September 5th
The difference between a pleasurable writing experience and one that’s merely functional is all in the details: the paper thick and smooth, the fluid pen, the light just so. Of course, everyone has their own preferences. When the French arm of our company first created the Habana notebook, they used heavyweight Clairefontaine paper in an ivory color; later on, thanks to various manufacturing quirks, the U.S. version ended up with white pages.
We’d been planning to switch back to ivory paper in the fall, but one of our blog readers recently voiced her preference for white. Hence this post: which do you prefer, and how much does it matter to your writing pleasure? If you were given a choice of both colors, would you stick to one or the other, or would you alternate?
September 4th
The President refill can be used in a new portfolio Exaclair introduced this year.
“Exafolio” is a compact portfolio made from recycled materials that is light and water resistent. The portfolio has a snap closure, and holds files and papers. It also has two zippered pockets and 3 pen holders for loose notes and cards.
So, if you prefer to carry around your planner with a cover option that offers multiple uses, the Exafolio may be for you.
September 3rd
New York is a great place for people-watching; for birding, not so much. In Westport, though, we saw plenty of interesting species, including osprey, cormorants, egrets, and one lone great blue heron. I don’t have a very sophisticated camera, but I took it out nonetheless one morning when we went kayaking, and I managed to get a couple of shots of some egrets on a small island… More pictures after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
September 1st
The observance of Labor Day began over 100 years ago.
Conceived by America’s labor unions as a testament to their cause, the legislation creating the holiday was shepherded through Congress and signed by president Grover Cleveland in 1894. Since then, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September. It has become the unofficial end of summer.
The first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882 in New York City. Twenty thousand workers marched up Broadway carrying banners that read “LABOR CREATES ALL WEALTH,” and “EIGHT HOURS FOR WORK, EIGHT HOURS FOR REST, EIGHT HOURS FOR RECREATION!”
The roots of Labor Day stretch back to what was known as the eight hour day movement. In 1817, a Welsh mill owner, Robert Owen, formulated the goal of the eight-hour day and coined the slogan. 
The International Workingmen’s Association, many of whom were socialists or anarchists, favored a May 1 holiday. With the event of the Chicago Haymarket riots in May 1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he eventually supported a September Labor Day.
Is an eight-hour workday the standard anymore?
August 31st
We have received several emails from coffeehouses looking for notebooks to sell. Although plenty of people tote their laptop into Starbucks and other coffee places, it’s nice to know some people still prefer pen and paper while enjoying an expresso and biscotti or cappucino.Â
The inquiries made me think of my own favorite place to loaf & watch life walk by, think, greet friends and savor good coffee–all at the same time:  Aldo’s  in Greenport, NY. Owned by Aldo Maiorana, is a baker, coffee roaster, business owner and chef. Aldo was born in Sicily and raised in France. 
After living in New Caledonia, Paris and South America, Aldo moved to East Marion, NY in 1978 with his American wife, Martine. His cafe and biscotteria–Aldo’s Too–is a Greenport landmark. Regulars and visitors co-mingle, as people stop by for an expresso and chat. In the winter people pack the place to come in from the cold for homemade hot chocolate.
You can spot Aldo immediately by his full head of curly white hair. He roasts his own coffee, so the air is always thick with the latest batch. But Aldo is known as much for his hazelnut and harlequin biscotti as he is his coffee. The biscotti is shipped all over the country and as far away as Dean & DeLuca in Toyko.
Once you get your coffee, you can sit at the yellow picnic table inside; or one of the small tables outside, and read the paper, discuss, swap hellos, and savor a moment of peace and contentment.
Do you have a favorite place to go?
August 26th
Our parent company, Quo Vadis in France, recently introduced a line of notebooks each with a different theme for notes, thoughts and memories. Called “Memoraie,” each notebook is dedicated to a different part of living: My Travels, Weekends, Child, Cooking, Wines, Loves, Hikes, Culture, Joys, Sorrows, Dreams and Friends. 
My Memoraie also offers a social networking component, a website in French, English, Italian and Spanish where individuals can go to share their experiences with one another. My Memoraie is a global “Quo Vadis” of where to go, what to see, things to do and try.
You can read more about the notebooks on the French site, and on the Quo Vadis Canadian site.Â
Memoraie notebooks can be purchased individually or as a set. We have hesitated to import them into the U.S. because the terrible Euro situation makes them pretty expensive–about $25 a notebook.
I have a few samples in the office. Would anyone like to volunteer to review a Memoraie notebook to tell us and the other blog readers what you like and don’t like about it; what you would find valuable about Memoraie notebooks and the online community, and whether or not you believe they would be successful in the U.S.? I would also be interested to know what “themes” you like the most, so if we decide to import them, we select the ones Quo Vadis customers find the most appealing. Thank you!
August 25th
I’m back in Westport, MA again this week, hoping the weather stays as nice as it was this past weekend—two days and we’ve already been swimming and sailing and kayaking and swimming again. This time, I remembered to bring my camera, so later on I’ll try to go out and take some pictures.
In the meantime, here’s a great photo of the Westport beach I found on Flickr…
August 21st
When it comes to holding history in your hand, nothing compares to ancient coins. Kings, tyrants, and military rulers memorialized themselves and their exploits on coins. The currency also served as a public relations or propaganda tool.Â
I got hooked on old coins after my son gave one of Emperor Constantine for my birthday. He found it at a London flea market. Even though the coin was very worn, Constantine’s profile was still visible. I marveled at all the stories that coin held: from the man who struck it, and all the places it had traveled over the centuries, passing from one hand to another to end in mine.
The best-of-the-best ancient coins have just been chronicled in the book 100 Greatest Ancient Coins by noted numismatist Harlan Berk. The 130-page book is filled with color photos and stories surrounding the coins.
The coin on the cover of Berk’s book is a silver denarius issued in 42 B.C. On the front is a portrait of Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. On the reverse side is a helmet bordered by two daggers above the words “Eid-Mar.” 
After he assumed power, Brutus had the coin struck to show he had brought liberty to his country via the death of Julius Caesar. “Eid-Mar” refers to the “Ides of March” when the assassination took place.
The coin was minted to pay Brutus’ soldiers in the civil war that followed Caesar’s death. It was probably made by military mint traveling with his army in Greece.
60 of these silver coins may still be in existence. Have your heart set on possessing one? It will probably set you back $120,000.
August 20th
Here’s a picture of my latest garden surprise—a Rose of Sharon bush that looked all but dead when we moved in, miraculously came back to life, and then lost a bunch of leaves when we transplanted it to the other side of the garden. Needless to say, I was not expecting flowers, but flowers are here, and they’re spectacular!
The name “Rose of Sharon” reminds me of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath (which I haven’t read since sophomore year of high school and can only dimly recollect), because there’s a character in the book who’s called Rosasharn, after the plant. It’s a Biblical name—in the King James translation of the Song of Solomon, the beloved claims “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys”—though that’s apparently a mistranslation of the Hebrew word for “crocus.”
When I lived in Europe, I had a plant called the Rose of Jericho, which is basically a tumbleweed: put it into a bowl of water and it unfurls its frothy leaves, take it out and it curls up into a dry, brown ball and goes to sleep.
August 19th
Never let the key elves trip you up again!
Designed by Barbara Flanagan for MoMA, the Tower of Clips transforms clutter into an organized, moveable display. 
Made of remnant steel from the tabletop industry, it takes the clutter off your desk and transforms it into something fun. It holds keys, photos, notes, gift cards, reminders, coupons, pens, pencils and other desktop accessories. Each flat, non-tooth clip can rotate 360 degrees and features a super-strong spring that won’t lose its grip.
