Awesome

There’s a word that’s had its value undercut. Awe, after all, runs in the same groove as religious joy and existential dread… indeed, sometimes combining the two.

No, I’m not quite sure what to make of the ending either.

Today’s pen: Pelikan M30
Today’s ink: Diamine Marine

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Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
23 September 24 September 25 September 26 September	Second draft of “Whistling Through the Graveyard”	An oddly precise 2450 typed words.	Pelikan M600 Faber-Castell 664 Pelikan New Classic Lamy 27	Diamine Evergreen Herbin Poussière de Lune Diamine Bilberry Lamy black

 

Hub Fun 2019

I was going to be all entertaining for this entry, but that’s before insomnia struck. It struck my son, but the effect on me is the same since sleep is knits up no sleaves when there’s a very happy boy quietly reciting whole episodes of his favourite shows (aware that turning on the iPad would be unfair to his parents) and giggling at the memory of some of the sight-gags which accompanied.

So. It was jolly fun, for the definition of “fun” specific to we who enjoy fountain pens to a strange degree, and since I’m not up to stringing a LOT of words together, let me rely on the power of captioned photos.

My writing enterprise refers to “living skies” of which this is an example, although a mild and inviting variant as befits a happy night.

Turning around, and taking advantage of the “magic hour” light film-makers rave so much about, let’s show you all this Paper Umbrella place which I so often refer to– the venue for the night’s diversion.

One of the proprietors is a calligrapher.

My lineup for the night, arranged with labels so those inclined to give them a try would know what they held. I brought neither the most, the most expensive, nor the oldest.

Under the banner of the hub. I’ll likely get in trouble for this, as I have no photo waivers from any of these people. The Hubmaster is the fellow in the green shirt at the left.

“Are only Pelikan pens allowed?” NO! As my own suite attests, non-Pelikans appear, and someone even brought this extremely traditional pen; I think the manufacturer is Goose.

Some of the other not-Pelikans which attended, with representatives from the 1920s right up to fresh and new, as well as most stops along the road from cheap to rather expensive (nothing ludicrously costly appeared… unlike last year).

The Pelikan Hub Gift Bag, full of stuff from Pelikan to gladden the heart. My wife got the bottle of Ink of the Year, as it’s a colour she much prefers; I’m content with having been at the event. And also the magazine. And the other stuff.

That’s it. I’m already looking forward to next year. Although, to be honest, what I’m looking more forward to is bedtime tonight.

Today’s pen: Pelikan M600
Today’s ink: Diamine Evergreen

The Big Day is Upon Us!

For those who care about such things, I’ll be liberally plastering my Instagram account (mostly stuff I cooked, some cats, surprisingly few pens) with the Pelikan Hub as it unfolds, although I’ll likely also do an after-action report on Monday here so people who dislike that particular avenue of social media don’t have to deal with it.

I don’t recall if I showed that one before. I don’t think I did, because surely if I had I’d remember pondering the wisdom of leading with “The clip looks like a bird’s face! COOL, HUH?!” I mean, I like it, but it’s well down my own list of reasons for liking the brand.

Today’s beaky pen: Pelikan 140
Today’s ink: Jentle blue-black

Who Says Germans are Dour?

Oh, you know the stereotype; cool, efficient, probably wearing a black turtleneck.

Stereotypes, man. I should be wearing a lot more flannel, according to international concepts of my nation.

Now, the usual Thursday entry, which will display what an atypical week this has been in more ways than one. It’s not just the impending Pelikan Hub that has kept me from my usual industry– there’s been a lot of stupid demands on my time this week, and they rendered me dull or incapable of using my free time as I would wish. This was, by the way, AFTER choices of ink were made– that degree of dull unoriginality happens without any outside influence, and with a huge array of bottles from several brands all laid out in front of me.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
16 September 17 September 18 September 19 September	First draft of “Whistling Through the Graveyard”. Third draft of “Disruptions on the Line” (nee “Underground Follies”).	5 manuscript pages. About 10 minutes of mildly-focused attention.	Pelikan New Classic Pelikan M30 Pelikan Signum Pelikan M600	Diamine Bilberry Diamine Marine Pelikan Violet Diamine Evergreen

 

Egalitarian

…or is it Pelikanitarian? These ads come from about the same period as Sheaffer was whipping up The Battle of The Sexes in the interests of selling stuff, and yet it’s suggesting than men and women may find the same model of pen equally delightful.

I imagine some will put it down to the decadence of Europeans rather than a far-sighted notion of equality.

For those who follow German even less than I do– in the first bit, young Timmy (or what ever the German version of that name is) is concerned about what to get his Dad; he suddenly realizes that Pelikan is making a grown-up version of his Pelikano, and everything is right in the world!

Today’s entirely gender-neutral pen: Pelikan Signum
Today’s ink: Pelikan Violet

Plenty for Everyone!

While this particular example is both funny and speaks to a personal inclination, I’m not a fan of the type.

They make plenty of them! It’s not even a fountain pen! LEARN TO SHARE!

Today’s pen, which you may use it you ask nicely (and I’ll just hold onto the cap): Pelikan M30
Today’s ink, available by the bucketful: Diamine Marine

COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Pelikan Hub is this Friday! As a result, I’m going to clutter my space up with even more free advertising for that company than they’d expect, because if you can’t have a little fun with the efforts to wring money out of you, you’re probably not aware that they’re efforts to wring money out of you.

I will admit, if I lived in Germany, my son would be getting a LOT more of that kind of thing pressed upon him by his easily-led but well-meaning father.

Today’s pen (the start of a week of Pelikan): Pelikan New Classic
Today’s ink (less bound by brand loyalty): Diamine Bilberry

I Have No Justification For This

Movie time. But what? Usually something pops up that I think is amusing, but this week has brought me little other than politics I don’t want to inflict on anyone that doesn’t take an active interest and some beekeeping.

Not that beekeeping isn’t interesting…

There. That’s fun.

Today’s pen: Pelikan Signum
Today’s ink: Pelikan Violet

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
9 September 10 September 11 September 12 September	First draft of “Whistling Through the Graveyard”	19 manuscript pages.	TWSBI Precision Wing Sung 601 Parker 50 Lamy 27	Diamine Midnight Herbin Poussière de Lune Herbin Bleu Calanque Lamy black