To quote the great Dolly Parton, this year feels like one hard candy Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Grinch – usually I’m all about the holly and the ivy, silver bells and presents round the tree. But like many of you, I find that these past few weeks have been heartbreaking, first with […]
We all have different ways of marking the beginning of the holiday season, be it through song, lights, gifts or movies. In my family, the singing of Christmas carols is strictly prohibited until Santa Claus has flown down 5th Avenue at the end of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Another family I know spends every […]
It’s not uncommon for an artist to receive an award nomination posthumously; however, two nominations in the same year, for the same award, nearly thirty years after the artist’s death? That takes some serious staying power, power that the lyrics of Ira Gershwin possess. A Legacy of Powerful Lyrics Ira Gershwin, brother and collaborator to […]
On Saturday, The Atlantic Monthly posted a list of ten rules for writing by renowned author Margaret Atwood. As a die-hard pencil fanatic, I was of course glad to see my favorite writing utensil take the top two spots in this list of writing tips: 1. Take a pencil to write with on aeroplanes. Pens […]
The Disappearing Pencil Box I was browsing my Google Alerts for pencil-related news tidbits when this article by Ed Flynn at NorthJersey.com caught my eye. In it, Mr. Flynn discusses the changing landscape of school supplies and, specifically, the disappearance of the pencil box. This disappearance has me all nostalgic. No more pencil boxes? Say […]
How to Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest! Arrrr, ya scurvy scum! Sing me a sea shanty! **Crickets** Okay, I admit it. I’m really, really terrible at talking like a pirate. Every year, in honor of today’s International Talk Like a Pirate […]
You never had to encourage me to read when I was a little kid. I was (and still am) one of the bookworms you see curling up with a good book at every opportunity. Books were (and still are) my passion – when I moved into my most recent apartment, the boxes of books outnumbered […]
The Odd Life of Timothy Green Sometimes I worry that I get a little too wrapped up in pencils. After all, it is an occupational hazard, and my belief that a pencil is the key to limitless possibility is pretty well documented. I’m always heartened, therefore, when I find like-minded people who are as enamored […]
Cooking with Julia Child Stirs Up Memories There are two schools of thought when it comes to writing in your books. There are those who believe that pencil jottings in a book’s margins are tantamount to sacreilige, and there are those who believe that it’s a useful method to interact with the text. I fall […]
Today is National Relaxation Day, and in these waning days of summer, it seems like the time is just right for putting up your feet with a glass of something cool and finding ways to chill out. Here at Studio 602, we may be at our desks, but our minds are far away, thinking about […]
