Salty Viking Talk

As one who is wrestling to absorb a foreign language, a frustration I sometimes feel is the lack of ways to express anger in other than my own language. Since I live in Canada, I have access to Tabernac! from the other side of the country, but I’ve never used it unironically (and I suspect it’s probably somewhat toothless in Quebec these days, too). The only good cuss I’ve got in Dutch is mierenneuker, but it’s not a general-use curse unless you deal with accountants a lot.

Having said that… let’s see how burly Norsemen would have shouted invective at each other while they were viking about.

I was once tempted to call someone a fokker, but realized that accusing him of breeding animals would mystify rather than offend.

Today’s pen: Sheaffer “TM” Triumph
Today’s ink: Montblanc Racing Green

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Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”.	656 words typed.	TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Lamy 2000 Parker 45 Pelikan M30	Pelikan Violet Diamine Evergreen Quink Turquoise (vintage) TWSBI Blue-black

I think another problem I’m having, vis a vis output, is that I’m not doing my usual first draft routine of long-handing it. The difference in which parts of the brain are engaged in the physical act of scribbling versus key-tapping does seem to incline toward the former for an easy flow of creativity. At least for me.

What makes this worrisome is that I’ve just got news of an anthology opening for submissions that this story would rest in very nicely. I must, to slightly bowdlerize Chuck Wendig, art harder.

Light Hearted

How better to lighten a heart than transporting it to an area of zero G?

I’m feeling extremely low on spoons today (it’s that week of the year when I feel our home’s lack of air conditioning), so a shortie is all I’m offering. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

Today’s pen: TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR
Today’s ink: Pelikan Violet

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
17 August 18 August 19 August 20 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”.	731 words typed.	Pelikan M30 Parker 45 Sheaffer “TM” Triumph Lamy 2000	TWSBI Blue-black Quink Turquoise (vintage) Montblanc Racing Green† Diamine Evergreen†

Not huge accomplishment, but a flow. I’m starting to wonder if shaving my beard off (in the interests of better mask/head interface) has mystically affected my writing powers.

†It hadn’t occurred to me that I was putting these inks into the same rotation when I filled the Lamy. Having now written some things beside stuff from yesterday, I’m more convinced than ever that people who are lamenting Montblanc’s discontinuation of that ink should take comfort from the Diamine offering. At least in fine points, it’s difficult to tell the difference until your nose is on the paper.

Cuteness Warning: Spiders

I’m actually trying to add to this week’s word count, but for those who are not troubled by spiders (or who seek a way to deflate arachnophobia), I’ve done my Friday routine all the same.

Since actual jumping spiders are teeeeeeeny weeny, I find the real item about as cute as this little guy. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on mental status and exposure to shrink rays.

Today’s pen: Lamy 2000 (an early return to rotation so I can make a direct comparison with the 27)
Today’s ink: Diamine Evergreen

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
10 August 11 August 12 August 13 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”. Yesterday’s entry	1128 words typed. Go see for yourself.	Pelikan M600 Sheaffer “TM” Triumph TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Parker 45	TWSBI Blue-black Montblanc Racing Green Pelikan Violet Quink Turquoise (vintage)

 

Backward Compatible?

Exciting news! The Playstation 5 will allow use of Playstation 4 controllers! Apparently! For older games!

While this is all true, according to an article I saw the headline of through someone’s tweet, it’s not really the point of today’s uncommon foray into the olden-style content on this site. On Sunday, I was rattling around in my Pit of Solitute, deciding what was going to step in for dear old Duofold that exhausted its ink last week. The conclusion was Parker 45, as it’s been an age since I had one out for a run.

Choosing a 45 means deciding on what sort of point it’s going to have fitted, and that led to me poking around in the box I keep various loose point-units in. Esterbrooks, Osmiroids, and others, all rolling around together and never a hint of ill-feeling between them. I found the bead-tube I was after, the one with the little 0.8mm stub I ground… and it lay between a couple of TWSBI points, a situation which made me frown.

STASIS POD ACTIVE!

I knew I had one, because I had a clear memory of this picture on the page for the TWSBI Diamond– I updated it very recently, after all, and even if I had not, the mention of “TWSBI point” brings a clear reproduction of the above image into my mind, for I am not saddled with aphantasia. The frown came because I had absolutely no memory of having two.

Another reason the memory of one sticks is that it represents… well, not a failure, but a failure to attempt. I was intending to experiment with re-profiling the shoulders of the point to make it more flexible, but ambition never (yet) transformed into action. I had a reason to have one. I had less reason to have a second.

There’s also not a lot of pressing reasons to have more fountain pens than fingers, either, so I can’t say no reason.

It turns out that at some point in the past, I ordered a stub for a TWSBI Diamond. I then promptly slung it into storage and forgot its very existence.

In the time since, I got a TWSBI Classic with a stub, and discovered that it’s a really nice point. I was therefore less vexed with my lapse than excited with my discovery, especially since I had a Diamond in battery at the moment.

But… the Diamond in current rotation is a 580 ALR. The newest of the breed. The point, assuming I got it with the never-touched experimental item, may be contemporary with the release of the 540 in 2011. It could be older. Can they possibly swap around, across such a yawning chasm of time?

Evidently, yes.

I should probably say “Yes, but with qualifications” because you’ll notice the textured shell of the ALR is attached to the stasis pod’s platform, and the transparent old-style shell is on the pen. There are some differences in the two sections construction that make me unwilling to try switching the point/feed units around in the shells, especially given the older Diamond’s reputation for cracking.

I’m still very pleased with the arrangement, because this stub is just as pleasant as the one on my Classic. I had it in mind that TWSBI changed the source of their points more recently than this one would have been made, but if they did it wasn’t the writing properties of the stub that prompted the switch.

I’m still a little worried about the utter blank in my memory regarding the purchase of the section, but I guess I’ll have to accept that I’m as fallibly human as the next goldfish. HEY THERE’S A CASTLE OVER THERE NEAT!

Today’s pen: A somewhat hybridized TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR
Today’s ink: Pelikan HEY THERE’S A CASTLE OVER THERE NEAT! Violet

 

Thinking Break

But first– we’ve all, who have the means, donated to an appropriate place to help out the people of Beirut, right?

Now, for the day’s film, some educational content. It’s still very entertaining, but it will also gives tips of how to listen to what people are saying. Especially politicians.

Today’s pen: Lamy 27 (the fine point really makes the ink last)
Today’s ink: TWSBI Sapphire Blue

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
3 August 4 August 5 August 6 August	Relaxing on Generic Stat Holiday. First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”.	As much as I could. 771 words typed.	Parker Duofold TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Sheaffer “TM” Triumph Pelikan M600	Quink Black Pelikan Violet Montblanc Racing Green TWSBI Blue-black

That’s looking a little better, especially in a shortened week like this.