Office Supply Industry Expert — 23 November 2010
What’s on Their Desk – Brad Dowdy: Founder of PenAddict.Com

Brad Dowdy - Blogger at PenAddict.com

Many of my visitors here are very familiar with the great work that Brad from PenAddict.com does with his in-depth and detailed reviews of some of the coolest pens (and the occasional notebook) that you will find.  Besides being a great blogger himself, Brad is also a great friend to all of the other bloggers in this niche.  He has always been a great friend to this blog which I will always be appreciative for, although I do wish he would stop kicking my butt in fantasy baseball, but that is a story for another day and another blog.

As with all of the interviews in this series, I’ve kicked them off with a little bio and background on each person, so let’s get started with a little bit about Brad, in his own words:

No one LOVES being a cube jockey, but when playing the hand you are dealt, you try to make the best of it.  I wish I could stay home and review pens and paper all day, but being a unix engineer in a data center is what pays the bills.  Here is what gets me through my work day:

doane idea journal

The Pen Addict's Doane Idea Journal and a Signo DX

1. Doane Idea JournalThe best desk notebook/journal I have ever used.  I think I would get the shakes if I showed up one morning and it was missing.  The quality of construction is top-notch with the heavy chipboard cover, and Doane’s Grid+Line paper is far and away my favorite.  I write notes, to-do lists, diagrams, network sketches, and pretty much everything else you can think of in this catch-all notebook.  It travels great in my messenger bag as well.

Brad's Full Desk - Great Monitor Usage in Addition to the Cool Office Supplies

Brad's Full Desk - Great Monitor Usage in Addition to the Cool Office Supplies

2.  OXO LiquiSeal™ Thermal Beverage ContainerSpeaking of the shakes – I am a coffee junkie.  This OXO container is one step shy of a full-blown thermos, and gets me from home to office with 24oz of steaming hot nectar of the gods.

Brad's OXO Container, Extra Large Mouse Pad, and the Nomadic Pencil Case

Brad's OXO Container, Extra Large Mouse Pad, and the Nomadic Pencil Case

3.  Staples Extra Large Mouse Pad – Not my pens, not my paper, not my iPod, but my mouse pad is the single most commented on item on my desk by my co-workers.  Everyone’s first reaction is to laugh at it, but their next question is always “where did you get it?”  The extra-large size keeps me from sliding off the edge of a regular size mouse pad.  At just $9.99 this is a must-have for me.

Note:  Brad (nor I) could find his current mouse pad on the Staples website, but I did find this Extra Large Mouse Pad on Amazon, and it is also available in black.  Keep in mind this isn’t the same one as Brad’s and neither he or I have reviewed or used it.

4. Nomadic Roller Pencil CaseSee that cup of pens on my desk?  That is for you my pen stealing co-workers.  If it is in the Nomadic, then it is all mine!  Any true pen addict keeps their prized possessions away from prying eyes and grabby hands.  This lives in my messenger bag when not in use, but I keep it handy on the desk when I’m sitting there for quick access to my Sharbo X, Kuru Toga, Hi-Tec-C, and Jetstream pens.

So there you have it, another look into the daily life of someone who REALLY knows their office supplies.  Thanks so much to Brad for participating and for being such a great friend to the blog, if you don’t already follow The Pen Addict, you definitely need to check it out so you can stay up to date on some really cool pens.  You can also find Brad and The Pen Addict on Twitter @dowdyism.

© 2010 – 2011, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

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  • http://www.penaddict.com dowdyism

    Thanks for the kind words Brian – much appreciated!

  • http://www.pencilwrap.com/weekly-wrap-112610/ Weekly Wrap | PencilWrap.com

    [...] What’s On Their Desk – Brad Dowdy:Founder of PenAddict.com – Office Supply Geek [...]

  • http://www.sandiegocubicles.com/blog/ San Diego Office Furniture

    It is an awesome mouse pad. From the photo I thought you just had a really, really tiny mouse. You know what the office furniture people need to come up with next? An entire desk surface that is a mouse pad. Of course, it would have to be impregnated with that powdered silver stuff they use for anti-bacterial purposes or it would get pretty nasty over time. Maybe the pad could be a removable desk topper so it could be replaced as needed. That mouse pad fabric has the perfect texture to keep stuff like pencils from rolling off a desk. It would also absorb condensation rings from mugs and water glasses. So, it would be multi-purpose!

    Daisy McCarty

  • http://www.officesupplygeek.com OfficeSupplyGeek

    @dowdyism – No problem Brad, thanks for taking the time to contribute to this series!

    @Daisy – That would be good for comfort reasons as well, I know that every now and then my elbow gets sore from resting on the desk…nice and cushy for a quick nap too. ;)

  • Sue Stromquist

    I am so glad to know that someone else keeps a container of pens for accidental and intentional pen thieves!

  • http://www.officesupplygeek.com OfficeSupplyGeek

    @Sue Stromquist – Such a good idea, I could learn a thing or two from you guys.

  • I Romero

    Ha! Leave the cheapy pens for the coworkers! I do the same thing! :D