11k Milestone Reached Today

Just today I happened to take a peek at the blog counter.

I passed the 11k mark! I looked into it and this little blog has been averaging over 600 visits per month! Pretty amazing for a little site that I don't even post on very regularly.

Thank you for reading my rambles about pencil stuff.

I have some exciting new posts in the hopper! I am doing a side by side comparison of the Thailand made Golden Bears and the made in USA Golden Bears. Also I'm running the new Prospectors through their paces. Let me say this, so far I am impressed with these entry-level offerings from pencils.com. Thanks to Alex for the review pencils!

Vintage Dixon Ticonderoga Shrine

Most of what you see here is vintage Dixon Ticonderoga. The large box is a complete unused half gross box. I have the original cello wrapper as well.



This is my collection of more recent Dixon Ticonderoga pencils from the 80s and 90s made in USA. Also in this shot are the Mephisto pencils I reviewed previously.


I'd really like to see more companies bring high-quality pencil making back to the US the way that Cal Cedar has.

Note: a few of these boxes I will not tap into, I use most of these pencils.

Elmore Leonard passed away

He will be missed.

Kickstarter Help Please!

Have you ever had a friend with a really great idea, run a Kickstarter and you just don't want to see it fail cause it is just that good? My friend Ryan has an awesome idea like that.
The game is called Sum Wars and I think it's a fun game, great for math skills and will make the earth a better place. It could even lead to a cure for cancer (indirectly of course, maybe some kid will grow up playing sum wars, will get smart, become a scientist and invent a cancer antidote).

What does Sum Wars have to do with pencils?
1. Pencils get used for lots of math.
2. Pencils were used in the design of this game.
3. I like pencils, I like this game.
4. You could wear a pencil above your ear while playing this game and it would keep you looking uber smart during game play.
5. You have trusted my perspective on pencils, you can trust me about cool new math games.
So here is the deal, Ryan has just 14 days to go to get this funded. If you have ever enjoyed a pencil... For the love of Mike (or Ryan) if you can't spare a little bit of money, share this post with your friends. Better yet post it on your blog!

 Sum Wars!

Thanks!
Pencil Reviewer
(aka Ryan's friend)

More Dilbert - Pencil order