Pentel Technica-X Pen and Mechanical Pencil

So I like to buy writing implemets in mass quantities. In addition to the per-unit cost savings comes the security of knowing that I'll always have enough of the low-dollar but hard-to-locate items I like and use.

I'd won two boxes of the Pentel Technica-X mechanical pencils, among other things, on eBay at a really low price even with combined shipping. But I was surprised to get a box of the pencils and a box of its counterpart ballpoint pen. I didn't even know they made a pen, but I guess it just shows what I don't know. So I contact the seller and ask her what we can do to fix things because I really was looking forward to getting two boxes of the pencil. She said that not only would she ship me out the pencils I should have received, but that I could keep the box of pens - for free! AWESOME! Actually, I would have mailed the pens back for whatever it would have cost, but after using the Technica-X pen for a day to take notes and write in my journal, I must admit they're growing on me.

The grip and tip of the pen are its best and strongest features. The rounded tip makes the pen easy to put in one's pocket without worrying about it tearing the fabric. The rubberized grip tapers back to the narrower upper body nicely in a way that I actually prefer. The clip is solid and the body is rigid. The pushbutton for the pen is smooth as well.

But I was after the pencils. Take all that was good about the pens and then there's more good stuff to them. The pencil tip is retractable, making the pencil pocket-safe (ever been stabbed by a mechanical pencil in your pocket while sitting down?). The pencil's pushbutton is the two-stage type. A hard push is needed to bring out the point, and then lighter pushes are needed to advance or retract lead. A hard push is also needed to retract the point. A relatively smaller eraser than what usually comes with Pentel pencils is included at the top of the pen under the cap, but I use a separate eraser out of habit, so no worries.

The only real "downside" of the Technica-X pen and pecil might be that they look too much alike. Personally, I need to check the labeling of the pen/cil or use the pushbutton to check the tip to identify them if taking them out of my pen cup on The Cluttered Desk.

But then that's probably why I got the free box of pens in the first place.

"Jazz in Paris" Collection CD 4, 5, and 6

Well, I've been trying to finish a book proposal that will probably never even get looked at by any literary agents, let alone any publishers, but I need something to do when I'm not looking for work. Yesterday was really cloudy and rainy, and the following 3 cd's couln't have been more appropo.







The Donald Byrd stuff was great. I'd never listened to his stuff before but it was awesomely melodic and up tempo. I've already scouted out other albums by him that were recommended by reviewers of these albums on Amazon.

This 3rd album contains more artists I'd never heard before, and what can I say? I like it.

And on we go...

"Jazz in Paris" Collection CD 1, 2, and 3

So I started listening to Verve's "Jazz in Paris" 75-CD set this weekend on my Rhapsody account. I started with the first three discs, the first two of which were of a Louis Armstrong concert. Though sold individually, they really should be listened to together because they're arranged to play back-to-back without interruption. The concert itself is a great showcase of Armstrong as a singer, arranger, and band leader. Other singers also performing added a nice variety to the whole thing.

The third disc was the soundtrack for a French film done by Miles Davis (the soundtrack, not the film). Critics have described the music as definitive for the style of the film it was written for, with Davis improvising in the studio as he viewed the various scenes for which he was composing. I'll need to read more about the movie itself, in addition to watching it, but the music is very recognizable to the modern listener as it's been regularly emulated in movies and TV since. I guess it's one of those things where you have to hear it. Think "swank" and "slinky" without being "loungey". The version of the album on Rhapsody had a bunch of alternate takes on it, so I edited my playlist to leave them out and listen to the original album in its original order. All in all, not a bad Saturday.

The Verve "Jazz in Paris" Collection

http://www.livingwithmusic.com/index.php/main/jazz_in_paris/


Please take the opportunity to ride the link provided above to read up on this wonderful collection of jazz recordings that documents a pivotal time and place in jazz and music history.

What I love most about it is that it has EVERYBODY in it. And then some.

In the linked blog you'll read about subsequent box sets that followed, but I'll be starting here with the original 75-disc set and disc 1. I did a cursory search on Rhapsody, where I already have an account, and it looks like I might be able to pursue this listening experience for $12.99 a month. Talk about further diluting a fixed cost!

Mozart: The Complete Works CD 1 / Symphonies CD 1

So this weekend and today was quite hectic for reasons too long and drawn out to write about. But listening to some of old Wolfie's earliest symphonies, the first of which was written when he was nine(!) (catalogued as "KV 16"), was quite relaxing.

One thing I found easier to do was to read up on the respective pieces before listening to them. Believe me, between the Mozart book and the classical music guide book, I'm lucky I got through it without paper cuts.

I'm liking it so far.

Today's Listening: Charles Mingus & Genesis

I'm glad I listened to this on my Rhapsody account and didn't spring for it on Amazon. I'm always keen to check out really old jazz recordings that are newly released on CD or just newly released "from the vaults", but if this were a movie I'd rate it a "rental".

Amid nuggets of live virtuosity there are clearly some trainwreck moments that, while they give the CD a bit of a playful charm, make this recording more suited for diehard fans of Mingus.

After the Mingus, I cranked up the Genesis. Having been a real big fan for the Phil Collins years, I started listening to the their earlier prog/art rock albums with Peter Gabriel. I think I have all their albums now, including their two Archives box sets. But I listened to this collection on Rhapsody because it's organized so that the tracks are arranged in reverse chronological order from their more recent to their oldest. That's kind of like the way I began listening to them. Last night I saw a rockumentary on them on VH1 Classic, and so today I had what I needed to listen to while filling out online appications. I'm looking forward to their remasters boxsets that will begin to come out this year.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Wow, this was a surprisingly good and easy read.

For fans of Zorro and Batman and the whole playboy-by-day/hero-by-night genre of fiction, whether it be in movies, books, or comics, you need to read this. It's one of the originals and an inspiration for a lot of those more current popular works.

Orczy does a great job of educating the reader about the manners of speech, customs, and modes of behavior for the period without bogging down the reader with it and preventing them from enjoying the plot and story. And while the story started off slowly for the first chapter or two, during which I got a quick clinic on the previously mentioned dialect and customs of the time, once underway it really drew me in and I found it hard to put the book down.

I also recommend reading the forward which provides some biography of Baroness Orczy and some commentary on the book and how it's been received by readers from back when it was published until recent times.

I hear there are sequels...