paris, go and behold the women of Algiers!
Read an article on the exhibit at Art Daily
Here at Rhodia Drive, we have strived to inject more interesting events from all over the world. Starting today, Wednesday, we’ll feature an event or two that might be of interest to you guys. We’ll just simply call it, “What’s Up?” This is aside from our occasional “Where In The World Is My Rhodia?” segment that we introduced just a few weeks back. So send us thos photos. ‘Til next Wednesday!
Bad handwriting and medical errors
Your Rhodia Driver had a medical scare in the extended family not too long ago. And it got us into thinking how important it is to have a good doctor. No, not a high-priced doctor, just a good one. Then we ran across this article from Canada’s Globe and Mail about medical errors brought about by bad handwriting. It reads in part: “We know from the literature that there are certainly medical errors that result from miscommunication,” said pharmacist Lora Jaye Gray medication safety co-ordinator for the WRHA. “There are continually reports throughout Canada of patients who have been harmed and killed through medication errors. We also know from the Canadian Adverse Events Study in 2004 that 7.5 per cent of patients admitted to Canadian hospitals had at least one adverse event. Not all were medications, but medications were a big part of that.”
You can read the entire story here. Via My Life in the YY.
Flickr Friday: Dibujo de Saltillo
We use our Rhodia pads for different reasons. Some use it to jot down recipes, while others it as a flip book. As a journalist, your Rhodia Driver us it to take down notes. Still others use it as a medium to express their artistic imagination or simply to write graphic notes, like our buddy Vayhu from Saltillo, Mexico. The funny thing is, Vayhu was doing this while in his class. As a student who sometimes feel like being stuck in a boring lecture, we can totally relate to his sentiments. A visit to Vayhu’s Flickr collection would reveal his rather eclectic taste, as well as his interests. So check it out guys and gals!
Flickr Photos via Vayhu
IN OTHER NEWS…
Your Rhodia Driver is such big fan of the Nobel Prize. Not that we have any hope of winning a prize in chemistry or physics. Truth be told, we’re far from being “scientific” if you can use that term. But we’re fascinated by it, and totally impressed with those geeky professors. We think they’re totally cool! This year, two of those super smart guys are from our neck of the woods in Chicago. The first one is from the venerable University of Chicago, 87-year old professor in physics Yoichiro Nambu. According to a Chicago Tribune news item, Nambu was cited for his discovery of “a subatomic principle called spontaneous broken symmetry, which among other things explained why some particles are far lighter than others.” Speaking of the University of Chicago, did you know that so far it has produced as many as 87 Nobel Prize winners? Amazing right?
Even closer at home here in Skokie, an old resident who is now a professor at Columbia University in New York won the prize in the field of chemistry. Martin Chalfie, who grew up in Chicago and moved to Skokie at the age of 8, with his family, went to high school at the defunct Niles East, which is now home to Oakton Community College, where your Rhodia Driver is taking some classes while processing his grad school application. His the second Niles East alumnus, after MIT’s Robert Horvitz, to win the prize. We wonder, is there something about the water in Skokie? Have a great weekend everyone!
The Return of Biffybeans: ePure Review
Biffybeans, the “Ex Metalhead turned Artsy Metaphysical Hippie Chick” from the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, returns to give us her thoughts about the much talked about Rhodia ePure Journal. As we’ve mentioned before, Biffybeans is a percussionist and her choice of instruments are Djembe, doumbek, shekere and for that matter, “anything I can get my hands on.” She also an avid user of fountain pens, and often have something to say about a new pen, journal or brand of ink. So writing about ePure comes out naturally:
“Paper is SMOOTH, but isn’t as “shiny” as typical Rhodia paper. Made very single fountain pen tested feel like an ultra smooth writer. Ink appears to dry quickly”
Read the full review here.
Flickr Friday: Eslite
Your Rhodia driver is becoming more and more of a Francophile every day. And not just because he’s taking French class at a local college. Or his longing to visit Paris and come face-to-face with Mona Lisa at The Louvre. Or his fascination with Sarkozy. It’s because every day, he is growing more and more enamored with the orange notebook. So when he noticed this picture of a collectible Rhodia with the heading, La Vie En Bloc, he’s transfixed. He’s wondering how many out there still own collectible Rhodia pieces? He’d really like to know…
The same flickrite also captured the next display featuring the Paul Smith collection, which included a really nice-looking towel. One wonders if that Paul Smith towel is up for sale? That would be really neat. For now, au revoir!
Flickr Photo by Eslite
