The Pen Addict 226/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	226
Title:	The Girl with the Glitter Pens
Release Date:	October 12th, 2016
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	Michelle Leung
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 226
Audio File:	Audio Episode 226
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 226
Length:	4646 min <br />0.767 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 226. Today's show is brought to you by Pen Chalet and Harry's. My name is Myke Hurley, YouTube superstar, and I am joined by bagmaker extraordinaire, Mr. Brad Dowdy.

Brad Dowdy: Wow, I could be like a bum on that. Like, you get YouTube extraordinaire, I get bagmaker? Like, do I make paper bags?

Myke Hurley: Well, I can tell you the difference between what I do and what you do. What you do makes money. YouTube stuff makes no money. So, if one of us is going to be a bum right now, it's me and you.

Brad Dowdy: I'm actually good with bagmaker. That's actually a term of endearment in our little world, all the backpack and bagmakers. That's a good thing. I'm actually down with bagmaker. I'm giving you a hard time. And we have a special guest joining us, Myke. You can hear her laughing in the background. She has a wonderful laugh. And I've got to hear that laugh in person. And I want to say hi to Michelle Leong, all the way from Toronto, Canada. Our first Canadian guest, I believe. Hey, Michelle.

Michelle Leung: Hey, guys. Thanks for having me.

Brad Dowdy: So, this is different for us, Myke.

Michelle Leung: Mm-hmm.

Brad Dowdy: And this is something we've talked about for months and something the listeners have asked for, something pen addict readers have asked for. They want to hear from people in the pen community, pen friends, you know, people we hang out with at pen shows. You know, they want to hear about what someone else sees at a pen show other than you and I, you know, what someone else uses their pens and papers for other than you and I. And, you know, not necessarily someone like, you know, if we have Ryder Carroll on, he can talk about bullet journey. We just want to have, like, our friends on.

Myke Hurley: People who buy and use pens that don't make them. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Right. That's what we're trying to do here. Yeah. And just talk about things. And Michelle and I, we've been talking about this for months, hadn't we?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, we have. I think I first, I don't know if I first mentioned it in DC or after DC, but yeah, definitely.

Myke Hurley: And you are patient zero in this experiment. So. Pressure is all on you now, Michelle. Yeah.

Michelle Leung: I can handle it. You guys aren't too bad.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, she can totally handle it. But yeah, we've been talking about this for months and we had actually just talked about getting you on the show, period. And then we started talking about, well, let's just have, like, more guests and just talk about things. Talk about things we do, things we're into, things about the, you know, fountain pens and all that kind of stuff, how we use it all. And Michelle's like, yeah, I'm gung-ho for this. And then, like, months went by and, you know, I was gone the whole month of August, it seemed like. And then September, I don't even know what happened there, but we're finally getting to it. So I'm pretty excited about this. So I think I first met Michelle on Instagram somehow, somewhere. You're very prolific on Instagram, Michelle. I just want to say that. And if you're not following her, we'll have all these links on the show notes. She is a worthwhile follow on Instagram. She's at Missy Chow, M-I-S-H-I-E-C-H-A-U. So you should follow her. So do you even remember, like, how we first started communicating? Like, it's been years because we've followed each other for a while. But I just, you've been in the fountain pens for a while. And it seems like we ran across each other on Instagram somehow.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, I think I was, I found you first by obviously listening to the podcast. And then there was a link to your Instagram. So I had always been on Instagram. So then, yeah, I started following you there. And we started chatting there. And that seemed to have been, must have been three, four years ago. I've been in the community for a little while, definitely.

Fountain Pens

Brad Dowdy: So just before even that, how did you even get started with, like, fountain pens and stationery? Has that always been a thing for you? Like, did you grow up, like, caring about the things that you, you know, wrote with? Or how did that happen for you?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, not necessarily into fountain pens. But definitely as a kid, I was always into pens and stationery and even crayons and markers. My family was always into it. I have lots of family from Asia. And I remember for Christmas and birthdays, they would send me boxes of stuff that you couldn't find in Toronto. I also had a lot of friends who also had lots of families from Asia. So they would send me, I remember, I was probably seven or eight. And I would have, you know, all the Sakura gel pens, all, you know, all the pilot pens, everything from Hong Kong, from Japan. And I would bring them to school. And all my friends were fascinated because at that time, you could not get any of that stuff in Toronto. And then as the years passed on, it's been easier and easier. But in terms of fountain pens, I didn't get into it until I had my daughter and I was home on mat leave. And it was actually my brother-in-law who gave me my first fountain pen that Christmas of the year Bella was born. My daughter Bella was born. And he said to me that I would probably really enjoy this. And before then, I had never touched a fountain pen. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know how to fill the ink. I used cartridges for a long time. And then curiosity got the best of me because once I put the nib onto the paper, I was like, this is the best pen I had ever used before. So then I went online and the first source I found was Fountain Pen Network. Didn't post much, but I love reading. I love researching. So I was just on there for months reading everything that I could find. And then I found the Pen Addict podcast. I was on Instagram, Twitter. And I think the rest is history. I just fell into the deep end, as many of us do when we get into this hobby.

Brad Dowdy: Do you remember what that pen was that you got? Oh, yeah. Sorry.

Michelle Leung: I thought I mentioned it. It was a Lamy Safari. It was a pink Lamy Safari, which is perfect for me. I think that's a lot of people's first drug, right?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, totally. I mean, that's the way to go. That was my first one. And it was like one of the bright lime green ones, which I can't even tell you which one now because they've done so many of them. And it's just stupid how they keep making the same color. But, yeah, the Safari is like we talk about the Pilot Metropolitan being the best pen for beginners. Like if I say go buy a pen that you're going to like, I think the Safari is the most fun to give someone as a gift who has no idea because it's so cool. It's got the cool colors and things like that. I just think the look and feel of the Safari is the coolest. And the pink one, we're going to talk about pink pens later. But I missed that one and I never got on the pink Safari bandwagon. So I keep meaning to hunt one of those down. It's a great pen. Do you still use it today? Is that still in the rotation? Is it gone?

Michelle Leung: I have to say it doesn't get much use these days because I have since moved on to much more expensive pens. But I'm still very fond of it. I mean, I look at it. I can't say I use them that often and I don't think I'll be buying any more at Lamy. They're not a brand I particularly click with. It's just a personal thing.

Myke Hurley: Oh, I saw the Lamy special edition iPhone safaris at the London show, by the way. They're really good looking, but they're very expensive.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I think I am going to agree on both counts when that actually like officially drops. And I think I've started to see pictures on them. They're really, really good looking. They're at a premium to like the AL Star line. But like what you said, Michelle, like I kind of feel sad. Like I don't use my safaris anymore. Do you like, you know, all these pens that I bought, like when I was first getting into the hobby. And I thoroughly, thoroughly to this day enjoy using a Lamy safari, but I never ink it up. Do you ever have any pens like that, Myke, that you kind of moved on from? But you're still kind of I totally have an attachment to something like the safari.

Myke Hurley: I would I mean, you know, I don't want to just jump on the bandwagon, but the safari is one for me, right? Like it's the pen that I hang my hat on for so long as being the best starter fountain pen, because it was the one that really kind of kind of grabbed me. But I have a bunch of pens like that, you know, that like my Pelican, my my Edison Pearl, my Edison Pearl, like pens that I really love. But I don't use so much anymore because I have now pens that I love infinitely more, you know?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Do you have any other pens like that, Michelle, that you kind of got on the bandwagon early? And they're great pens and they're just kind of sitting there like I'm starting to get there with Twisby. Like I like I'm I still like use my minis, but as much as I love the 580s, I'm not using them as much.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, that's a good point as well. Like I'm jumping in now, but like I look at something like the 580 ROC, which I was just like I fought so hard to get that thing, but don't use it anymore.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. You have anything else like that, Michelle?

Pen Recommendations

Michelle Leung: Yeah, I want to say that after the Safari, the next two pens that I bought, because those were the next two that everyone was recommending on FPN on Instagram at the time was the Twisby Mini and the Caveco Sport. So I did buy those. I do enjoy them. I still have them. But again, I don't I don't use them anymore because I've since moved on, but I will always look at them fondly. And those are, you know, the type of pens that I want to pass on to, you know, my daughter when she's a bit older. So I definitely still have them in the closet, but I can't say I reach for them anymore.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I think that's kind of the same path. And Myke could probably say the same thing. It's like, OK, Safari and then OK, probably a Twisby and then maybe a Caveco when I want something pocketable. I use a Caveco almost every day. I will say that those I'm stuck on because I do like the pocketable aspect of that for like when I'm moving around and stuff. And, you know, I have always have probably more than one Caveco inked up right now. I have a sport from Mr. Glenn HK that he's going to get arrested for because he keeps stealing all the ones in Hong Kong.

Michelle Leung: And I actually have one on the way to.

Brad Dowdy: I told him I told him like I felt bad, like calling him out, like saying that he did that was was buying those pens. Like I said, I said, man, I'm sorry. I feel really guilty. Like, I, you know, I hope I didn't stick the dogs on you. And he's like, I've bought 38 of them so far. And I'm like, man, your mugshot is going to be on the window in their break room at City Super Saiyan. Do not sell any pens to this guy.

Brad Dowdy: But, yeah, I carry that pen every day and then I have a little put that I use. So I did kind of stick with the Cavecos. But, yeah, I like it's weird when I like look in my stationary closet and I have all these Lommies and Twisbys just sitting there. It's like, man, these are great pens and I never ink them up. And I need to just like I need to have like Lommie week or Twisby week where I just like ink them all up and use them and get the enjoyment out of them because they're so good. I really, really enjoy them a lot. So what I want to know before we before we get into this, we have to talk about one of our good fountain pen sponsors that sells all these pens that you should be buying and using. But I want to know how you use your pens and, you know, why you find the fountain pen so fascinating. But first, let's talk about our good friends at Pen Chalet.

Pen Chalet

Myke Hurley: Oh, do I love this company? I definitely do. Pen Chalet. They are behind selling everything that you need. They have all the brands that you love. They have Pelican, Lamy, Pilot, Sailor, Caveco. They're an authorized dealer of all of these and sell amazing rollerballs, fountain pens, ballpoints, mechanical pencils and so much more. They have great, reliable, beautiful, fantastic customer service. They do great shipping. They do free shipping on orders of over $50. And come on, let's be serious. Why are you going to spend less than $50 at Pen Chalet? Come on, guys. Come on. And if you're in the United States, you will take advantage of that free shipping. They have great shipping rates for selling stuff overseas. They sell limited edition stuff. They have sales going on all the time and they have all the accessories you're going to need to. So Pen Chalet has a 100% satisfaction guarantee on their high quality pens that they sell at low prices. As I always mention, if you're looking for something, if you're looking for anything pen and paper related, go to Pen Chalet first. See if it's there. Because not only are their prices great and their shipping is great, you'll get 10% off anything by just going to PenCalet.com. You click the podcast link at the top of the website. You enter the password Pen Addict. It will give you a special offer that we have for this week and you'll also get your 10% code on anything at Pen Chalet. 10% off anything. So you should go there first because you're going to get a great deal on it. Now, I'm going to pull back the curtain here a little bit, everybody. We're recording this episode in advance because Brad's off on some kind of summer jaunt, I think. So Myke from the future is going to come in now to tell you about this week's special offer. So I will hand this over to Myke from the future and he will be able to tell you about our special offer from Pen Chalet this week. Thank you, Myke from the past. You're doing a great job on this episode. And hello, listeners. I am Future Myke and I am here to tell you all about the special offer for this week's Pen Chalet. So when you go to that special podcast area by clicking the button, putting in the password, you will see an access to this week's special offer, which is something that is very interesting to me. It is the Conklin Conklinetta Senior Fountain Pen. So we have this. It retails at $1.95. You can get it on the sale price and after the coupon for $70.20 in the black or mocha swole with a series of nib options. Now, the reason I found it very interesting, I watched a great video on the Pen Chalet website. It has a filling system that I'd never seen before. You kind of unlock it and then it allows you to use this little button as like a pump filler. But it's all on the side of the pen. It's very interesting. Just go and take a look at this thing. I'd never seen anything like it before. So go and buy that pen. There's tons of other fantastic offers at Pen Chalet. As always, they're doing a great job. Now back to Myke from the past to finish up. My thanks to Myke from the future and Pen Chalet for sponsoring this week's episode of the Pen Addict Podcast.

Brad Dowdy: So, Michelle, you were super lucky when you were young. You got to get all the cool stuff that we're getting now from Japan and Hong Kong and all that stuff. How did you use that stuff as you're growing up, growing through school? And you were talking about how your friends were jealous. Did you really show off this stuff? Were your notes super fancy and awesome? Did you do anything cool with that?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, I was the girl with the glitter pens and the highlighters. And my notes were like works of art back then. I really took pride in it. And it made just school that much more fun, right? So, yeah, I had a bunch of friends that were all jealous. Of course, I shared. And I had like two giant pencil cases that I would stuff in my backpack going to primary school. And I would just doodle and play with them and use them in class. And, yeah, I had the smelly markers back then. Like, yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Do you still find yourself like nowadays they still all make this stuff. And I still get so much enjoyment about getting like, you know, a smelly jelly pen, you know, with like the green apple or whatever. Do you still get into that stuff?

Michelle Leung: Oh, yeah, for sure. Definitely with my daughter. I feel like she's still a bit young for my fancy fountain pens. But we definitely play with the other stuff. We have boxes and boxes of, you know, those ballpoints and jelly rolls. So, we definitely play. We doodle. And we, yeah, we just like to draw, cut things up. She's really into arts and crafts. And she's definitely embraced the pen addict in her mama.

Brad Dowdy: So, when you got that first fountain pen, did it change like how you worked or how you took notes? Or did you feel it was like any different? Like, this is different than what I've been using and I can use this for different things? Or did you kind of just, you know, use it for the same things you've always been doing?

Michelle Leung: I definitely took it to work right away. You know, when I went back to work and I started using it daily, like writing notes. And it just made meetings more enjoyable. Like, I'm one of those people that also enjoys the tactile feel of pens. So, now when I'm in meetings, even if I'm not writing, I'm usually holding something. And I'm just kind of like fondling it, as weird as that sounds. But I'm sure there's tons of people that do the same thing.

Brad Dowdy: I'm doing it while we're talking here.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, I have a pen in my hand right now. And it's just relaxing. And it has definitely made my work more enjoyable. I mean, we unfortunately spend so much time at work most of the time, right? So, having these pens have definitely made the day go by faster. I love doodling. I take all my notes with my fountain pens. And luckily, I have a job that involves tons of writing, sometimes tons of meetings. And to-do lists, you know, filling out forms and the like. So, I can always use my pens, you know, every day at work.

Brad Dowdy: People always ask me, like I get asked a lot, you have all these pens. How do you use them every day? And it's like that. You just use them for everything. It's like we have these computers and we have these devices. But you still, if you're into this kind of thing, you find a way. You're not typing your notes necessarily. If you are typing them, you've probably handwritten them down first, right? And transferred them over. And you find a way when you love pens and love paper to just use them.

Michelle Leung: Oh, yeah, for sure. Sorry, I use them for everything from grocery lists to, you know, writing notes to my child's teacher to everything at work. So, like you said, you definitely find a way to incorporate them into everyday life.

Toronto Stationery

Brad Dowdy: So, speaking of everyday life, in Toronto, I guess probably people outside the area wouldn't really think of it as necessarily a fountain pen or pen or stationary hotspot. But it kind of is. I mean, Toronto is a big international metropolitan city that I don't think gets a lot of credit for that.

Brad Dowdy: But you actually have a pretty good pen scene going on there in Toronto, right?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, we are very lucky. Toronto is, I believe it is the biggest city in Canada. And definitely, you know, within North America, I think it could rival a lot of big American cities. But still, we are very lucky because even places like New York, San Francisco, which I visited, I'm surprised they don't have as many pen, ink, and stationary stores as Toronto. So, yeah, we're very lucky. We have a lot of independent stores, you know, two within walking distance of my work. So, I've spent lots of money during breaks there. But there, the Mont Blanc store is only like five minutes away from my work. So, it's really funny because I work right downtown. Yeah, we have like lots of Japanese paper stores, you know, very unique kind of niche products and a lot of pen stores. You know, shout out to Wonder Pens, Leywinds, and also Take Note. Stationery is a new pen store that opened about a year ago in the west end of the city. They're doing very well. And then we have two Mont Blanc stores that I know have there. We might actually have three. And like I said, lots of kind of craft and art stores as well in the city. So, I feel very lucky. The community is very vibrant. I've met lots of great people. So, there's a lot of things to do and a lot of people hang out with in Toronto that are into the same stuff that I am.

Brad Dowdy: So, I've noticed, I think, from, you know, your Instagram feed or maybe a few other people that those stores are also embracing the community as well. Like, I saw there was some event at Leywinds that, you know, I saw a bunch of pictures from. And I know Liz at Wonder Pens, who is just really amazing. I hope to get to meet her one day. You know, she always has something going on for the community as a whole. Do you see that kind of growing within that community there?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, absolutely. Liz is great for the community. She hosts a lot, like you said, a lot of events in her store. She has a very popular kind of letter writing social that she does. And she does a lot of kind of sales and vintage pen meets on every few months, I believe. She does them on Sundays. Yeah, the stores are really embracing the community. They welcome us with open arms. And obviously, I've gotten to know a lot of the store owners. And we have our Toronto Pen Show, which we're going to talk about, which is getting larger and larger every year, which I'm excited to be a part of.

Brad Dowdy: So I asked this question, not necessarily expecting an answer, but I can't help but think this. Why is this successful in Toronto and not in Atlanta or in other? Like, I mean, I say Atlanta because that's what I'm close to. We don't have anything like this. I mean, we have a couple of pen stores, but you'd be hard pressed for anyone to tell you the name of them, you know, much less that they shop there or go to an event there. And I think you see that in a lot of other big cities. But something about certain areas like Toronto, they get it. I'm trying to like rack my brain on why that is, but I find it like really, really fascinating.

Myke Hurley: Toronto's cooler than you, Brad. That's what it is.

Brad Dowdy: That's no joke. I'm moving.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, I find it fascinating, too. And I don't really have a good answer, except the fact that I guess it's just serendipitous that we have all these awesome people, you know, in the community. And when I first got into Penns, I was super surprised myself. I would have thought I could not have been able to get people together for a Penn meet. And now, you know, our Penn meets are frequent and large. Like, I don't even have time to get around to all the tables to talk to people. And sometimes I feel really bad because we have 50 people come out, you know, to our Penn meets. And it can be really difficult to get around to speak to everyone. But everyone's been really awesome. And as you know, what makes the community is the people. So Toronto definitely has some of the best people that I've met that are into Penn. So I feel very privileged and lucky to be in this city.

Brad Dowdy: So she said it, Myke, and I don't think she realized she said it. She's basically saying Toronto is cooler than we are.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. Yeah, I'm afraid that that seems to be the case. At least they call them Penn meets and not writing equipment meets.

Michelle Leung: I thought that was really funny. Anyway.

Brad Dowdy: Man, that's, yeah, that's, we need to, we need to do something about that London Penn show. Maybe we'll, we'll put that on the calendar one day, Myke. So, so speaking of Penn shows, I noticed, I've seen the Toronto Penn show like pop up in the calendar, like in years past. But last year, something changed a little bit. It was out there and it was more upfront and there was more talk about it. And I'm, I hope this isn't too far of a stretch to say, I think that's because of you, right? I mean, like you were really involved in what the Toronto Penn show does.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, that's very flattering. Thank you. I was happy to help. Last year was the first year that I got super on board and, and, and, you know, with the organizers to help out. Cause I have a marketing kind of public relations background. So I was really able to spin the story and I told them that people would find it very fascinating in the digital age. And I'm friends with a lot of journalists. You know, I was able to get the organizers on a lot of radio shows and media attention. So that's how I helped last year to get it more front and center. And each time I told, you know, my colleagues, my friends who are journalists in the city, they were so fascinated. They're like, I can't believe that you guys have a Penn show. And, you know, thousands of people come and they line up. And I said, yeah, I'm not kidding. You have to come check it out. And they brought in cameras. So we got more media attention than we have in the past, which kind of spirals into more interest in the show for everybody involved. So that's really fun. And we're looking forward to this year. I've attended, this will be my third year attending. And each year it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. So obviously this year is bigger than last year. So we're very psyched and excited for October 30th.

Brad Dowdy: That's very cool. So do you have any direct involvement with the show? Otherwise, like you're, are you, do you get to go attend the show? Or do you help, do you do any working on that, on that day?

Michelle Leung: This year I'm actually going. So last year I was working. I mean, I still had time to walk around, walk around. But this year I'm actually going to be a vendor. I'm helping out my friend. And her name's Yolanta. She works at Take Note Stationery, which is Toronto's newest pen and stationery store. So she's excited. She'll be exhibiting there. So I've decided to help her out. So less on the organizing side this year and just being a vendor. And I'm actually excited to see what it's like on the other side of the table. I'm sure I'll have, I'll have some time to walk around. But as you know, when you're working a pen show, you're just working, right?

Brad Dowdy: Yes, that is the truth. And since, like, that's a one-day show there. So, I mean, people are getting in and they're there to shop. I mean, it's going to be busy. Like, have y'all seen, like, already an uptick? Do you already expect, like, a bigger crowd this year than last year? And I know last year was, like, really, really good.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, definitely. The last two years that I attended, yeah, thousands of people streaming in. There was never a non-busy moment at the tables. I talked to the vendors. Everyone was really happy with the attendance. So we expect even more people this year. So I'm expecting definitely crazy crowds again this year.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, this sounds like a world tour event, Myke. I mean, Atlanta, London, Toronto. That's a pretty legit pen addict world tour, don't you think?

Myke Hurley: I think so.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, and I'm always trying to convince, you know, I have a lot of pen friends, obviously, in America and abroad, too. And I was like, our dollar is so bad. You guys are going to get so much bang for your buck coming to Toronto because each time I go to an American pen show, I have to attack on 30%, right, with the exchange and all that. But seriously, like, you're going to find so many deals because of how much your dollar is worth.

Brad Dowdy: So I want to get into some more pen shows because that's where we first met in person at the DC Pen Show two years ago. But first, let's hear about one of my favorite companies in the world, Michael, and that's Harry's.

Harry's Shave Products

Myke Hurley: This week's episode is brought to you by Harry's. Harry's is so confident in the quality of their shaving products that you are now going to be able to try them for free. Their amazing free trial set comes with a razor, five-blade cartridge, and a shaving gel. It's free for you when you sign up for a Harry's shave plan. All you need to do is pay $3 for shipping. Harry's amazing five-blade razors include a soft flex hinge for a comfortable glide, a trimming blade to get to those hard-to-reach places and to make sure everything's nice and correct, a lubricating strip so it's nice and comfortable across your face, and the razor has a textured handle for more control when your hands are wet. Harry's are always improving their products, and they keep those prices the same, and those prices are low. They're incredible, and everyday saver that uses Harry's will save $150 a year because they offer a high-quality shave at about half the price of the brands that you're used to. Harry's believe in their quality. In fact, they guarantee it. You'll get a full refund if you're not happy. Now, Brad, I know that you are a Harry's customer, and I understand that you have a Harry's story for us as well.

Brad Dowdy: It's more of a confessional. All right. Um, somehow, I used the Harry's shave cream is what I used to shave with, and I thought I had an extra tube of that in my bathroom drawer, and when I ran out one day, I didn't even think about it, and I just pitched it in the trash and went to the drawer, and there was nothing there but aftershave. I was like, oh, no, this is not good. I never run out of those things. Like, I take the two-as-one philosophy that I use in pens and ink and paper into my other products in life, too, which is to my wife's chagrin. So I ran out. So I had to use this janky shave lotion that I found in the bathroom, and it was this horrible experience. Like, the... It was like I was shaving on rubber. It felt worse than anything I've ever used in my life, and those are the products I used to use, right? So that's how much better Harry's is, but the weird thing is, I was like, okay, I got to go order because I know they'll get them here fast, and, you know, by the time I'm shaving next time, they'll be here, and then I forgot to order it, and then I remembered when I'm sitting in carpool waiting for my kids, bored out of my mind, it hit me that I hadn't ordered the Harry's shave goods, and I had the Harry's app on my phone. So I logged into the app, ordered my shave cream, sitting in the car in the carpool line, and now it's here, and now my shaving is all better again. But that was a mistake. I do not wish to repeat because the experience was terrible.

Myke Hurley: Sounds like you need to get on one of those Harry's shave plans, my friend.

Brad Dowdy: I do. I'm on the blade plan, but not the lotion.

Myke Hurley: You gotta get that lotion set. You gotta get it.

Brad Dowdy: I need to fix that because the blades just come automatically, which is great, and I need to add in the other plan. So yes, I will fix that.

Myke Hurley: If you want to have a great shave like Brad does, go to harrys.com right now and enter the code PENADDICT at checkout to claim your free trial set. And because you're a listener of this show, you'll also get a bonus post-shave balm added to your order for free. So go sign up for one of their shaving plans, the Harry's shave plan, put the code PENADDICT in at checkout. You'll get a free trial set with a free post-shave balm extra at harrys.com. All you need to do is pay the shipping. Thank you so much to Harry's for their support of this show and RelayFM.

DC Pen Show Experience

Brad Dowdy: So Michelle, we first met in person at the 2015 DC PEN show. Was that the first time you've gotten out of town to go to a PEN show?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, definitely. I had heard online that the biggest and the best was DC and you know I don't settle. So I had to talk to my husband. Talk to my husband, saved up money. And before you know it, it was August. So it was a really great time and I'm so glad I went and I do plan on continuing to go as long as finances allow.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so what did you, what did you think about that as a first time DC PEN show experience? I mean, that was my first experience too and it was still kind of, the whole thing is mind-blowing even after the second year when you think you're like, so experienced, the DC show is still like, wow, it's kind of crazy.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, the first year was definitely mind-blowing, overwhelming, my senses overload. And I remember even from the first hour, I was like, I've never seen so many pens in my life and I don't know what to think of this.

Michelle Leung: But it was really fun and the second year, you know, you learn a lot, right? So you're less overwhelmed. So I think by, you know, 2017, I would have gotten it in the bag.

Myke Hurley: I'm hoping Atlanta will be my training wheels for DC.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I think, I think, you know, you'll be able to handle it. I think you've, I think you've got it. But even, it's still a different, different animal and Michelle's right. Like the second time, it's great, as much fun as you have the first time, the second time's always better because you're a little bit more comfortable just walking around. You know, you've been to the hotel before, you know, you've met probably half the people that are standing around this room or you recognize them. There's a, you get that little bit of added comfort that's that second time around. So the second, second time to any show, I think is always a better experience, even though the first experience is always amazing because that, that first time is, is just that. It's great. So, so we, the first, the first show, the 2015 show, we got caught up in an after event, if you will, that has become one of like my favorite pictures ever on the internet. And that's with our good friend, Susan Worth. So to, to set this up, people were at, who were at the 2015 DC pin show, came to our little pin addict meetup and we had a bit of an air conditioning issue in the small room that we were in and, you know, it was not good. It was hot. It was humid. I was sweating. Other people were leaving because it was uncomfortable and I don't blame them. So, you know, we're hanging out and, and that kind of ends and we're like, phew, we can get out of here, go get in the air conditioning. And then you and I and a couple other people got to talking to my good friend, Susan Worth, who everyone, if you've been to a pin show, you probably know Susan Worth. She's just this fantastic, fantastic personality at all these shows. So we got to talking. I don't even know about what, Michelle. The next thing you know, we're at a table and there's pens and paper.

Brad Dowdy: How long do you think we sat there that night?

Michelle Leung: I feel like we were there probably at least an hour.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

Michelle Leung: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Which, like the pen addict thing ended probably at like nine o'clock and we're exhausted and we're hot and we're miserable and with a little conversation with Susie ends up turning into this epic thing and you and I ended up having to like kind of sneak out but we got these great pictures of you and I. I don't even know who took the pictures. You maybe took the one of me. Did I take the one of you? I don't, I can't even remember how that worked.

Michelle Leung: I can't remember if you took one of me or if it was another one of our mutual pen friends but yeah and then people were asking me on Instagram like why was I making that face and as much as I remember I think it was because she told me in that conversation that I was never to fill cartridges with the syringe because the flow is just not going to be good. Like it's not good for your pen and I was like, okay.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, this kickback look like okay and then I have I have this look on my face like I'm about to pass out and it's not from her. It's because I've just been so hot in this room and I'm just want to die right now but I'm giving her this look that is just

Michelle Leung: I'm like, okay mom.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, it's like, it's like stuck with me to this day. Like, you know, people bring up that picture all that, all this time. So, in an effort in 2016, I knew you were coming and you knew I was coming and you had hit me up like before the show it's like, you know what, when we get there we're getting our Susie pick. We're going to get it early this time so we maybe look better than we did it at 10 o'clock at night so we did that and you put that in another picture and it's a much better picture of us and of Susie as well and she was super kind to do that for us but I love Susie and we could tell Susan Susan Worth stories all day long but, you know, I just wanted to mention that because that original picture just lives on in infamy to this day and I thank you for that I think.

Michelle Leung: Yeah, it was funny. I'm looking forward to the third year 2017 picture. I'll have to come up with something something different in Wilds because last year this past year was Susie's Sandwich, right? So 2017 we're going to have to really turn it up.

Brad Dowdy: We'll figure something out. We'll plan ahead this time and see what we can do. So speaking of planning ahead, you really planned ahead for this DC pin show so why don't you why don't you tell the story why?

Michelle Leung: I had decided, you know, earlier this year that I was going to do it. I was going to get my Grail pen which a lot of people that know me know that my favorite pens are Japanese. You know, I love Pilot. I love Platinum Sailor but definitely, you know, the Holy Grail was my Nakaya Dorsal Fin version 2 and when the first time I saw this I saw it last year as part of our mutual friend Le Reis' beautiful collection. I saw it and I had never seen a more beautiful pen. I thought the simplicity, the craftsmanship, it just stuck with me and I had been thinking about it all year but as we all know it's super expensive but I got the opportunity to buy a very lightly used one that was coming, you know, from, you know, one of Le's mutual friends from the Philippines. She had told me that she would bring it to me in D.C. but of course I had to pay for it so I had months. Yeah, they held it for me. They were very nice and the color was perfect. You know, my two favorite colors are pink or purple. This one is a purple finish. It was perfect. You know, I knew the nib was good. It was in really good condition and I said to myself, okay, well, the only way I'm going to be able to afford this is if I just offload a bunch of pens and as painful as that was, I have absolutely no regrets. You know, the Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2 has been inked since D.C. and I love it each time I look at it. I have absolutely no regrets and yeah, you actually helped me with that because you bought one of my pink pens. It was an Edison Menlo.

Myke Hurley: What a great color you've got on that Nakaya. Whoa.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. What are the, do you know the name of that color because it's a stunner? I,

A-Y Murasaki

Michelle Leung: yeah, I'm butchering, sorry, butchering the pronunciation. Yeah. It's A-Y Murasaki, A-W-A-I, Murasaki, M-U-R-A-S-A-K-I.

Brad Dowdy: It is so, so pretty. I, you showed me that in person. After you got it, it, it, I think you were waiting. I think you didn't get it to like the second day maybe. I didn't get it to the second day.

Michelle Leung: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So I, you were like anxious. You like didn't want to shop around because you know this pin's coming, right?

Michelle Leung: Yeah. Yeah. I didn't, I didn't really need to shop around. I mean, I still ended up picking up other stuff. So I'm broke for the rest of the year, but. Yeah. But when you, when you showed that to me,

Brad Dowdy: I was like, yeah, I was like, wow, this is it. Like you did really, really good. I, I, I love that pin. And, and I was glad to contribute because, uh, I, I picked up a pin that I really love in the Edison Menlo. That's a shape of pin. I talk about all the time. That's probably my favorite shape of Edison. But I don't necessarily need the pump filling aspect of it. So you had an eyedropper made, um, with this, I forget the name of it, but it's like this pink candy crush kind of thing that I call it.

Michelle Leung: It's called Candy Crush. I, I believe Brian calls it Candy Crush. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: It's, it's fantastic. You know, I love pink. And when I saw this pin and, and it was a Menlo and it has the ink window, I was like, okay, this is pretty much a Brad pin. I just kind of need to buy it. It's like, it's, it's fantastic. So I love that pin. So I'm glad to be able to, to pitch in and help. And, uh, I think, uh, you, you definitely came out good at the end of the day and, um, in, in funding that pin. So you've been, you've been enjoying it, right?

Michelle Leung: Oh, definitely. Like I said earlier, no regrets. Each time I look at it, I'm just odd by the beauty. And just to think that, you know, some craftsmen spent months and months applying this Yerushi. Cause I think what most people don't know, or maybe they do is that those fins, they're not carved in. It's, it's actually built because of the layers of Yerushi. And it takes months to cure each layer. And then, you know, the, the person working on the pen has to wait and then they keep building it up. So you get those fins. So the pen originally, it might've even been a cigar shape. I don't know how it starts off, but it does not start off with those, those fins that look like a boat or a samurai sword. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: That that's fascinating. And that's why we love the Nakaya so much. It's, it's just because of that uniqueness uniqueness and craftsmanship that goes, goes into them. They're, they're pretty amazing. So like, are you done now? Like you're not buying any more pens, right? Is that what you just said?

Michelle Leung: Never. I never said that, but I am definitely, uh, because I've been in the community, you know, a while and I've tried so many pens. I'm, I've definitely reached a point where I'm, I know what I like. I'm very picky and I can spend more time, you know, enjoying what I have and yeah, pretty much enjoying what I have. I actually have a very modest collection. Uh, most people, I have like about 20 pens and most people that I know in this community have easily, you know, over a hundred. So I'm very picky. I keep what I truly like. And there's usually a story behind each pen. And that's what I am with. I have to say most of my possessions, I'm, I pride myself in not being a hoarder. I use everything that I own and yeah, I try to live, you know, kind of minimalist. I have to say. Yeah.

Field Notes

Brad Dowdy: I think that's perfect. Especially we all get crazy. Like we, you know, we recorded a show last week where we were talking about the new field notes and Myke's bought extras and I bought extras. And I was like, you know, we have this mentality. It was like, gotta have it. It's going to be gone. The fear of missing out, the hoarding stuff. But, you know, in fountain pens, I'm actually trying to, to slim down my collection some and, you know, want to keep the pens that I really loved, you know, the ones that there's a story about the ones that are meaningful to me. And, um, I, I think that's the best way to do it. But, you know, we all go through this like acquisition phase of, I need to try everything. What if I like this? What if I don't like this? And things like that. So you eventually find this balance kind of like you found, I think, and kind of like, I know I'm finding now, like, okay, there's a really, actually a pretty small rotation of pens that are my favorites. And, you know, I don't necessarily need all, all of the rest of them. And I think that's a, that's a good way to, to go about this whole thing that we're in. Yeah. So, so one last topic I want to hit up on, um, is because it's, it's kind of near, near to me. And I think it, it kind of relates to you. Um, you know, you have a daughter who, you know, I have two kids and, you know, I love my kids. They're beautiful kids, but you've got the cutest kid on Instagram. I'll just say that right now. Bella is hilarious and she is so photogenic and she loves being out there. And I want to know if she's getting into your pen stash. Like you talked about that before. Like, can she use a fountain pen yet? I want to talk about like what you're thinking, about with like kids and pens. Cause I've tried to like, my kids love like all the fountain pen stuff and all the paper and they just want everything all at once. And I'm like trying to like, you know, teach them how to hold a fountain pen and how to use a fountain pen and how the parts work and how you fill it in. And why we don't want this on the carpet and things like that. So have you, you know, like had any like talks or do you, you know, work with Bella on Shorner, these different pens and paper that we all get to have fun with?

Michelle Leung: Yeah, she, I think she's only four and a half. So she hasn't quite been introduced to fountain pens yet. I mean, she knows what they are. And actually what she helps me do on a lot of weekends is she, she, she's part of my cleaning ritual, which I think is really cute. And I let her flush the caps. That's great. So she's like leaning over the sink with me, right. With her little step stool. And then one time she said to me, you know, I was holding the nib. She's like, mom, I know that's the important part. Can I clean the important part? And I thought it was so cute, but I was like, ah, maybe when you're a bit older, Bella, you know, the whole pen is actually really important. So just keep flushing the caps, honey.

Michelle Leung: So it was really funny. She knows that I'm, I'm really into pens. And, uh, she actually has a little collection of retro 51. Which I'm sure Myke likes to hear about. Yeah. I trust her with a retro 51. So she actually really likes retro 51. And actually a few months ago, she drew a little, um, note and card to retro 51. And they sent her back like a mini size version of the tornado. I think they sell it, but I, I forgot the name of the model, but it's, it's pretty much the tornado shrunk down to a mini.

Myke Hurley: It's called the tornado mini.

Michelle Leung: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So she has one of those in pink and like, she adores it. Oh my gosh. She likes pink as much as me. Yeah. So I thought that was very sweet of them.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. They're great to work with. So yeah, I'm trying to, I still, to this day, my kids are 10 and eight and still to this day, like, I feel like I kind of have to like watch over them. Like, you know, let's make sure you're using this right or doing this, but I, I really should kind of loosen up a little bit and just kind of let them go. I know Bella's probably a little bit long, young for that. But, but yeah, I think it's, they're fascinated with these things too. And I think it's good to like, you know, get my kids out from in front of the TV or the, the iPad or something. And let, you know, let's write a letter, you know, let's, you know, write a letter to our grandparents or let's, let's do this. Like I'll break out the adult coloring books and just let them go crazy, you know, with like all the colored pencils and doing all that. And they get so much enjoyment out of that. And I think it's, it's good that, you know, they have these experiences with these other pens, kind of like we did when we were young, we were always looking out for the cool stuff that, you know, the other kids didn't have. And it just kind of latched on and, and we ended up on a podcast about pens, which is kind of crazy.

Michelle Leung: It's very important. Yeah. It's important to strike a balance for sure. I mean, my kid, you know, as much as any other kid is, is definitely can, can loves, loves the iPad, loves the screens and Netflix and YouTube, but I definitely put a limit on that. And she needs to appreciate and enjoy kind of these analog tools to, to get that side of the brain working as well. Right. So I tried to achieve balance in my household and she, she loves pens and stationary. And we, we definitely have a lot of fun with that.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Well, well that sounds perfect. And I think this was a perfect episode, Myke, Michelle, you're, you're a natural at this. You're a superstar. And I'm so, so glad we had you on today. And I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to, to join us on the podcast. Thank you so much.

Michelle Leung: No problem. Thank you for having me. I had a, I had a lot of fun.

Myke Hurley: Good. Michelle, where can people find you online? What's the best places to go?

Michelle Leung: Probably on, on Instagram. So as Brad said, I'm probably most active there. I'm, I'm pretty much on all these social networks. You know, I had to pretty much learn and get on it for my job. Like I said, I do, I do PR and marketing, but on Instagram is probably the best way to reach, me. My username is Mishy. So it's just my childhood nickname from Michelle. And then Chow just stuck. It's my maiden name, C-H-A-U. So M-I-S-H-I-E C-H-A-U on Instagram. And I'd be glad to talk to you guys. If you have any questions or want to know how to get here for Toronto, I have lots of tips.

Brad Dowdy: Nice. Yeah. We need to work on that, Myke.

Myke Hurley: Oh, no doubt. How, how can people find out more about the Toronto show as well?

Michelle Leung: We have a website, a triple, triple W dot script is Toronto.com. And you can find all the information there. And like I said, if you have any specific questions, if you're traveling from out of town, not from Toronto, I can definitely help you out. The pen show is actually at my workplace. So I know it very well. I work at the Toronto reference library. We're right downtown. It's been held there for several years now. And there's a hotel, like tons of hotels just to right around the corner. So if you need any tips, just hit me up.

Myke Hurley: Awesome. Right. And that about wraps up this week's episode. Thanks again to our lovely sponsors for this week, the fine folk over at Harry's and Penn Chalet. If you want to find Brad online, he is at penaddict.com and knock.co. He is at dowdyism on Twitter, D O W D Y I S M. And he is a penaddict on Instagram. I am at I Myke, I M Y K E. And you can find some work from me as well over at youtube.com slash Myke Hurley. We'll be back next time until then say goodbye, everybody. Goodbye.

Michelle Leung: Thanks.