Editing The Pen Addict 350/transcript (section)

== Shift to Personal Topic ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' I hope so, because I want them all. Well, I might be sold out by then. Keep going for me, man. Come on. I won't. I got your mic. All right. Good, good, good. And maybe KM Squared. Except I don't know exactly who that is.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I probably do, but it's not hitting me. So, I'm almost out of batch number two. I haven't placed the order for batch number three. Oh, boy. Regardless if I placed it today, it would not be here in time. So, if I have enough, yes, I will bring them and they will reside under the table because this is a knock table. But I would be glad to sell you a bottle of Pen Addict ink if I have enough.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, basically what you're saying, though, is if you want it, buy it now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, it's always going to be there. But, I mean, if you want a special Atlanta pickup, I can't promise you that. Yep. Just because of the timing. Quantity and timing.

'''Myke Hurley:''' As Evan Max in the chat says, burning through the fire on fire. Fire on fire is on fire. Love it. Love it. How have I not thought of that already? The fire on fire is on fire. Perfect. It's gone well. I've been happy with it. All right. We have our last question today from Andrew. If you had to pick a fountain pen ink to get a tattoo with, what would it be and what would you have drawn? Now, I know my answer. It came to me immediately. Really? Because it was a tattoo that I already want. I'm not going to get it in color because I'm not going to have color tattoos. I have three, maybe four. That's my hang up. Yes. But, like, this is if I was going to do it, then I would do it this. So, comic book movie series that I love called Scott Pilgrim. There is a part in the comic. It's also in the movie. Ramona Flowers, who is one of the lead characters, there's, like, a drawing of her, which is, like, the hair. You can find it anywhere by Googling, but I'll just find some link to put in the show notes so you can see what I'm looking at. It's, like, an outline. And I want to get that tattooed on me one day. There's actually, looking at Pinterest, there's a bunch of people that got that tattoo, which is kind of fun. But I will get that tattooed on me one day. It was the first tattoo idea that I ever had, but I've had, like, things that have more of an even stronger emotional connection first. I have my second tattoo actually arranged for later on this year. But I'm going to get this one day, the Ramona Flowers tattoo. But I would, if I was going to get it in a color, in an ink color, I would get Califolio Andronopole. Because in the comic, the color version in the movie, Ramona has many, many, many wonderful colors for her hair. And, like, a pinky purple is actually one of the colors that is prominently featured. So Califolio Andronopole would actually be the perfect color to get the Ramona Flowers tattoo in.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, so I have no tattoos, but I've always been fascinated by tattoos. And I should probably, the problem, I'm in the situation where it's either none or ten, right? There's no in-between. So, and if I get color, it would be all the colors, right? Like, if I'm going to get color tattoo, it's going to be lots of colors. So picking a singular color is hard. Like, the tattoo that I've wanted the most recently is just getting, like, a demonstrator barrel on my forearm. But I would do that in black. You know, like a Pelican M800 where it, like, lays out all the parts and, like, calls, part name call-outs. It's, like, almost like a patent drawing. Like, that's been my recent kick.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You've told me that, and I think it's an amazing idea. I think you should do it at some point.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. But if I got, like, if I picked a single color, I would probably do Pilot Orochizuku Shinkai in some type of ocean type of situation. You know, I've always had, like, a boat idea as well that I've never gotten off the ground, but I've drawn it several times and things like that. So I have all kinds of ideas. I've just never totally done it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So thank you so much to that question. That's a good question. I like that question a lot. You can always send in your questions with the hashtag AskTPA. And that brings us to the end of our 350th episode extravaganza. We have a live show coming up very soon in Atlanta, which is where we'll be doing our big kind of, like, meta celebration of the show, as we always do, because it's a wonderful time to do that. But this is obviously a big milestone for us. So thank you so much for everybody that's tuned in, especially if you've been around since the beginning. I wonder, Brad, how many people we have listening now that started when episode one came out. I really want to hear from you, by the way, if you've done this. I would say more than you think. It's going to be more than one. Yeah. So that's more than I think. I really want to hear from you. Tweet at me, at imike, I-M-Y-K-E, or at dowdyism. If you have Tony.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, not that you've listened to all the episodes that you started when we started.

'''Myke Hurley:''' When we started in 2012. So Tony in the chat room is telling me he did, and I know he did.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like, I know that. So that's one. That's the one, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So people that listen to enough would probably have a very high likelihood of continuing on with us.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Mm-hmm. So I want to know. I'm just interested to know. Yep. Just because that will be, like, just a fun thing to understand. And I know there's so many of you that have gone back and listened, which is equally as amazing to me. That you've put the time to. That's how we find those links in our show notes. Yep. And it's why we've had to, over the many places that this show has existed, this will be the last place this show ever exists. Right? I feel pretty confident in that fact at this point. But, you know, but that is also another thing. And we've been through so many iterations and changes and experiments with this show and the fact that people stick around. And, you know, I think one of the things that is so impressive to me that the audience for this show is the biggest it's ever been as well is also kind of a wonderful thought to me. Like, typically podcasts have a life cycle to them. And that life cycle is it starts big and it dips and then it might get a bump again, but eventually would dip and the show ends. Like, that's the typical life cycle. It's like a slow burnout. Yeah, because the reason the show ends is either the people aren't as excited about it anymore or it's not financially viable anymore. And those two things go with an audience drop and it can go one of two ways. Right? Like, either people stop listening because the show isn't as good anymore or, like, the creators get, like, less enthused. To make it because the audience is good. Like, it's just a normal thing of all creative projects, I think. This isn't just podcasts. Like, any creative project. TV shows go this way. Right? Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But we are at a point seven years later where our audience is bigger than it's ever been. And I find that to be such a wonderful thing. I've been podcasting for nearly 10 years. Right? So, I've seen a lot of shows come and go of my own. But The Pen Addict is the only one that remains. Like, at this point, my working relationship with Brad is the... Outside of my family, my relationship with Brad is the longest sustained thing I've ever done with anybody. Which is, you know, that is quite an incredible thing. And, obviously, my relationship with Brad is one of the more important relationships in my life. Because I love Brad very dearly. But we also get to produce this show, which is something unlike anything else that I do. The Pen Addict is weird in many wonderful ways. And is something which I hold dear to me. Because it's much more like what I used to do nine years ago than the type of stuff that I do today as well. So, like, it's like this wonderful thing that I get to keep. Which is, like, this is like a hobby show to me. But now is at the point where it is a financial success for me and Brad. Yeah, no doubt. The support of you listening extends in multiple ways. Which is, you support our sponsors. Which is why, again, the show is more successful with sponsors now than it's ever been as well. Which is amazing. And also, you buy our products. And you are members. And you give us money directly. So, like, it is this wonderful thing that we have. And I speak in many places about, like, the word community. And, like, in most instances, I don't really buy into that phrase for, like, a listenership of a show. That does not count with the Pen Addict. Like, this is a real community that I'm a part of. Because it has a different feel to it. Like, this feel of support that comes from the listeners of this show is very different to my other shows. Where I feel like there is more of a we're all in this together feeling. That there is more of a everyone's in on this together. Where some of my other shows, people are just coming to it to be entertained while they're interested in the topic. And that's it. And that is wonderful. Like, I was trying to...

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Which is good on its own. Yeah, for sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That is what that stuff is. But a podcast about pens inherently needs a level of support to it, which is abnormal. Because this show shouldn't work. Right. But it does. And it only does because we are so blessed with the support that you as listeners give to us. Because me and Brad are busy people. We have busy lives. And we are increasingly doing more and more stuff that requires our time. So, if you weren't tuning in, this wouldn't exist anymore. And, you know, I was talking to Adina last night about a friend of mine who I love very much but don't get to talk to very much. Because we don't have a show together. And most of my friends, I get to talk to them because we have shows together. And it would be so sad if that was me and you where I don't get to talk to you that much. But I actually get two hours of your time every week pretty much. And that is a wonderful thing as well. So, I've said a lot of stuff. And I'm taking the brunt of it because Brad can't talk this week. But also, Brad just typically can't do these things about bursting out into tears anyway. So, I've probably bested that I take the reins.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I will say, I want to say one thing. I couldn't say I don't have anything to add. I couldn't say it better than you. Other than I've never been more enthused about what we do than I am right now. 350 episodes into it. Yeah. I've never been more excited to do this every week. And we talked about it before. It's like this is like one of the highlights of my week doing this. And, you know, like I'm just extraordinarily excited for this to never end. Like I know it's not going to just because like I want to do it. And like the cycle that you talked about, there's no cycle here. It's like a line straight up. It's like we can record next week's episode tomorrow and I'll be ready to go. You know, let's do it.