Archive for November, 2007

Silver Spoons And Index Cards

November 26, 2007 at 8:39 pm · Filed under Methodology

Chantilly pattern

This weekend I went to Reliable Gold in lovely Wayland Square in Providence, where I encountered an antiquated system for organizing antique silver flatware. I wish I had a picture of the frayed old leather bound book with pictures of all of the patterns. The nice woman hefted it out of the cabinet, along with the tin box full of index cards listing which quantities of which sets they had in the basement. The frilly Chantilly, shown above, is apparently one of the most popular.

I love any situation where the under-utilized index card gets its due. The nice woman suggested that although my in-laws may not have time for it that afternoon, they could spend a future winter afternoon cross-referencing the catalog with the cards.

To many this sounds tedious, but I can’t think of anything more lovely than an afternoon of cross-referencing. I cross-reference to my own detriment: with travel guidebooks, with recipies, when trying to figure out a definition online, I can’t help but compare needless numbers of sources against one another, trying to find the perfect answer, even when there isn’t one.

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RIP: Edding 79 Control Microtec

November 3, 2007 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Object

Edding 79 Control Microtec

At all times I have a primary pen, that is used primarily at work, that must be completely run out before moving on a new pen. Hence it is a big commitment. I used to switch colors, but John, my boss, persuaded me to just “let go” and use a green pen all the time if that’s what I like best.

You can imagine the sense of accomplishment when the pen actually runs out. Recently this happened with my Edding Control 79. It was a very good pen. A very unique shade of almost hunter green, with a roller ball that always rolled.

I bought the pen on my aforementioned trip to Scandanavia and used it from August until this week. During that time I traveled to Aspen, stressed about public speaking, then felt accomplished, visited the Glass House with Maya, saw friends in New York, and watched as Alex installed new cabinet handles.

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Copenhagen

November 3, 2007 at 3:15 pm · Filed under Place

This summer we went to Scandanavia for a wedding of Rhode Islanders. Most of them were a bit dismayed that we weren’t in Newport, but they managed to drink their way through it.

There were a million pretty design stores filled with housewares everywhere. Since we just bought a new house, it was fortuitous timing. Yet most of them didn’t include any paper, office supplies, or stationery. Only Ordning & Reda, my one and only, the inspiration for much of my paper-bound passion, calls itself “Swedish Paper and Design”.

It got me thinking about whether paper and office supplies are truly part of the world of “design”. I’d like to argue, “yes”.

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