Some Local Stationery Finds

Here are some interesting stationery-related things I found locally here in San Francisco, in case anyone is interested. Some are available online.
 

Sou Sou Fountain Pens (pictured above)

These are Sou Sou-branded Platinum Preppy fountain pens in nib size 03 (fine). At $7.90 USD each, you’re paying more than double for the brand name and signature Sou Sou patterns. But I've always liked their designs, so I jumped at the chance. At least they’re priced quite close to the original Japanese retail price of ¥780. And Platinum Preppys are such fantastic writers. I’ve been using the pink/purple flower one with black ink on Field Notes “Coastal” edition, and the ink has been dark enough on the reticle grid. Minimal feathering, too. (FYI, the pink/purple actually came with blue black cartridge but I switched it with the black cartridge from the white/red flower pen). Available at the SF store and online.

Midori MD Paper 10th Anniversary Notebooks and Notebook Covers

I saw a section dedicated to these at Maido in San Francisco. I had already purchased some A6 covers online, so I didn’t buy anything here, but I was still delighted to see them being carried locally. Such beautiful notebooks with interesting layouts... Wish they came in sizes other than A5. It looks like many online retailers are starting to list these 10th anniversary items, so look them up if you’re interested.

Field Notes Starbucks Reserve “Capitol Hill” Edition (5-Pack)

I don't know how many are left by now, but I spotted these at Starbucks Reserve in San Francisco recently. I have some already (see my old post on them here), so I left them exactly as I found them.

Extra Staples #0001

Welcome to the very first in a series I title Extra Staples, where I share interesting things I come across on the great World Wide Web. I hope this will be a good way for me to keep up, get more involved in the stationery community, and build a library of references that I can frequent.

Links can be old or new, whatever I like. Let's see how far I can take this staples metaphor. Ha!

Stationery-related

The Analog Aspect — M B S-P-B 
I love everything about Mike Bates' site, especially his photography and this article on his discovery of Field Notes and keeping a daily notebook. I know you've read it before but I couldn't NOT include it here. 

Aaron Draplin: There Is No Battle Plan - 99U
Always inspirational! Watch the video, too.

Field Notes: Two Rivers - The Newsprint
Josh Ginter's take on the latest spring edition. I love the big “O” notebook, too.

Follow-up: Binder Clips and Loose-leaf Rings — A Penchant for Paper
Woah, I've never seen binder clips used as stands. :) 

Three Questions With Mary Collis — The Pen Addict
Add me to the list of people who admire Mary Collis' handwriting (and her site, of course).

Sonic Ratchetta Review — The Writing Arsenal
I'm rediscovering pencils, and I could use a nifty portable pencil sharpener!

Mitsu-bishi Hi-Uni HB Pencil — The Finer Point
I recently got this, too, and I agree! It's a great pencil.

Episode 5 of Dot Grid: Reasons to Keep Livin' w/ Aaron Draplin — Nerd Uprising
So much to absorb and think about.

Things I tried recently and liked

Platinum Preppy 02 in EF
I literally received this yesterday, and my first reaction was OMG HOW CAN THIS BE UNDER $5.

Palomino Orange Drawing Pencil in B
I think grade B in pencils is my jam. And this one is smooth. 

Rotring Tikky Graphic Drawing Pen - Pigment Ink - 0.1 mm
This is what I've been using on Hobonichi, and I love it.

For Fun

bird in Osaka – Ramen Adventures
Tasting a cup of bubble tea with cotton candy on top once was more than enough. But a bowl of ramen with cotton candy?!? Wow. Is cotton candy a thing now?

Icicle Disaster
A new game podcast I started listening to, focused on JRPG. Zach is M's brother, so this is a shameless plug, initiated solely by me. Seriously though, if you’re into games, it’s definitely worth checking out. As a long-time podcast-listener, I think he's off to a great start!

Nunu's House on Twitter
Amazing miniature objects by Tomo Tanaka

Episode 6 of Dot Grid: GIF Sommelier — Nerd Uprising
The geekest thing I heard all week. :)