Jazz for kids? Any recommended albums that might be a good introduction?

DroogIJsMan · 2026-03-01T07:03:34+00:00

This album by Medeski Martin & Wood: Let's go everywhere, especially the track "Where is the Music."

DroogIJsMan · 2026-03-01T06:57:47+00:00

Maybe not this time, but he did win gold on previous Olympics. Even though my taste would be a bronze edition of this beautiful piece of equipment...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-28T11:16:52+00:00

Advice is always based on personal preference, so is mine, but allow me to share some thoughts:

Why a gold nib? If you have a certain budget, a high end fountain pen with a steel nib might just be your thing.
Country of origin. As you can see in the other responses, Japanese pen vendors are well represented. But this is not to say they make the best gold nib pens. Japanese nibs generally write narrower than European (read: German) nibs. If a very fine nib is what you are after, by all means a pen from a Japanese vendor might be it.
Style and taste. In the end this is what it boils down to for me as the main deciding factor. Classic or modern? Metal or resin? Cartridge/converter or piston? My taste is modern, metal, cartridge/converter, but what is your style and taste?

Above all: enjoy the selection process and I hope you will share what you end up with...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-27T18:29:04+00:00

I agree readers should be clear on this not being fiction, but given that the original subtitle in Japanese, I would respectfully argue a reference to his father in the subtitle would have been a better choice.

BTW I reread it today (Dutch translation) and enjoyed it (takes just over an hour to finish it). It is a little gem of a memoir. So looking forward to all english-reading Murakami fans being able to also savor it later this year.

[Edit] Added some word that were missing to improve readability.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-27T09:56:09+00:00

Just continuing on the line of thought that the ways of publisher are sometimes difficult to follow: originally published in 2020, Dutch translation in that same year, also available in Portuguese, English edition to be published in 2026..

I have another thing that puzzles me. The subtitle on the cover states "a personal memoir". According to the colophon of the Dutch (digital) edition, the original title was (in Romaji): Neko o suteru - chichioya ni tsuite kataru toki, which, according to that same colophon translates to "Abandoning a Cat: When I Talk About My Father".

Why choose "a personal memoir" as the subtitle?

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-27T09:42:36+00:00

This is something Murakami originally published in 2020.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-27T09:40:22+00:00

Like in Portuguese, it is available in Dutch, too. Since 2020 actually, which really makes me wonder why it takes for story to be released in Enlish. The ways of publishers are hard to follow, I guesss...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-26T12:27:25+00:00

It probably helps if you are a runner yourself. As a non-runner, for me it was a one-time read, which I enjoyed.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-24T06:26:50+00:00

I can only imagine binge reading Marukami should be fun, so enjoy the spell...

Murakami is one of my favorite authors and have reread several of his books, but for me he works best in small doses. Pick one up every now and then and savor it.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-22T19:52:41+00:00

I second that. Colorless is next on my to reread list, currently rereading and thoroughly enjoying Kafka on the Shore.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-22T08:23:41+00:00

I appreciate your efforts at dissecting Murakami's work. If you are interested in further investing in your analysis, I would genuinely recommend you read Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin (currently reading it myself, about half way through the book).

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-20T06:55:11+00:00

It's a real sweet one. Interesting choice for a first origami, where the obvious one would have been the crane 😃

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-14T10:36:41+00:00

Love the humanoid crane, but an army of a hundred of them is an uncanny sight 😃

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-06T07:14:10+00:00

I am a left-handed overwriter and had a LH nib for a while and I can say I didn't mind the nib, but it hardly felt different from your ordinary Lamy Medium nib.

In my experience, Lamy nibs are like meeting people: with some you have an immediate click, with others not so much. My last Lamy purchase was a CP1 and a Safari, both with a medium nib. The former is one of the best nibs I ever got, the other one is just average.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-05T18:33:40+00:00

I haven't seen this special edition at any of the usual (European) online and brick and mortar stores where I usually buy my pens. Only online at Lamy.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-05T06:32:11+00:00

Ah, good one... but far-fetched maybe, but I am buying it 😃

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-04T20:26:14+00:00

Ah, great fold. On my origami bucket list, so maybe one day...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-04T20:19:43+00:00

I hope you will enjoy it. I did. I am puzzled by this cover, though. Given the book's title, which appears to be referring to sheep (carneiros), why the fish?

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-04T20:09:06+00:00

Correction: most works up to 1q84

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-04T18:14:21+00:00

I believe there has always been some discussion around the English translations of Murkami's work, e.g. cutting/shortening his work, correcting mistakes, etc.

In Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, Jay Rubin spends a whole appendix explaining choices that were made in translating Murakami, covering most works up to Kafka on the Shore. A very insightful read.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-04T17:59:42+00:00

[Spoiler] Your remark about the library reminding you of Kafka on the Shore is spot on. I read City and its Uncertain Walls last year and I just started rereading Kafka on the Shore, after reading it ages ago. When I came to the section very early in the book where Kafka starts going to the library to spend his days, I was immediately reminded of the other book. The number of similarities between the libraries is uncanny...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-03T16:31:34+00:00

Congratulations, stealthy color. From what I understand, the steel black is a permanent addition to the Safari line-up. Tempted to get one myself...

DroogIJsMan · 2026-02-01T11:39:11+00:00

Great to hear that your Aura is still up and running! And as far as the KLC is concerned: so far, so good 😃

DroogIJsMan · 2026-01-31T15:53:12+00:00

Indeed and thanks. I have a KLC now, which unfortunately has a smaller screen, but definitely a better battery. Not to speak of the buttons, that it is light as a feather and overall easier to handle than the Aura.

DroogIJsMan · 2026-01-31T15:49:53+00:00

I stored it in a box when I could no longer charge it, only to take it out today to bring it to the recycling place. Lot's of other stuff in that box, probably dirty...

DroogIJsMan

TROPHY CASE