Editing The Pen Addict 244/transcript (section)

== Travel Bags ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, I'd just go with something from Tom Ben. When I use a carry-on, the Aeronaut, this is way too big compared to that. But the Aeronaut's 48, the big boy, it's really good for just, like, a carry-on type stuff.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I also fight with that because my Tom Ben bag is so good, and I only ever hit good things. I don't know. I'm struggling. I'm struggling. But the Maldi looks like they're my aesthetic.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, I've gotten down. Like, I'm really happy with my bag situation. A few years ago, I would just buy bags left and right. I've got it down. Like, I'm really happy with the three that I use, you know, on the most regular. And I haven't seen anything come on the market that's been compelling enough for me to go, let me try that. That's going to replace something I already have. So, I'm very happy. I'm very content with what I have. So, that's a good place to be.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I'm not in that place right now. Yeah. I am in the, like, I can't, I feel like I need to make a change to the Topo. I think the Topo has seen the end of its time, I think. I've beaten the ever-loving crap out of this bag. Like, and it has stood the test of time. And I think that I've just, my needs have changed for what this bag was initially. Right. It was more of, like, the, hey, this is my bag that I'm just going to grab and run around with. Like, it was what the Ristretto is now. But it's so good that it just morphed into my travel bag. But it's not really built for that. Like, with what I'm doing to it and the amount of stuff I'm trying to squeeze in it every time I get on a plane. Whilst it can take it, I think it might be time for a backpack.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I hear you. Yep. That's why I use a backpack.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, man. I'm going to watch Chase's videos again and make a decision.

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'''Brad Dowdy:''' Shea Dowdy. I haven't had any more Blue Apron meals, but it's funny that I constantly think about the meals that we had because they were that good. So I'm going to have to get back on something semi-regular with them just because I enjoyed it so much. It actually comes in really handy with the way my wife and I's schedule are. Like just today, the way our schedules are, it's like, hmm, we don't have anything planned for dinner. It'd be perfect to pull out a Blue Apron from the freezer and let me cook it for her when she gets home so we don't have to deal with anything else tonight. So I have to get back on that bandwagon.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You gotta. And I mean, it's a great thing because you can get free meals for free with your first purchase. I'm going to tell you about that in a moment. But let me give you an idea about what some of those meals can be. So every single recipe that Blue Apron's culinary team comes up with is amazing. And they have a variety of new ones every single week. You'll be able to try things like udon noodle soup with miso and soft boiled eggs, vegetable fried rice bowls of cauliflower, gai-lan and fried eggs, or cheddar cheeseburgers with frizzled onions and romaine salad. Now that is some variation in your life. Blue Apron delivers to 99% of the continental US. It's no weekly commitment. You get deliveries when you want them and their freshness guarantee. Make sure that every ingredient arrives ready to cook or they'll make it right. Check out this week's menu and get three meals for free with your first purchase, including free shipping. By going to blueapron.com slash penaddict. You'll love how good it feels and tastes to create incredible home-cooked meals at Blue Apron. So go to blueapron.com slash penaddict and we thank them for their support of this show and RelayFM. Blue Apron, a better way to cook.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right, so we're going to wrap this episode up with some Ask TPA. And I put the last note in, but I've jumped it to the first spot, Myke, because it's topical and I want to make sure we get to it. Because I just got this IncoWrimo letter out of the mailbox this morning. After I dropped the kids off to school, hit the P.O. box, had a handful of letters in there. I read this one and I was like, I have to read this on the show. Because it's actually related to a story I've told on the show before. I'm almost positive I've told this story. But regardless, it's something that me and you'll see who we talk about this all the time. And it's related to pen shows. So to Brad Dowdy. Greetings. My name is Andrew and we met awkwardly at the DC Pen Show. One night while skulking around the lobby, too shy to approach anyone, I saw pink hair. However, I was too shy to say hello to Anna Reinhart. Then I saw no hair, or that is the bald head of Matt from The Pen Habit. But I was hesitant to say hello. Finally, after wandering around the second floor of the hotel, I saw both of them by the elevator and decided to approach. I shook each of their hands and explained how I've enjoyed their content online. Then I asked to the third person standing at the elevator, are you her husband? No, I'm Brad from The Pen Addict. Oh, I think I have heard of you before. I felt kind of bad after that unintentional burn. Sorry about that. I am happy to say that as penance, I committed to listening to your podcast when I got home. I have been ever since. Thanks for your great content. I am not sure if I will be at DC this year, but I may just to say hello properly. Plus to meet Myke. Sincerely, Andrew. This was one of the highlights of the DC Pen Show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' When this happened, me and Anna and Matt were all standing at the elevator, just exactly as he said. And I'm pretty sure I told this story before. It was Matt and Anna didn't let me live down that moment for the rest of the show. And I absolutely ate it up. When people who didn't know any of us or knew just Anna and not me or Matt, I would always introduce myself as Anna's husband the rest of the show. It was so good. And Andrew, poor Andrew, he like came by the next day. He's like, oh, I'm so sorry. I'm like, look, there's no reason you should know me. You know? So funny. That's so funny.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because everyone there is like, well, you know, it's Brad Dowdy. You know? It's Brad Dowdy. Come on. He's a pen addict.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So me and Anna and Matt, just like the rest of the time, they were asking like, who are you again? Like to me, it was the best. And I wanted to point this out because this is what we do at pen shows. We have fun. No one cares who anyone is. Nope. No one cares if you're embarrassed, shy. Everyone is so open, welcoming, has the best attitudes. I mean, we just, I mean, now Andrew became our friend the rest of the show because he gave us a moment. We can now tell this story over and over again. And it's just wonderful. So if you're at LA and you're listening to this, just come say hi. You know? You can tell me I don't know who you are and we'll get the biggest kick out of it. And we'll just think it's hilarious. But it's just, that's what I take away from these pen shows. Stories like that. Like I couldn't wait to tell this story like on the podcast last year when it happened because it was so funny. And we don't take ourselves seriously at all. It's the best. We just don't. I love it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I love it. It's so funny.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like I got more traction out of this story. And to him to write this letter and for me to get it out of the inbox today, the timing was perfect and that he still remembers. Like what he says is exactly how it happened. It was priceless. And it was just a wonderful, wonderful moment that I'll never forget. And Anna and Matt, we won't forget that. And, you know, now Andrew's, you know, a permanent part of our, of our storytelling history at one of these shows. That's what these pen shows are about. And that's what you should know if you've never been to a pen show. It's not about the pens. It's about the people and the stories that you can tell afterwards. So thank you, Andrew, for making my show last year and for making my day today and reminding me to tell people to just do it when you're at the shows. Just do it. We're all shy. We're all introverted, but we're all there for the same reasons. And that's to have fun and to meet people and to tell stories. So it's great. Thank you.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's just, just brilliant. I love it so much.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. So let's get into the traditional STPA. We got a few, we can, we can run through these real quickly. So Logan, this is perennially one of the most difficult questions we get.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep. That's why I put it in there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It is the question. It is the question and it is the hardest question to answer. So high school graduation recommendation for my cousin. I'm thinking fountain pen, opaque, elegant, refined, and beginner friendly max budget of $100 for pen and ink. This is such a difficult question. Like I, honestly, I'll, I'm tempted to go a little bit over budget because the first thing I think of in this price range that is the best for a gift is a Pelican M205 in various colors. They run a little bit more than that though. Sometimes you can find them for like 90 and then get a bottle of Pelican ink, you know, like Pelican turquoise or Pelican blue black. I think those make really great gifts. They're a little expensive. If you have to buy today and can't shop around for it. My second thought is TWSBI 580 AL in one of the colors with a cool bottle of ink. That one might be more of a wow kind of thing. I don't know that it's elegant, you know, it's, I guess it's opaque. It's fully opaque, you know, completely clear, uh, demonstrator. Um, you know, the Pelican's more refined. Um, people in the chat room are saying, you know, some of the, uh, the platinum 3776, if you can find it for under a hundred bucks, that's a no brainer. Um, they actually do have the opaque barrels, um, in the chartreuse blue and the black. So that's a really good choice. So this is a really, really tough, tough question for me to answer. Um, especially if you have to go, okay, I need to go click buttons today. So do you have anything that, um, I I'm missing here?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like, I think I'm going more down market with mine. Like I would say, honestly, uh, TWSBI Eco. If you're buying this pen for somebody who doesn't really use fountain pens, I feel like something like a Pelican is not the right. I don't think it's the right choice because I think it's, it's too much. Um, and to somebody who maybe doesn't really get fountain pens or pens, like if this is the person you're buying it for, honestly, I think that something like a TWSBI Eco would do the job from the surprise factor. Just because it's like, wow, like what is this thing? Right? Like it's not, it doesn't look like the average pen that you find in the office supply store. So that's where I would go. Mostly because as well, like if they don't like it, you haven't spent a ton of money, but it's still enough money that it could be a gift, you know, like it's still gift, gift money. Right. And you could buy a nice ink and that kind of thing. So that's, that's the realm that I would go in. Just because like, if I'm, if I'm trying to get people excited about fountain pens, that's the pen that I go to now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So if you want to go outside fountain pens, the ones I recommend in this price bracket are both the, or either of the Lamy 2000 ballpoint or rollerball. Those are spectacular pens for the price. Um, they're like in the 60 to $70 range. They're not fountain pens, but they're wonderful pens. Wonderful writers make stunning gifts. So this is, I like, I don't have a stock answer for this question and I get it all the time. Mm-hmm. So it's, uh, it just depends on when you're going to push the button and you know, how risky do you want to play it? So tough, tough question. All right. So next one's from Todd, who I hope to see in LA. He's making the trek down from San Francisco, may have time to swing by the show. He says, do you ever lose pens? What's the nicest pen you've lost? And have you seen my Lamy 2000? Todd, I'm so sorry.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm so sorry that you're going through this right now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I have not seen it and I don't lose pens. It's not a thing for me. I'm way too anal retentive to not know where the things I have are at most of the times. I have misplaced pens in my house and they have turned up later. I have not exited my house and not returned with a pen. It's just not in my, in my, uh, modus operandi. It's just not something that even happens. Um, you know, some people are more prone to losing things or misplacing things. Um, I'm not one of those people. It just, it, sorry.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't lose pens.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Hmm.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't lose them. Yeah. And there was that time where I misplaced a Karas customs pen for a while, but it was just, it was still in my house, right? Like it just wasn't where I expected it to be. Yeah. That happens. I don't, I don't lose pens. And even then, like that's not, I mean, it's still an expensive enough pen, but we're not talking like hundreds and hundreds. Like I don't think I will ever lose one of those pens. This is just not a thing for me. Like I'm very much at the belief that once you spend a little bit of money on a pen, you don't lose it. You know, I've said this many times because I just think that you end up just keeping your eye on it a bit more. Of course there are, uh, there are hiccups and Todd, I'm so sorry about your Lamy 2000, but yeah, I'm in the lucky crew where I don't lose anything. And as Rez is pointing out in the chat room, I probably horrifically jinxed myself now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, that's the truth.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Someone's going to steal a pen from me at a pen show now, just to prove a point.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Maybe that'll be me. It'll probably be Jeff. It'll probably be Jeff. It'll be Jeff. Definitely.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Um, so this next question, we probably could have covered this around the first question, but it's actually easier to answer. Um, even though there's no wrong answer. Jason asks, which pen would you recommend for daily writing? Platinum 3776, Sailor 1911, Standard or Pilot Custom 74? Um, I'll answer this because you haven't done, uh, you don't have the, you don't, you don't, yeah, you don't have a 1911 or 74. So there's no wrong answer. Number one, if there is an aesthetic of the pen that you prefer over the others, purchase that because you're not going to get a bad writer out of the bunch. Gun to my head, put them in order. I'm going Pilot 74, Platinum 3776, Sailor 1911. But we're talking a one A, B and C thing, not a one, two and three thing here. Yeah. They're that close. Just blind picking up for anyone to write. I think the 74 is the best writer. I think 3776 is the most interesting nib performance. And I honestly, I picked the Sailor last because the 1911 is my least favorite style, but it doesn't mean the nib's not good. Um, but that's, there's no wrong answer here. Like I said, it's a one A, B, C thing, not a one, two and three thing. So, and I'll let you take this next one. So Kate wants to know what UK based pen retailers do you recommend? What you got, Michael?