I went to check on the house of some friends last week, and this was what greeted me at the door. They have a semi-stray cat who brought them a gift of thanks. Thanks.

Pre-answering machine. Pre-everything. Found at a long-since closed office supply shop on Howard Street in NYC.

This is the third installment of my brother’s ongoing to do lists. He and his partner were visiting yesterday and over lunch they handed me a white envelope containing these ten pages. In the digital world these are so incredibly analog. Yeah!!! My brother asked me why I would ever want to post these. I don’t believe they need an explanation.

Who DOESN’T love Kiosk!?? Owner Alisa Grifo curates small collections of everyday items that she finds on her travels around the world (and from here at home) and sells them in her NYC shop. These miniature stencils from Mexico will mean that you always have some lettering skills at the ready.

I have a streak of nostalgia that runs especially deep when it comes to toys or children’s books. These balsa wood gliders, made since 1926 by Guillow’s, bring back a whole flood of emotion. Every summer my brother and I would end up with a couple of them. I remember my favorite one being the Sky Streak. The rubber band made the arc of flight longer and faster than any of the others. And the propeller added a third element into the design that made it feel not quite so bare bones. My only frustration was at how brittle the balsa wood was, and that if you were even the slightest bit impatient, there went your toy. The fact that these are still in production is good news.