This week we have a little good news and a little bad news. In the good news catergory, there are some great recaps of the California Pen Show down in “Other Interesting Things”. It seems that a good time was had by all this year and the show was a welcome respite from climate issues (fires, snow, ice, etc) and political strife (pen lovers talk pens, not politics).
Also in “Other Interesting Things” is the bad news. There are some changes that might affect the USPS as a result of the new administration’s efforts to cut costs. As a loyal postal patron (I am at my local branch at least once a week and know both my carrier and the counter clerks by name), I am a strong supporter of the staff and the hurdles they face in handling deliveries, customers and general bureaucracy. I know a lot about the struggles they face and how hard they work. I am rooting for the workers at the USPS and hope that the agency remains an independent government agency as we move forward. (For the record, the report cited in the NYTimes article linked below is dated from 2021! A more current report of USPS earnings from first quarter 2025 suggests slight improvements in earnings which is a good thing.) Regardless of the iffy reporting, taking away the postal service’s autonomy could be catastrophic.
Okay, I’ll stop my grumbling. On to the links!
Pens:
- The Big Three: Comparing Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor Nibs (via Pen Boutique Blog)
- The Best Low-Viscosity Ballpoint Pens (via JetPens)
- Learning What I Like (and My First Vintage Pen) (via The Cramped)
- Visconti Opera Master Tobacco Unboxing and Review (via Penultimate Dave)
- Tactile Turn Groove Side Click Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
- Retractable Fountain Pens – More Reviews Coming (via dapprman)
- Maiora Nino Marino Signature Libertà Limited Edition Fountain Pen Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
- Pilot Hi-Tec-C: A Comprehensive Guide (via JetPens Blog)
Ink:
- inkxperiment : Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite (via inkxplorations)
- Ink Review #2714: Ferris Wheel Press Little Miss Jubilee (via Mountain of Ink)
- Bungukan Kobayashi Suruga Bay Night (via Inkcredible Colours)
Notebooks & Paper:
- Nolty Asymmetry A5 Notebook Review (via The Pen Addict)
- Keeping up with the journaling habit when traveling (via Rediscover Analog)
- 1912 Diary from France (via Notebook Stories)
- Printed Inserts (via Philofaxy)
- How I Use My Notebooks: Twitter Replacement Field Notes (via Writing at Large)
- Yu-Sari Notebooks (via Wonder Pens)
- How to choose the perfect notebook ruling (and why it matters) (via Rediscover Analog)
Art & Creativity:
- Knitting the Wheel of the Year (via Modern Daily Knitting)
- James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade’s book is out again! (via Cathy Johnson–Art, Life, and other Oddities)
- Social media in 2025: why creatives are ditching ‘rented’ spaces for owned platforms (via Creative Boom)
- Reconnecting with the Earth, Cyrah Dardas Collages Paintings with Handmade Pigments (via Colossal)
- Wayne Thiebaud’s Passion for Art History Shines in ‘Art Comes from Art’ (via Colossal)
- Iyo Okumi Stitches Embroideries That Look Like Pen Drawings (via Brown Paper Bag)
- Practicing Blobs Makes them Perfectly Imperfect (viaComfortable Shoes Studio)
Other Interesting Things:
- 2025 California Pen Show (via Olive Octopus)
- 2025 California Pen Show Recap (via The Pen Addict)
- Postal Service Responds to Postal Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Opinion on Service Standard Changes (via USPS Newsroom)
- Trump Suggests Taking Control of the Postal Service (via NYTimes)
- Best Work Backpacks on a Budget (via Carryology)
- Book Genre LitRPG? (via Fountain Pen Chronicles and More)
- Pavlov’s Stationery Dog (via A Gathering of Curiosities)
- What seems pointless (via Austin Kleon)
- Smoke, Mirrors & Magic Lanterns: How a Parisian Horror Story Became our First Cinematic Experience (via Messy Nessy Chic)
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