I think this is pretty cool: http://ignite.oreilly.com/

I’ll be attending Ignite Cardiff. http://www.cardiffwebscene.com/events/ignite-cardiff-2

Cheers.

There are certain things that I have a thing for. Me having a thing for these things is what makes me me. Hope you followed that. I wouldn’t say that these things are things that I’m passionate about. I’ve written about the things that I’m passionate about elsewhere. But these are things, some simple, some unfortunately expensive, that bring a smile to my face. They give me that nice little feeling in the place that you get nice little feelings. So, I give you…the things that I have a thing for:

1. Moleskine Journals – I currently have 7 Moleskines, each serving it’s own purpose. Here are the first 5 (from left to right):
   • 2009 Pocket Weekly Notbook (soft cover)
   • Address Book
   • Large Plain Notebook (my primary journal)
   • City Guide Journal (Barcelona)
   • Small Plain Notebook (for taking notes in meetings or when I’m out in the city)



The next 2 Moleskines are my favorites. These were given to me by Julie this past Valentines Day. They are small lined pocket journals. They are from a limited edition made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the font Helvetica. They were made available at a museum exhibition in Japan, and had to be purchased from the Asia Moleskine website. They are still wrapped, and I haven’t decided when, or if, I’m going to open them. They’re just too cool to write in. And I figure if I do decide to write in them it better be something special I write about.





2. Pens – For some reason, ever since university, I’ve been on the hunt for the best pen that doesn’t require me to sell my organs on the black market. After all these years I still haven’t decided what the best is, or if I prefer rollerballs to ballpoints. I do know that fountain pens are at the top of the list, but not for everyday writing. A Mont Blanc is on the wishlist, but it will have to be a Christmas present. Here’s what I use currently (from left to right):
   • Staples Optiflow Rollerball – not great, but can be used in a pinch.
   • Uniball Rollerball – my most used pen
   • Waterman Fountain Pen – the special occasion pen
   • Sensa ballpoint – first “real” pen I owned. Valentines gift from Julie years and years ago.
   • Parker Profile XL ballpoint – my current favorite



3. Watches – For some reason I just like watches. I like big watches, but if they get too big they look funny on my arm. I’ve owned Fossil, Guess, and until recently a Timex Helix, which I loved. I currently have a Tissot T-Touch (stainless steel), pictured below. The glass is tactile sapphire crystal which means that it is touch sensitive. I love the Tissot. By touching certain parts of the glass I can tell the temperature, altitude, barometric pressure, direction (compass), set an alarm, or use the chronograph.



4. Type – I’ve got a thing for type…or fonts…or more specifically, the use of fonts to convey a message. I’ve got favorites, but honestly, if you’re still reading at this point you don’t want to be reading about the names of fonts. So instead, I’ll show you a picture of a special find from a few weeks ago. Julie and I (and the kids) went about an hour northeast of Cardiff to a store called Bailey’s (I think). And I found this old type set. It has the complete alphabet, plus numbers and punctuation marks. I think the font is Helvetica Bold Condensed. I’m not sure what I’ll use it for, but I couldn’t pass it up.

So, that’s part of me. The things that I have a thing for.

Perhaps you remember me writing last year about the swan that came to nest outside our back path and the excitement of following her through to her birth. A while ago I put the photos, all taken by my wonderful Brad, in a book. I had to put together a little poem as well to go along with the pictures and our experience. I hope that you can enjoy my little creation celebrating God’s beautiful creation.

You can click on the thumbnails to see the larger picture.

-Julie