Archive for the ‘Critters’ Category
Need A Laugh?
10/03/2023Lessons From 2021 And Plans For 2022
12/30/20212021 was my year to reorganize and consolidate making the most of what was on hand. The result was a lean kit of basic tools that make writing a pleasure.
Honestly, it was pretty simple. Selling pens financed the purchase of four inexpensive Chinese models one of which has become my favorite daily writer. A contaminated bottle of a favorite ink was replaced. Paper purchases included identical replacements for completed journals along with paper for two A5 loose-leaf notebooks. Hardly adventurous, but it was satisfying to use familiar tools. All of this led to more writing and less fiddling. And that’s a good thing.
Writing more slowly improved my letter forms and my hand was less stressed during rare longer sessions. My softer touch created less drag so extra-fine nibs were less scratchy making them useful again.
Lessons from 2021 that will apply to 2022:
- Sell pens that will never receive the love they deserve.
- If a pen doesn’t thrill me but I am not ready to sell it, there is a drawer where pens-in-waiting can commiserate. In the future, it might be perfect for my needs.
- Converter fillers with satisfying nibs are best for me. Keep no more than three to five filled at a time including pens for testing ink.
- If an ink is terrific, keep using it! Iroshizuku syo-ro in a fine fude is #1 these days with eighteen refills in recent months. Platinum Classic Lavender Black is getting a lot of love, too.
- Stick to my paper niche of Tomoe River 52gsm, a planner with MD paper, and only an occasional tryst with a new brand.
- Write slowly with a soft touch and don’t worry about how my writing looks so long as it is legible.
- Handwritten notes spark ideas for my websites so do it daily if only a sentence or two.
2022 plans include only one new addition, a watercolor journal. In the past, notes, swatches, sketches, palette ideas went in all kinds of places including unrelated notebooks, my personal journal, backs of envelopes, napkins. You name it and I wrote and painted on it. Time to change my ways most likely with a Stillman & Birn Beta or Zeta Sketchbook. Both have paper that will handle watercolor swatches and sketches as well as notes made with fountain pens and pencils. A single notebook is all I will need.
On a different subject, social media can be entertaining if sometimes brutal as I experienced when a narcissistic, delusional FB bully attacked me. Anyway, no one and no topic is worth being the target of that kind of abuse. The lesson here is to trust my instincts and ignore or block people sooner. I am worth it and so are you. On the plus side, this episode encouraged me to reevaluate and expand my plans in a way that I would not have done without the bully’s attack. Instead of doing less, I am doing more. Ironic, eh?
Now you know how my 2021 tool selection evolved as well as the year’s life lesson. The opposite may be better for you with lots of pens, constantly changing inks, a huge variety of notebooks and paper, and handwriting that does not need tweaking. You might even like interacting with a bully. Hey, whatever makes you happy!
Lastly, I learned that I have a namesake. Cute, eh?
Lockdown Distractions Plus A Few Links
05/03/2020To keep the lockdown from being a bore, I’ve spent a good deal of it investigating my under-appreciated and unused writing and watercolor paraphernalia. Exploring several empty journals and an assortment of gel, rollerball and brush pens has provided colorful distraction. My first choice in mechanical pencils, an Autopoint 0.9, has been joined by a Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 and a Pentel Icy 0.7 providing gray-scale variety for sketching as well as writing. My planner has morphed into a diary as well as my log of binge-watching that includes several BBC series, film noir features, Wynonna Earp, Longmire, How the Universe Works with Mike Rowe plus a variety of science programs.
How are you staying busy?
- Leigh Reyes compares waterproof to water resistant to water-soluble
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Paper Review: Yamamoto Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection
- Someone has too much time on their hands
- So does someone else
- The Mind Circle: 30 Secret Hiding Places That Will Fool Even the Smartest Burglar
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Review: DeAtramentis Artist Green, Brown, Black
- TombowUSA: Cloud Doodles
https://twitter.com/Animal_R_Us/status/1255223988961390593
If you want to play along, these are the mechanical pencils I am currently using:
Autopoint 0.9 mm with HB lead
Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 mm with 4B lead
Pentel Icy 0.7 mm with HB lead
Drawn from a photo on Instagram…
Ink, Pens, Paper And A Norbert
01/14/2020Some good stuff and a dog…
- Quick Fountain Pen Review: Top 5 Chinese Fountain Pens 2019
- Anderson Pens: TACCIA LIP COLOR Ink
- Noodler’s Ink has a new website.
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Eye Candy: Yamamoto Paper Tasting (No, that isn’t a typo.)
- Create A Simple Landscape Using Fountain Pen Ink And Water
- fude fan: Japan pen trends in 2019
- From the Pen Cup: Just Right: The Theme System Journal
- A goblet full of chocolate or is it?
Sunday Reads: Pens, Ink, And Pups
10/06/2019Not in the market for a new pen, but if I were, the PenBBS Vac would be on my list. What’s on yours?
Sunday Reads: Pen Stuff And Cat/Dog Siblings
08/18/2019The pen stuff is good but the video will be good for a laugh.
- Jet Pens: Concise Bellows Pen Case (I like the khaki.)
- Fountain Pen Love: Using A Notebook For Fountain Pen Fun and Play
- Ed Jelley: Ensso Piuma Fountain Pen Review by Tim Pockett
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review – JetPen’s Kanso Sasshi Booklets by Laura Cameron
- Clairefontaine: GraF’Book 360° Notebook
- Fountain Pen Blog: Bath Time
Sundays Reads: Filofax, Esterbrooks And A Fab Ink Video
06/23/2019Interested in a vintage Esterbrook fountain pen? Anderson Pens has a wide selection, serviced and ready to write.
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Review: Filofax Clipbook & Pen (FP-friendly paper)
- Anderson Pens has a ton of vintage Esterbrooks on offer
- A Snafu with a happy ending
- Polar Pencil Pusher: Notebook Review: Apica CG-54Â Grid
- Fountain Pen Blog: Travelling with ink: Lake Garda revisited.
- Pen pals: These creators of exquisite writing instruments speak about their passion (h/t hisnibs.com)
Watch through to the end.