At around about the same time this year, three new products and one that was older than me, caught my eye. The first was a bursting orange from The Pen Addict's Brad Dowdy and the Australian manufacturer Robert Oster, with the nicely tongue-in-cheek name of Fire on Fire. This coincided with the delivery of a … Continue reading The Pen Addict vs. Lamy Shootout—Brad’s on Fire!
Well, it kind of serves me right if nobody actually reads this it's been so long since I last posted; and before you read any further, you might want to check out an older post, in which this Lamy 2000 first appeared. Are you back? Good, then let's begin. It was actually months ago that … Continue reading Return of the Lackluster Lamy
In episode 331 of The Pen Addict podcast, Brad Dowdy said he wanted Toronto to be freezing. In response, Ana Reinert of the Well-Appointed Desk wisely advised him to shush his mouth. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and at 6:00am I was clearing the first snow-fall in our patch of Ontario from my car, before … Continue reading Scriptus 2018—First Show, First Thoughts
I have been lucky enough to have had—for some while now—a few fountain pens that are both beautiful to look at, and a truly beautiful writing experience. My favorite in both of these categories is, by the slimmest of margins, my Edison Collier in Burnished Gold, with a 1.1mm steel stub nib that I smoothed … Continue reading Waterman Carène in Marine Amber… That’s It, I Need No More Pens
There were a lot of titles suggested for this post, mostly reminiscent of some 1970s British comedy films that were heavy on the double entendres and the sexism. A lady, who I'll do the favour of not naming, suggested something that involved falling in love with a broad Sailor endowed with an impressive custom grind. … Continue reading A Nibmeister Adjustment—Yes or No?
Do lightweight, motivational messages, on internet memes irritate you? Just a bit? They kind of do that to me. A few months ago I could have used a motivational message or two, and frankly, was about ready to give up on a lot of things... PhD., research, writing, you name it; anything but family. I … Continue reading You’re Never Too Old To Listen To Your Mother
On the night of the 21st June this year, running into the early hours of the 22nd, while I was in Canada, so many miles away, and so preoccupied with PhD work, posts about my latest fountain pen, and deep discussions with friends, my mum passed away, very peacefully, whilst sleeping on her couch back … Continue reading Taking a Break
Until recently, I've been using my old dissection kit carry case as a perfectly acceptable leather pen case. I say perfectly accessible, this I suppose is defined by what you find perfectly acceptable. The case dates back to my biology degree in the 1990s, and there are slots that will hold 12 large pens with … Continue reading Galen Leather 10-Pen Case in Crazy Horse Brown
Well, it may all have been said before, but not by me, so I'm going to say it anyway; and besides, what's old news for some of us, can still be useful to others. The Pilot Metropolitan seems to have been around forever. Anyone who has ever commented on fountain pens, has had something to … Continue reading Is there Anything New to Say About the Pilot Metropolitan?
Recently, I have had a number of small parcels wing their way to me from the only Ontario-based, online fountain pen and stationery specialists, the Wonder-People in Toronto (soon to be relocating, but staying in Toronto)... Jon and Liz 250 Carlaw Avenue Unit 105 Toronto, ON M4M 3L1 Tel. 1 416 799 5935 General Email: … Continue reading Nothing wrong there is, in being small and green: The Pilot 78G
