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A little over a month ago Kansas City welcomed a new stationery store, May Day Paper and Post! While we do have a pen store and the ubiquitous Paper Source, this is an indie stationery store, one that I’m delighted to support. May Day bills itself as a place for all things snail mail.
This past Friday while Ana was at the St. Louis Pen Show, I drove up to check it out! The store is super cute, set in midtown Kansas City. It has a fun, curated collection of greeting cards, notebooks and notecards, journals, stickers, mugs, wrapping paper and other giftables. To be clear, this isn’t a pen store. They did have a fun selection of Gelly Roll pens and a few roller balls and ball points, but it’s primarily about the paper. It’s whimsical, and the owner definitely has a sense of humor.
I was restrained but found a few cute cards on the long wall. My selections were from Black and White and Red All Over and A Zillion Dollars. Both cards are printed nicely, and use recycled content for both the cards and envelopes.
I saw many of the familiar notebooks (Maruman, Kleid, Leuchtturm, and more), plus some from companies I hadn’t heard from. I did pick up one notebook – I’ll share my thoughts on it next week!
Overall it’s a cute shop, and if you’re in the Kansas City area, you won’t be disappointed if you stop by! And if you’re looking for a fun new shop to support, you can also shop online!
P.S. If you stop by, make sure you give shop dog Lucy lots of pets!
The post A new stationery store: May Day Paper & Post appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Review by Tina Koyama
I always say (to myself and others) that I’m not a sheeny, shiny, glittery gal (I’ve only ever purchased one bottle of shimmery ink, and I gave it away soon after). Obviously a liar, I recently found myself craving some sheeny, shiny, glittery watercolors. The Boku-Undo Gansai Watercolor Palette in the Aurora colors (6/$14.75) looked mouth-watering.
Before I plant my face into the sheen, I thought I’d mention that I’m already a fan of the Boku-Undo mini palettes of unique watercolors. The E-Sumi palette I reviewed a few years ago are a lot of fun to use when I’m in a dark mood. While the e-sumi palette is subdued, the Aurora set is on the opposite end of the scale: It’s all about the dazzling light.
The set includes (from left) gold, silver, red, green, blue and purple. I used both my scanner and my phone to photograph swatches in direct daylight on black and white papers. Each time, the swatches look very different!
On white paper, the shimmer is apparent in direct light, but the hues are difficult to differentiate and even seem to change. I’m not sure they are worth using on white paper.
On dark paper, however, the effect is entirely different. The sparkly, metallic particles glow on black paper. I rubbed a finger across the dried swatches, and some sparkly flecks smeared a bit like powder.
It was obvious that I had to make a test sketch on black paper, so I used a black Stillman & Birn Nova sketchbook. And I had just the right reference photo to use! During the summer months when the sun doesn’t go down until 8 or 9 p.m., my spouse guy and I take after-dinner walks through the neighborhood to enjoy the light. The gorgeous “golden hour” is too brief to sketch on location, so I snap a lot of reference photos to sketch from later (like the long, dismal winters when the sun goes down at 4). The photo I used wasn’t as dark as my sketch appears, but the low, warm light gave everything a lovely glow.
Whatever gives these paints their sparkle also makes them thicker than typical watercolors. I applied them fairly thick to retain as much concentrated shimmer as possible, and they felt a bit creamy rather than watery.
Oooh, these paints are fun on black paper! I have fully embraced my inner glitter gal.
Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.
The post Watercolor Review: Boku-Undo Gansai Aurora Palette appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Sure, Benihana has over 110 locations worldwide, but I know most are not in the basement of a two-thousand-square-foot single-family suburban home. I’ve personally visited Benihana in the past—on a DATE, Brian, because I had other romantic partners before we met—but that particular location did not have a two-car garage or a novelty mailbox in the shape of a fish, although I suppose it would reflect the restaurant’s delicious sushi menu. That’s just sensible branding, Brian. Benihana is more than great teppanyaki.
I remember walking through this house with the real estate agent three years ago. We definitely discussed the UNFINISHED basement. I even walked into a cobweb, Brian. You laughed affectionately and called me your “little mummy.” I also remember later that night when I playfully chased you, going, “Currrse, CURRRSE.”
I’ll tell you what I don’t remember: A discussion about a basement restaurant featuring ten teppan-style griddle tables, each with comfortable seating for eight people.
At no stage during our subsequent home inspection did we encounter a staff of at least fifteen people, including several rigorously-trained teppanyaki chefs. I have enjoyed meeting the employees when they emerge upstairs to pet the dog or smoke outside. However, some of the hostesses can be surly. But I know for a fact none of these individuals were in the house before. Unless this is some sort of Parasite situation. Are we doing Parasite now, Brian? There are more proactive ways to address society’s many tragic disparities. We’ve talked about this.
When we first moved in, my clothing did not smell of sizzling USDA-Choice beef. My boss at work never took me aside for a “confidential conversation” about my “strongly scented shrimp and noodle shampoo.” That is a recent issue. It was a weird conversation, Brian. Also, he would like a reservation on Saturday. For ten people. At 8:00 p.m. It’s his birthday, Brian!
Did corporate even sign off on this? What would the late Hiroaki Aoki—founder of Benihana and father of megastar DJ Steve Aoki—say if he knew this was happening? I’ll tell you who DOES know, Brian: the neighbors. If they weren’t getting happy-hour pricing on top of an already reasonably priced and tantalizing menu, I’m pretty sure we’d have some legal problems here. I’m not even sure where to find an attorney who specializes in defending secret residential eatery franchisees, no matter how successful the restaurant concept is. That’s not the kind of law I studied at Tufts, Brian. I don’t think this comes up a lot.
Here’s the thing: I don’t actually care about any of that stuff. I’m not upset about the perpetually stinky house, or the rowdy customers, or the occasional visits from the fire department. I just don’t like the gaslighting, Brian. No, I don’t mean the industrial stoves; I mean the lies.
That’s what hurts. And I don’t know how our relationship can recover.
But an onion volcano is a good start.
I don’t know precisely why I love my TWSBIs as much as I do. Sure there’s the fact that they’re sort of modern, tech-y looking with the see through barrels, and the piston filler. There’s the fact that my TWSBIs almost always start on the first go, and don’t run dry unless they are literally out of ink. The, ECOs, of which I have three, are incredibly reasonably priced so they make great entry-level fountain pens. They provide a nice, if not exceptional, writing experience. They’re available in a ton of different nib sizes. Ok… I guess I’ve given myself a few reasons.
Despite really liking my TWSBI ECOs, I’ve never actually branched out and tried any of their other pens. (I take that back, I tried the TWSBI Swipe a while ago and thought it was ok.) But this time I saw the TWSBI Diamond Mini AL in Grape (a limited edition color!; $62.50) and decided to give the more expensive model a go!
The Diamond Mini AL is TWSBI’s version of a pocket pen. It is styled similarly to the other pens, in the sense that it has a transparent plastic barrel which gives you a bird’s eye view of the piston filling system. There are differences though. The grip and part of the piston system are designed in aluminum. The barrel of the pen is faceted (hence the “Diamond” feel and look). While the ECO and the SWIPE tend to be boxier, with edges on the cap, the Diamond Mini’s edges are rounded, and the cap is tapered. Overall while the ECO is utilitarian, the Diamond Mini is a bit sleeker looking.
I decided to compare a few pens that I use as daily writers to give you a sense of size.
L to R: TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Diamond Mini AL, Kaweco AL Sport, Sailor Pro-Gear Slim.
While the pens vary quite a bit in length when capped, when uncapped the Diamond Mini AL and the Kaweco AL Sport aren’t that different in length. The nibs, however, do have a size differential. In terms of weight they’re very similar: The Pro Gear comes in at 19gm, the ECO at 20, the AL Sport at 21g, and finally the Diamond Mini AL is the heaviest at 23g. But that’s not a HUGE range.
So what do I think? If I’m entirely 100% honest, I don’t feel much of a writing difference between the ECO and the Diamond Mini AL. This is my first extra fine nib from TWSBI, and given that TWSBI tends to use western-style nibs, I don’t find the extra fine to be scratchy in the least. In fact I quite like it. The pen is a bit weightier in my hand, and it’s smaller in size, but I have small hands and it seems like a comfortable writer. So what would make me pay more for the Diamond AL Mini? To me, it comes down to aesthetics. The Mini is fun, and often I do prefer aluminum to plastic (see my preferences for Kawecos!), but given that I don’t see a huge writing difference, I feel like I’m more apt to stick with the ECOs than amass another collection.
Do you have a favorite TWSBI? I’d love to hear about it!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge or at a discount for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Fountain Pen Review: TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape – Limited Edition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Three years have passed since the UK government implemented emergency legislation in response to the COVID pandemic. The Coronavirus Act 2020 made amendments to laws affecting many aspects of society, including the duties and powers incumbent on England’s local authorities to provide adult social care under the Care Act 2014.
The Coronavirus Act 2020 set out legislative changes to statutory requirements, known as Care Act “easements”, which provided local authorities with a legal avenue to operate with reduced workforce capacity. The easements allowed care and support provision to be changed or, in extreme circumstances, withdrawn to meet more urgent needs elsewhere in the system.
While it was important to respond to the unique pressures the pandemic was placing on adult social care, these swiftly introduced changes prompted concern. Easements and other changes to support provided by local authorities were meant to be temporary and a last resort. But campaigners feared they could “set a dangerous precedent”, permanently affecting standards and expectations of care.
Three years on, we can see that some of these changes, combined with the subsequent cost of living crisis, have indeed had far-reaching consequences, both for those receiving social care support and the care workforce.
Care Act easements – and other similar, less formal adjustments to processes – meant in some cases longer waits for assessments, or for decisions on and reviews of packages of care. Certain processes, such as hospital discharge, moved faster. But this prompted concerns about hasty decision-making and the effects of discharging COVID-positive patients into residential care homes.
A growing body of research highlights many people’s difficulties accessing information and support. Phone lines were often closed as staff began working from home. Inequalities around digital access became apparent as appointments moved online. Many service users, especially older people and those with learning disabilities, struggled to request or access help once social support services and day centres were closed.
Some care users – and also carers – reported feeling increased anxiety and reduced wellbeing, heightened by the greater responsibility that was placed on unpaid carers and a simultaneous loss of respite opportunities.
Meanwhile, “hidden harms” such as neglect and domestic abuse were harder to spot and address while social workers were required to work remotely.
Further, public health rules around social distancing meant many people were faced with restrictions on face-to-face visits from health and care professionals, as well as friends and family who might ordinarily offer support. All of this had a significant effect on the wellbeing of many citizens with social care needs.
Read more: Adult social care was hit hard during the pandemic – it will need help to recover
Despite workers doing what they could under intense pressure, the government’s response to the crisis in the sector – in terms of guidance, and practical and financial support – was deemed insufficient and too late by senior social care professionals.
Even as the world reopened following vaccination campaigns, things didn’t return to “normal” for people requiring social care in England. If anything, it’s becoming more difficult to meet their needs.
High numbers of care workers surveyed during the first year of the pandemic reported mental and physical burnout. Contributing factors included working extra hours, reduced staffing ratios, a lack of PPE, poor support, and ever-changing safety guidance. All of this was compounded by the risk of infection.
Social workers and others employed by local authorities reported similar levels of stress, with three-quarters of social workers in one survey stating that they were “mentally and emotionally exhausted” after working through the height of the pandemic.
Operational changes in working practices such as remote working, and increased delays and waiting lists, sometimes prompted a sense of moral injury when workers were unable to deliver services in accordance with their professional values and standards.
The social care workforce was already under stress before COVID, with low pay, precarious contracts, and chronic under-resourcing. In 2020, frontline staff were “rewarded” with applause and badges rather than pay rises and improved working conditions.
As the public memory of the worst days of the pandemic recedes, many in the social care sector are seeking work elsewhere. This is understandable but increases the burden for those who remain, which consequently risks standards for service users.
There are currently around 165,000 vacancies to fill in the care sector in England, with the majority of councils struggling to recruit and retain social workers. Yet a 2021 government pledge of £500 million to boost recruitment and retention in the social care workforce has been reduced by half.
Life changed dramatically for everyone at the height of the pandemic, but some felt the effects disproportionately. People who were financially disadvantaged, older or had a disability, for example, were more vulnerable to higher rates of infection, worse outcomes from illness, and greater social isolation and poverty.
Although they were formally withdrawn again in 2021, certain legislative and operational changes introduced during the initial peaks of COVID, on top of an already stretched system, have arguably left a damaging legacy on the availability and quality of care and support for disabled and older adults.
Read more: After COVID: why we need a change in care home culture
Professional health and social care organisations, charities, and many frontline workers view the situation today as more perilous than ever.
While COVID arguably shone a light on the critical value of the care sector, and the tribulations of those living and working under its auspices, there has been little substantial improvement to conditions. Three years on from the start of the pandemic, the scars left on the sector and the communities it serves are still raw.
Laura Noszlopy is a research fellow in the School of Social Policy at University of Birmingham. Until June 2022, she was research fellow on a project examining the impact of Care Act easements, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant ES/V015486/1. This work was supported by that grant.
Jean McHale was principal investigator on the Economic and Social Research Council COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant ES/V015486/1, November 2020- July 2022. This work was supported by that grant. She is also a Trustee of Central England Law Centre.
Nature, Published online: 05 April 2023; doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05904-0
Cryo-electron microscopy and tomography structures of reconstituted and endogenous human mRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes bound to the transcription–export complex reveal how mRNAs are packaged and recognized for nuclear export.
A week or so ago Ana let me know she was sending me a new keyboard desk pad to try out. You may remember my fondness for desk pads, and my previous reviews of my Ruff House planners and the Original Crown Mill keyboard pad. Despite technology, I love having a place to write down my daily to do list, notes from meetings, etc. So when Ana sent me the Cortex Sidekick Notepad ($39), I was eager to test it out.
The Sidekick Notepad is designed by the one and only Myke Hurley, cohost of the Pen Addict Podcast. According to Cotton Bureau, “Sidekick Notepad is designed to sit comfortably with you and your keyboard. It’s ready and waiting for whatever you‘re working on. Capture all your tasks, action items, notes, and thoughts.”
Let’s get down to it. The Sidekick Notepad is listed as approximately 12″ wide by 7″ tall. (I measured the paper itself as 11.75″ x 6.25″ (30cm x 16cm). The Notepad has a sturdy cardboard backing and a cover made of a paper called “Extract” that is made from recycled coffee cups in London. It has scored edges so it can be folded over the back of the notepad while in use.
Inside are 60 sheets of Munken Lynx paper in a natural white color. There is a box for the Date at the top of the notepad and 2/3 of the pad has a dot grid where you can take notes, doodle, draw diagrams or the like. On the right 1/3 of the notepad is list where you can add and check off items.
I put the paper through its paces with fountain pens, fountain pen ink, brush pens, gel pens, fine liners and of course, Sharpies. The Sharpies always fail the test, but everything else didn’t show through, bleed or feather. Even the ink swab (which I did with cotton swabs) didn’t bleed through. You can see some distortion where the liquid was, but I wouldn’t expect a desk pad to be waterproof anyway (even though it might end up seeing some coffee).
Each sheet is perforated on the top meaning when you’re done, tear it off and start again on a fresh page.
I wanted to take a brief moment to compare the pad to a few others that I have tried.
Functionally speaking, the Sidekick Notepad is more or less the same size as my Ruff House planners. The format is different (the Ruff House planners have weekly undated planning pages) whereas the Sidekick is a bit more freeform. However, they are roughly the same size and weight, which I know does work for me.
The Original Crown Hill keyboard pad is more what I think of as something to keep right under my keyboard and handy for notes. It is much wider and thinner – it measure a whopping 16.5″ x 3.5″ (42cm x 9cm) and is a more convenient alternative if what you want is a notebook right under your keyboard.
The Sidekick won’t fulfill quite the same function as my daily planner, but I do think that it will be a useful addition to keep next to my computer, along with my planner, but better for notes in meetings, random thoughts, etc. With 60 pages, it’s likely to last for a while, though I suppose that depends on how active my days are and how many notes I really take.
I do like the paper – it is nice and smooth, and will handle any pen that I grab at my desk (I rarely use Sharpies so that’s not really a concern) and I think I’ll enjoy using it. The only question I have in my mind is whether I would continue to buy a notebook I just use for jotting down notes at $40. I should say, I don’t think it’s overpriced since it uses premium paper, recycled materials and is imported to the US from London. But if I were to use a page a day, a Sidekick would last me only 2 months so I’d have to decide if I’m enough of a devotee to keep going back for more. Let’s see how I feel after a few months and I’ll report back!
The post Notebook Review: Cortex Sidekick Notepad appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Ana and I were chatting last night and we’ve noticed something about a lot of the limited edition, 2023 pens. Let me add a few photos…
Did I miss the green for 2023 memo? There are a few interesting finds that aren’t green. For instance the Limited Edition Carousel from Ferris Wheel Press ($90 via Jenni Bick) is rosy. The new TWSBI Eco is Persian Green ($32.99 via Pen Boutique), but it’s definitely got more blue in it. And Lamy, well, they’ve just decided to reissue previous colors on different bodies.
So what do you think? Is green giving you good vibes for this year? Are there other limited edition pens you’re digging in other colors?
The post It’s not easy being green. appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Nature, Published online: 22 March 2023; doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05763-9
By using in vivo ultrafast TA spectroscopy, extraction of electrons directly from photoexcited PSI and PSII in cyanobacterial cells using exogenous electron mediators is demonstrated.
I’m pretty sure if I were to have to pick one notebook size forever more, it would like be A5. It really is just the right size – not too big, not too small. How very Goldilocks of me!
However, I find that I can never quite make up my mind what kind of purse I want to carry. Sometimes I want a behemoth bag that’s big enough to hold a smaller purse, a knitting project, and 12 other things that I can’t seem to live without. And then other times I want a small purse to just grab and go. Either way, I need a notebook and pen, right?
Last time I was browsing Yoseka, I spied the Kleid Kraft Work Memo notebook in A6 size ($7.50). I’m currently on a small bag kick, and I thought this might be the perfect notebook for on the go. It’s small, lightweight, has an elastic loop for closure at the corner, is a spiral so it lays flat – could it be the perfect notebook?
This notebook is A6 size, meaning it measures in at 4 1/8″ x 5 7/8″ and is approximate 1/2″ thick. (10.5 cm x 15 cm, under 1 cm thick). The cover is made of sturdy cardstock, with a tight spiral. Inside are 70 pages of kraft paper with 2mm grid. The only other “frill” is the elastic strap to keep it closed at the corner.
I have to say, I like this size and I like the paper, but it’s probably not really designed for fountain pen ink. The grid is printed on the page in a way that doesn’t get covered by the fountain pen in, meaning it shows through which is a bit distracting.
Worse, I’m a lefty and I rest my hand on the page. Just that slight bit of moisture from my hand changed the texture of the paper a bit, and the ink was more prone to feathering and bleeding through there.
I did test it with my gels, fine liners and ball points though and the paper seemed to perform quite well with those.
So this may not be the perfect notebook if you’re a die hard fountain pen lover, but if you’re good throwing a ballpoint or gel pen in your purse, then this still might be a great notebook for jotting important things down when you’re out and about. And I do love that elastic loop at the corner for keeping the notebook closed and the edges tidy when I throw it in my bag.
DISCLAIMER: I purchased this notebook with my own funds for the purposes of this review. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Notebook Review: Kleid Kraft Work Memo A6 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Ana and I are enormously lucky to be able to buy and try so many gorgeous pens. However, at times, we find that the pen stash has gotten a bit unwieldy, and some pens rise to the top of the ‘must-be-inked-at-all-times’ while others remain unused.
So what are we to do but have a pen sale and find forever homes for these beauties! A few notes about the sale going on right now over in the Well-Appointed Desk shop:
We hope you find a new-to-you pen and we’re thrilled to send it to a new home!
The post Did someone say pen sale? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Nature, Published online: 08 March 2023; doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05770-w
Fumarate metabolism regulates the innate immune response through a mechanism in which high levels of fumarate result in the generation of mitochondrial-derived vesicles and the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol, which activates inflammatory pathways.
I hadn’t thought about getting a new fountain pen for my new job, until I was watching a Friday happy hour edition of Mike’s podcast (Inkdependence) and he announced he was releasing a special design collaboration with Ian Schon of SchonDSGN, the “Cheerio Waterpen.” And just like that I was sucked in.
Back in April of 2022 Mike collaborated with Pennonia to produce a Cheerio Waterbus ink and, at the same time, his wife Audrey created a special edition nail polish color of the same name. The ink was a lovely emerald green with lots of blue pigment – a blue green color after my own heart. So when the pen came out I just couldn’t skip it.
The Cheerio Waterpen was designed as a full size Schon Dsgn pen. It has an aluminum barrel with an anodized finish, and houses a Jowo #6 nib which I ordered in fine. Despite being a full size pen, the Cheerio Waterpen is a small size (nice for those of us with small hands!) coming in at about 5″/13cm capped, and 4.875″/12.5cm uncapped. It is postable, but I choose not to as it’s perfectly balanced without. The pen came with a standard international converter and can be used with cartridges as well.
In terms of weight, it weighs in at 27g, not unexpected for a metal barreled pen.
As part of my green/teal/blue collection, it stands in good company.
L to R: Kaweco x Hello Kitty Opal Green AL Sport, Franklin Christoph Vanness Pocket 45, SchonDSGN Cheerio Waterpen, Pelikan M205 Apatite
The pen itself is exceedingly pretty, but it’s also a delight to write with. The nib is perfectly bouncy and writes smoothly, with good ink flow. The pen itself is fairly lightweight, and the section in particular is the perfect length and circumference for me to write comfortably.
So now I’ve got a pretty new pen and a great new notebook – I just need a few meetings to get started!
The post Fountain Pen Review: SchonDsgn x Inkdependence “Cheerio Waterpen” appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
The release of reality television series Milf Manor in January 2023 has added to the pantheon of milfs (“Mothers I’d Like to Fuck”) on screen. But from Stacy’s mum to Stifler’s mum: why is our cultural fascination with and fetishisation of the milf so enduring?
The milf is an older mother who is considered sexually attractive. Not to be confused with the “cougar”, a middle-aged woman who seeks relationships with significantly younger men.
Before the milf, there was Mrs Robinson. Anne Bancroft’s character in The Graduate (1967) has been described as one of popular culture’s original “hot moms”. Back to the Future (1985), too, featured an entertaining – if uncomfortably close to incestuous – story line where a time-travelling Marty McFly becomes the object of his young mother’s affection.
Years later, the term “milf” was coined by teenage comedy American Pie (1999), when one of the core characters has sex with their friend Stifler’s mother (played by Jennifer Coolidge). This moniker becomes her character’s defining feature.
In 2003, American rock band Fountains of Wayne released Stacy’s Mom, a comedic coming-of-age song which centres on the narrator’s attraction to his classmate’s mother.
Singer Fergie released Milf $ in 2016, which redefined the term in its music video as “Moms I’d Like to Follow”. The video featured celebrity mums in provocative scenes, including Kim Kardashian showering in milk and Devon Aoki bending over to put her child in a baby seat.
This attempt to reclaim the term was complicated by the video’s very specific imagery. These celebrity mums can afford the best healthcare as well as beauty treatments to slow the visible ageing process. These depictions reinforce the message that older women can only be deemed milfs (and by extension, sexually desirable) if their bodies conform to ideals of thinness and youth.
In Beyond Milf – an analysis of the role of the milf in pornography and popular culture – author May Friedman claims the term “denies sexual agency, positioning mothers as the recipients of sexual attention and as sexual objects, rather than as active participants”.
What “milfs” have in common, she says, is that they are: “almost always white, usually middle to upper class and are universally presented in heterosexual contexts”.
This can be said of Stacy’s mum and Stifler’s mum. These milfs are positioned explicitly in relation to adolescent boys or young men – denied a name and defined by their status as “mothers”.
It is the awkwardness of teen perspectives that make these pop culture products humorous. And yet, Stacy’s Mom and American Pie were not created by prepubescent boys, but by adult men. For some modern audiences the infantile comedy prevalent in the late 1990s and early 2000s is antiquated and offensive.
Enter: Milf Manor, a reality TV series that has caused outrage for what some viewers deem sexist and vaguely incestuous content.
The series follows eight “hot moms” aged 40 to 60, trying to find love with younger men in a lavish mansion. As with most reality shows, a twist is revealed in the first 15 minutes – they will be dating each other’s sons.
This series differs from previous portrayals of the milf, but still sits uncomfortably with the television industry’s recent concerns with equality, inclusion and female agency.
Unlike the milfs portrayed by Stacy’s mom, Stifler’s mom and Mrs Robinson, several Milf Manor cast members are women of colour. This diversity showcases a shift in the aforementioned perception that milfs are “almost always white”.
The most significant change comes from the rise of “popular feminism”, in which the mere presence of women is deemed sufficient enough to call a show “feminist”. The creators of Milf Manor use language of “empowerment” to justify the show. Executive producer Daniela Neumann asserts:
Older men have been dating younger women for generations and no one bats an eye. Now it’s women’s turn to feel empowered.
The world’s largest experiment about human desire, conducted in 2011, suggested that the milfs’ appeal lies in their sexual confidence, agency and knowledge. These qualities are particularly attractive to young men stuck between childhood independence and adult autonomy.
In The Graduate, for instance, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from university with no aim in life and experiencing profound alienation. It is Mrs Robinson who fills the void brought about by his disconnection from his parents.
When the term milf began gaining currency in the 1990s, the US was experiencing a rise in young single mothers and the postponement of marriage and parenthood. Research also found that young adults were staying in the parental home for longer than ever before.
This affected images of the family and suburbia on screen. Both Stifler’s and Stacy’s mothers are single parents.
Concerns about the “arrested development” of young men have increased post-recession and the COVID pandemic has exacerbated the declining mental health of teens forced to stay at home. Milf Manor draws on the familial proximity brought about by the pandemic, uncomfortably exploring the tensions of this dynamic.
Depictions of the milf respond to cultural shifts and anxieties around growing up. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she was the white, middle-class image of suburbia. Since the late 2000s, she has become more diverse – but shows such as Milf Manor make it clear that uncertain social and economic conditions are still affecting the ways familial relationships are depicted on screen.
Laura Minor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Greetings! I’m currently coming to you from the Sydney airport where I’m in a confusing state of the future and the international dateline muck!
I’ve spent the last almost two weeks adventuring in New Zealand! (And I do mean adventuring: fjords, and runs and paragliding oh my!)
I did take my trusty journal (Review here) with me, along with one of my favorite Kaweco AL Sports. I love the Kawecos because there’s no ink mess after plane hopping and they start right up every time – just pack a cartridge and go!
I’ll have more travel notes for you when I’m stateside, but for now here’s a fun shot of me journaling in Queenstown Gardens, and a few other highlights.
The post A New Zealand Adventure appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Nature, Published online: 28 February 2023; doi:10.1038/d41586-023-00538-8
The mechanisms that enable the deadly spread of cancer are not fully understood. It emerges that tumours can signal to the lung to manipulate lipids and so prime the organ to support tumour cells that subsequently spread there.
Many of us are not quite back into the pen show circuit yet, but we’re eagerly watching others. One of my favorite ways to “do” a pen show that I can’t attend is to watch Mike Matteson’s feed (Inkdependence on YouTube). If he’s at the show, it’s a good bet he’ll do a Friday afternoon walk through. You do need to guard your wallet though, because it can be dangerous.
Back when he did the Philly Pen Show walkthrough in January I was on the hunt for a new notebook. I’m getting ready to change jobs (I start a new one on March 6th!) and I wanted to treat myself to a new notebook to store all those first few weeks of information in. You know, where they turn on the fire hose and inundate you with information you’ll need later but just can’t absorb all of. So here I was blithely watching Mike walk the pen show floor when he came upon Odyssey notebooks. And that Pompei Marine Life? I was smitten.
I chose the 300 Page A5 Cosmo Air Light Notebook, with the Pompei Marine Life cover ($34) because those sea creatures (artwork by Flaroh Illustration) are AMAZING.
The notebook is A5 size (8.25 x 5.625″/21 x 14.5 cm), weighing in at a hefty 423g. Though it’s not lightweight, it packs a lot of pages!
The cover is printed cardboard and the inner illustrations are beautiful as well with their Greek theme. Inside are 300 numbered pages of 83gsm Cosmo Air Light paper in an off-white color. I was super interested in trying this notebook out because I haven’t sampled Cosmo Air Light paper yet. While I love Tomoe River, I often find it’s too thin for my liking, so I was interested to try out a slightly heavier weight notebook. The paper is really interesting – it’s super smooth and just a bit toothy. On my wider nib pens (Kaweco B, Pelikan F) the ink is really wet, but it seems to dry quickly. I didn’t find any feathering, but the ink definitely spreads a bit. Even my Kaweco with the F nib isn’t a super thin line.
That said, there’s a bit of show through but no bleeding and the opposite side of the page is super useable (I get distracted if I can see too much of the previous page through the paper).
While I love the cardboard cover and it seems sturdy, I’ll likely slip it into one of my notebook covers (maybe my Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter?) to keep it from getting too banged up.
I’m excited to start a fresh new job with a fresh new notebook.
P.S. Next week I’ll tell you about the new pen I bought!
DISCLAIMER: I purchased the notebook above from Odyssey Notebooks with my own funds for my own use. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Notebook Review: Odyssey A5 Cosmo Air Light Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Dear Well- Appointed Desk Readers:
Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you’re able to have a little fun today, even if it’s a dreary February day where you are.
I just wanted to thank you for reading along with us at “the desk.” We love writing and reviewing products and getting to share our love of all things stationery with you. Your comments make us so happy!
So we wish you a wonderful Valentine’s Day. And even if you’re not so keen on today’s holiday, there’s always tomorrow’s – half price chocolate day!
Laura
P.S. Roses are red, violets are blue, we love office supplies, we’re glad you do too!!
The post A Valentine appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
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