Editing The Pen Addict 286/transcript (section)

== Future Planning ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I think this is a topic we'll approach more next year. It's something I want to look at and focus on and, you know, get enjoyment from and refining the whole process. You know, it's been a very, very good learning process throughout all these years. And, sometimes, part of that process is, you know, figuring out what you like and what you don't like. And, keeping the ones you do and don't like it. You know, it's nothing new. Nothing novel. But, it's always interesting when someone, you know, like Jim mentions, you know, how he did it last year. It's like, I just didn't do it. I used, I cut myself off from pens and buying new ones and used all the ones that I have. I bought ink and paper to scratch that itch. But, I held off on the pens. And, I think that's admirable. And, you know. Yeah, I think it depends. Says the guy who just bought four boxes of pencils last night, right? Yeah, exactly.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I just think that this depends on what your tastes are. Like, for me, if I couldn't buy, if I was saying to myself, oh, I'm not going to buy any new pens, then I wouldn't have any joy from it. Because, I don't get the same level of joy from paper and ink. Like, it's the pens that I like the most, right? And, I mean, there are many, you know, there are many, like, subsets of this hobby. But, like, for me, it is the new pen. That's kind of, I like the acquisition of the new pen. That's my, that's my bent, right? Like, that's what I am interested in the most. So, if I stop doing that, then I take away my joy from this hobby.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. And the place I am and the place I've really always been is I'm as excited about this TWSBI Eco-T almost more so than the Pelican Ocean Swirl.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it doesn't need to be a $300 pen every single time. But, something, I was super excited about the R2-D2 cross pen. It's still sitting on my desk. I love it. Like, it's a great little pen that I love the design of and I'm really happy about. Like, it doesn't have to be my custom Sean Newton pen, right? It can be anything, right? And, again, it's like this Pro Gear, I mean, okay, it's $200, but it's not $900. And I'm just, like, dying about how much I love this thing. So, yeah, there are differences in there. It's not necessarily the most expensive is the best. But, at the same time, I'm not interested in, like, making a conscious effort to cut that down right now. That's just not where I am right now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep, exactly. All right. So, we have a bunch of STPA. I'm actually going to follow up on this conversation later in the Ask TPA. But let's talk about another one of our good friends before we get into it.

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'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right, so we have quite the varied amount of Ask TPA. And this first one, I'm going to need some help on from the chat room and from listeners, because it's a really good question and something that people think about a lot, and it's from the Rostra. I've developed an affinity for pens with longer sections. For example, the Franklin Kristoff 31 and Peyton's Ranga Zeante. Can you recommend Japanese pens with long sections? Are there any references that list fountain pens by section length? There's got to be. I'm thinking there is for section length, but in general, the fountain pens from Japan that I use, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, all kind of have normal length sections. They're not short. They're not long. They don't really tend to get in the way. Some have less of a step at the cap and threading than others. My Aboya pen has a decently long section, so that may be one to look at. But, you know, I don't know exactly what the answer is. You know, the chat room says the Pilot E95, but that's a small pen. I have a feeling based on the love of the Franklin Kristoff 31 and the Ranga, you're looking for a larger pen. So the E95 may be too short. So this is a tough question. I don't have a great answer. I'll have to check if my Aboya is longer than any of my other Japanese pens. But there's not one standout for me. So I will follow up on this one with you from the Rastra.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. Bijou wants to know, any plans to introduce new seed colors in the nearest future, or are you just focusing on getting all the sizes out right now? It's definitely all the sizes out right now. The A5 is next, but by next, I mean probably January at this point, which as you can tell, I'm frustrated with. But that's just how the manufacturing cycle goes. They will be in the same colors that are available now. And then the traveler's notebooks will be after that in the same colors, the steel color and the lilac color. The way we manufacture, we have to buy such large quantities of fabric that we have to commit to a very large color run. So it's not easy for us to switch up as quickly on color since we operate that way. So that's just kind of how we have to do it to sustain like a decent amount of inventory. So there will be new colors eventually, but it might be this time next year kind of thing, right? So we have this whole colorway and all these sizes to go through, and then we'll see what colors are next after that. But we do have the next new color of Sinclair and Brasstown will be the next thing you see before even the seed A5 shows up. So that'll be Mandarin and Steel Gray. So that will be very cool.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Good. How is all that going?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, it's going fine. It's just slow, as always. You know, it's one color at a time. You know, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cases. Next color. You know, it just takes time. It's frustrating. Like, it's a twice a week call and conversation to figure out where we're at and what we're doing. So, you know, we're at the point now where it is what it is. And we're going to try a couple – we have some ideas to do things a little bit differently in 2018. It's too early for me to say exactly what that is yet. But it's kind of you'll know it when you see it. We just want to do more and do more faster, and we're trying to figure out ways to do that because that would be – I mean, that's what we want to do. That's what's fun. That's what our customers want. But at the same time, we also have, you know, certain minimums and quantities we need to do to keep the pricing right and, you know, be successful with retailers and things like that. So, it's this whole balancing act, and it's just – it's never fast enough for me, right? But it's kind of – we're to the point where we understand that now. So, we're going to try to work and work our best with that situation. So, it's all good stuff. It's just crazy. It's just always something. Yep. What do you mean – what do you mean the factory has a day off? Not acceptable.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You know, it's unrealistic things like that. I'm just being funny. You know, it's – you know. So, yeah. But, yeah, it's just manufacturing, man. It's hard. It is hard. All right. J.L. Moth. Or, Mothy. More important than cake versus pie, what do you drink with it? Coffee or milk? So, we're both team cake, Myke. You get a slice of cake. What are you drinking with it?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Probably milk. I think I'll be more inclined for milk than coffee. It depends. See, it all depends on the time of day, right? And, like, where I am. Like, for example, you know, when I told you last week I had that piece of pumpkin pie? I had it after dinner, so I had it with a glass of milk. Yeah. But coffee is always good. Like, it depends on the time I'm eating the cake. But if I'm having the coffee, the coffee's going to have milk in it. So, there's always milk involved.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Hmm. So, I would be cake and milk as well. Even though I'm an avid coffee drinker, any time of day, any temperature outside, I want milk with cake. It just seems like the right way to go.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Hmm.