Starting a "Special" Journal - This One is a Little Sappy...

In the US this past Sunday we celebrated the holiday of Mother's Day which I'm certain has it's iterations and equivalents around the world.  It is a day set aside where we celebrate motherhood by calling or visiting our own mothers, waking up with the kids to make mom breakfast, flowers; the whole shebang.  Just celebrating "motherhood" as a whole. 

Now, this post is not about Mother's Day, but is about an idea that was presented to me this past week as we visited my in-laws that I thought would be very fitting to share on The Clicky Post.  I found it most inspiring.

On the car ride out to my in-laws, my wife and I had the discussion about holidays and the commercialization of them.  Not that gifts are bad, but the seemingly obligatory side of holidays where a greeting card exchange with your spouse or significant other is customary (or expected) and how that seemed to bother us a bit.  Deep thoughts, right?  Oddly enough, while visiting with my wife's parents, they shared with us that they had not exchanged greeting cards with one another since 2010.  Instead, they found a more meaningful way of showing their love and appreciation for one another in written form.

They proceeded to take off of their bookshelf a simple journal and then told us that this was where their "greeting cards" were.  Instead of feeling the need to go to the store, pick out a card that someone else wrote, and then buy the card, they choose to write a special message to one another in the journal.  This way, these thoughts are kept together in a special place for them to reread and refer back to.  Like any journal, it is also a history of where their relationship was at various points in their lives.  They also use the journal as a place to write random notes to one another outside of holidays or special occasions.

Of course, they did not allow us to read their personal messages, but the idea and sentiment struck me very profoundly.

Although this is not a traditional pen, pencil, or paper review that is the standard to The Clicky Post, it was something I felt very compelled to share as it made an influence on me.  Since we as a group enjoy writing and the experience thereof, I thought this would be an enjoyable post for those that may have a desire for a deeper, more meaningful way to express the way they feel to special people in their lives.  I could see this being done with not only spousal or significant other relationships, but with parents and children, siblings, or between very dear friends.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  

 

 

 

One Year Anniversary of The Clicky Post - Giveaway!

What I would consider to be the one year anniversary of The Clicky Post is approaching this coming Monday, May 12th, and I thought it was definitely a great time for some celebration by hosting a giveaway!

But first, I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of my fantastic readers, customers of my Dudek Modern Goods brand, my fellow pen bloggers, and generous sponsors who have often donated products for me to review.  It has been an exciting year getting to write about something I enjoy, make products for others to enjoy, and to have the astonishing support I've been given.  I am humbled to say the least, so thank you all and I hope the upcoming year brings only more fun!

Now for the giveaway...

I thought it only fitting to do a giveaway of one of my handmade products, The Display, along with a three pack of one of my favorite pocket products, the Doane Paper Goods Utility Notebooks.  My fellow pen bloggers can attest, we have the best readers and community anyone would want!

Thank you again.

- Mike Dudek

To Enter The Giveaway - 

This giveaway is open to US and International readers and will run through next Friday, May 16th until 11:59pm Arizona, USA.

To enter, complete the form below by providing your name and email address.  Email addresses will be used for the sole purpose of contacting the winner!  One entry per person.

I will arrange the names in order as received and use a random number generator to pick the winner.  Upon selecting a winner I will announce it on the blog, email the winner directly, and they will have one week to reply with their shipping information.  If after a week all I hear is crickets, someone else gets to win!


Optikal Rollerball by Karim Rashid - New Release from ACME Studios Inc

ACME Studios Inc is a company that seems to look at things a bit differently, but in a good way.  Their line of pens and accessories are made up of partnerships and collaborations with various artists.  The pen bodies are relatively the same for the "art" series, but creates a nice canvas for these artists to paint on so to speak.

Newly released is an offering from their etched line of pens called "Optikal", designed by Karim Rashid.  He has worked with ACME for several years and has done quite a few collaborations with them.  Pronounced just as boldly as the logo on the pen is the name or signature of the artist responsible for the design.  Karim's signature is found on the center ring between the cap and barrel which is a nice tribute to his work.  

There is also a YouTube video of Karim discussing some of his history with ACME which is quite interesting.  I had the pleasure of having Optikal sent to me for review by ACME for which I offer thanks.  I've enjoyed the pen very much and am excited to share my thoughts.

I really respect the artistic aspect of the company as there is deeper meaning and motivation to their work and they also provide exposure for people trying to make their way in the world of art.  Some of the designs may not be everyone's bag, but I can't argue with their philosophy.  I find it fascinating the unique and sometimes zany things that ACME Studios Inc creates and releases.

The etched series of pens are made from all brass and have an engraved design in the barrel.  Optikal has what would look like a series of parallel lines running up and down the pen, but upon spinning you find that an area of the lines bow, creating a unique pattern.  The engravings themselves are filled in with a black enamel so to stand out with more contrast against the shiny barrel.

I really enjoy the weight of this pen.  Being made of all brass it caries a nice heft, but not overly heavy.  It is also a fairly broad pen tapering out towards the middle which gives it a lot to grip and hold onto.  The pen feels solid and substantial.  

The entire barrel is a shiny chrome, mirror-like finish which will attract fingerprints, but will definitely receive the notice of those around you.  The pen, not the fingerprints...  The design of the overall barrel shape is quite conservative and I would consider it to be classy.  Let's just say the pen could easily fit into a business coat type setting, but still make a heck of a statement.

Optikal comes presented in an appealing matte black box that contains an "ACME" branded tin.  Nestled inside a formed, high-density foam is the pen safe and sound from bouncing about.  I would consider the packaging to be a keeper.

Optikal next to Hatch

On the thread of being conservative, my previously reviewed ACME pen the "Hatch" rollerball by designer Karl Zahn was left in the brass finish which is functional for its antimicrobial properties, but from a mere aesthetic wouldn't be quite as low-key as Optikal. 

The included rollerball refill is the Schmidt Safety Ceramic "888" which is a smooth and wet writer.  For kicks, I swapped in a Pilot Juice refill as they are roughly the same size, but found the tip to wiggle a bit too much for my liking.  Doable if you want more options, but might drive some people crazy.

I think Optikal is a fantastic edition to ACME's etched series and that Karim did excellent work in it's design.  Visit ACME's newly released website to view their wares, and to keep up to date on what ACME Studios Inc is up to (which is always new and interesting), make sure to follow them on Twitter or Facebook.