Seize the Dave is a little bit about a lot of stuff: writing, calligraphy, poetry, origami, books, music, role-playing games, the occasional cocktail recipe, and anything else that comes to mind.
The cats and dogs of Shangri-la
Parade around the town,
With drums and flutes and tubas, too,
From morning ‘till sundown.
When, late at night, they snuggle tight
And settle down to sleep,
There in their dreams they learn the tunes
And rhythms they must keep.
Then, when they wake, they gather up
The instruments they play,
And, one by one, they fall in line
To march another day.
May all your paths
Be crossed by cats
Who are of a
Dark complexion
These are the gray days,
When the sun hides its face,
And the light fades from the world.
These are the days when the trees
Shed their coats of gold and copper,
When their breathing slows, and their limbs grow weary,
And their avian children take to the wing.
These are the days when the dried leaves, like field mice,
Scuttle and scurry along the pavement,
Hiding behind trees and ducking into sewer grates
My clockwork heart is breaking down,
The springs have come unsprung,
The gears are stripped, the case is cracked -
Wide open it’s been flung.
An expert hand is needed now
With skill beyond compare.
To help repair my broken heart,
I need your special care.
Rating: 4.0
August 10, 2010
Quo Vadis, who, for the past fifty years have produced well regarded date books and planners, also produce a set of notebooks known as Habana. They come in a small size of 4 x 6 3/8” and large of 6 1/4” x 9 1/4”. The large Habana notebook is noticeably bigger than a large Moleskine notebook, but otherwise mimics its form factor. It has rounded corners, a pocket in the back, a sewn-in ribbon bookmark, and an elastic closure.
The August edition of the Carnival of Pen, Paper, and Pencil is being hosted over at Daydreamer’s Welcome. My review of the Rhodia Dot Pad is featured in the “paper” section. Go check it out!
Rating: 3.0
August 03, 2010
Noodler’s Widowmaker is a hard color to pin down, as it changes character based on the underlying paper. On the bright white paper of a Rhodia pad, it comes across as a very dark, earthy magenta, whereas on the cream color of a Moleskine notebook, it looks a bit like dried blood, with a brown cast to it. While the ink itself is highly saturated, and thus the hue doesn’t actually change, the contrast between the ink and the paper greatly affects one’s perception of it.
I am chased,
Breathless,
Running for my life.
My chest burns and
My legs ache
But I must keep moving.
I have no choice, I can’t stop.
I can’t stop.
I can’t stop.
I want to stop but I can’t stop.
Oh God, I must keep moving.
I must keep moving.
I must keep moving for
Rest means death.
Rest means death.
Rest means death, and
There is no rest for the wicked, and
Loomi asked:
Would you recommend an ink pen to start with Italic writing?
I have seen videos of the Maby Todd pen with the gloriously flexible nib.
refer to video linked at http://youtu.be/Z_hB8IYR69Q
Is that one too advanced for a beginner like me? What is a starting pen of Italic writing? Excellent question! While italic and flexible nibs are both capable of producing significant line variation, there is a definite difference between the two.
Every other now and then, I wish I were a stone
I’d stay away from every day, and spend my time alone
But then I’d miss my he and she, and even them and they
So I resign to change my mind - a person I will stay
