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What We’ve Been Up To (Not a Whole Lot)

February 26, 2015 at 9:11 am by Claudia

Not a whole lot to report from our little igloo. February is almost at an end and it’s been a doozy. We broke out yesterday for a short time to do exciting things like buy stamps and mail bills. Whoo hoo! And then we ran to the grocery store to stock up on a few things.

Then we drove up the driveway that has become a tunnel surrounded by snow, and nosed the car into its increasingly smaller parking space.

We watched Arthur on TCM last night. I love that movie. Just what we needed – a lovely, laugh-out-loud, beautifully acted movie. Dudley Moore is brilliant. John Gielgud is also brilliant. Liza Minelli is wonderful, as is all of the supporting cast. What’s not to love?

And this weekend? Oh, boy. Netflix releases the new season of House of Cards. I’ve told Don that we cannot binge watch…we have to limit our viewing to two episodes a night, so that we can stretch out the pleasure of watching that amazing series.

What else are we into lately?

2-26 meyer's soap

We love this soap. We have an ongoing bath soap dilemma here. One of us likes one kind of soap, the other doesn’t. So we keep switching brands. But I think we’ve hit on something we both like. The scent of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day soap is herbal and light. It’s not too perfumey, just clean and subtle.

I use the lavender. Don likes and uses the lemon verbena. That way, we’re both happy. Order has been restored in the bathroom.

I like to use scented candles when I’m away from home, especially when I’m staying in a small apartment. Candles are not only comforting, they also help to eliminate cooking smells. (I have a very sensitive nose!) So, though a bit pricey, I bought this candle from a neighborhood shop in Brooklyn.

2-26 meyer's candle

I’m glad I did. It came home with me.

No, this isn’t a sponsored post. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day has no idea who I am. I just like their products. I use their liquid soap in the kitchen, as well. Have any of you tried this line? I ask this knowing that each of us has our own personal preference as to scents and soaps and scented candles. What do you use?

Oh, don’t forget! Today is the last day to leave a comment on the book review post. I’ll draw a winner tonight, so you have until about 6 pm EST.

Happy Thursday.

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The Pencil Passion Continues

August 4, 2014 at 9:14 am by Claudia

Don and I took a little drive yesterday and ended up in a neighboring town, the one with an independent bookstore and a really neat used bookstore. Why did we go there?

Because I have become obsessed with those pencils I told you about. You know, the Palamino Blackwing. (If you missed the post you can read it here.) Ever since I brought that pencil home, I’ve been using it. I write lists with it. I use it to write notes about all sorts of things in my spiral notebook. I do crossword puzzles with it.

I know, I’m a bit nuts.

The pencil sharpener I was using here at the cottage was a vintage wall sharpener, like the ones that were in our school classrooms. I love it because it’s vintage, of course, but it was hacking up my pencil. Horrors! In my earlier post I wrote about Blackwing’s pencil sharpener. It has two holes: #1 sharpens the wood, #2 sharpens the graphite. And I knew that the used bookstore had at least two of them on display.

So I confessed to Don that I just had to have that pencil sharpener.

four blackwings

And I came home with three more pencils. They had a Sampler Pack that had one each of the Blackwing Pearl, the Blackwing 602 (which has “Half the pressure, twice the speed” on the barrel) and the original Blackwing.

four blackwings and a sharpener

My past experience with pencil sharpeners has been less than positive. The verdict on the Blackwing Sharpener? It works like a dream! It’s a thing of beauty.

On the way home, we stopped at the library so I could make a copy of the Sunday New York Times Crossword Puzzle. I mean, I had to have something to use as a test for my newly sharpened pencils, don’t you think?

And I added this at the checkout:

booklover

Now, that’s the kind of bumper sticker for me!

I’m reviewing Wendy Tyson’s new book Deadly Assets, over at Just Let Me Finish This Page. I’m also giving away a copy. So, stop on by!

Happy Monday.

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When is a pencil not just a pencil?

July 30, 2014 at 8:29 am by Claudia

I am particular about my writing implements.

Oh, I can grab any old pen to write a quick note or a list. We, like most everyone, have lots of pens and pencils scattered around the cottage. Some pens are missing their caps, lots of pencils need sharpening, some end up having no ink left in the barrel – the usual hodgepodge.

But when it comes to serious stuff, like writing a letter or a thank you note, or taking notes when I’m coaching, I like a certain pen. If I can’t use that pen, everything seems a little off. (FYI: it’s the Uniball Signo.)

As for pencils, we have a love/hate relationship. I tend to have a light touch when I use a pencil and I’ve never found a pencil that writes the way I want it to. Most of the time, even with a No. 2 pencil, the stroke on the page is too light. When I do my analysis work on a text, especially Shakespeare, I write lots and lots of notes on the page – in pencil. And I’m always frustrated by the end result. I also end up doing the NY Times Crossword puzzle in pen because I don’t like using a pencil. But heaven knows, it would be a lot easier using a pencil!

About a week or so ago, I was reading one of my favorite blogs – Head Butler – and that particular post was about an amazing pencil, the Palamino Blackwing Pencil. (Here’s the link to the post.) The Blackwing, first made by Eberhard Faber in 1930, has a “graphite core, fortified with a little wax” and is, to some, the finest pencil ever made. Composers use it for scoring: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Aaron Copland. Artists use it. John Steinbeck wrote with it, as did Truman Capote. They were expensive to make but they had a devoted, almost fanatical following. They still do. You don’t have to push to write with it. (Something I always seem to have to do with a pencil.)

So, the day before yesterday, we were in our local used bookstore. I was looking for books by Robertson Davies, which you know all about if you read Just Let Me Finish This Page, and I found one. On my way to the checkout, I saw a display of writing implements. Among them: the Blackwing. I called Don over, told him all about them, and we ended up buying two.

palamino blackwing

They were $2.50 each, which sounds expensive for a pencil, but I have to tell you, they are worth every penny. Suddenly, I love writing with a pencil. I love this pencil. I’m looking forward to making all the notations I need to make in a script. These pencils even have replacement erasers, as well as a pencil sharpener (that I have yet to buy) the sharpens the pencil in two stages: one hole sharpens the wood, the other sharpens the the graphite. Since I have never been happy with any pencil sharpener I have ever owned, I think I’m going to be adding the sharpener to my arsenal of writing tools.

Oh gosh, I’m all about saving money and I am on a strict budget, but the amount of pencils I go through when I’m working on a show is ridiculous and, quite frankly, a waste of money. So why not get something that really works? I know you can find them on Amazon and you can visit Palamino’s website, if you’re interested in learning more about them. (I’m simply passing along some information on a great pencil. I’m not getting compensated.)

Is it silly to get this excited about a pencil? Not to this girl who has to use a pencil quite frequently and who also loves doing crossword puzzles. I say, ‘Yippee!’

I think everyone has their favorite pen and/or pencil – it’s a very personal thing. And I know people jealously guard their favorite pens. I remember the days when I was working in an office and I would mark my pens so no one would ‘steal’ them. If I see Don commandeering one of my pens, I swoop in there and grab it.

Do you have a favorite pen or pencil? I’m fascinated by this kind of thing, so do share.

By the way, a new post is up at Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

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What We’ve Been Up To (Not a Whole Lot)

The Pencil Passion Continues

When is a pencil not just a pencil?

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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