Day	Pen	Ink
25April 26 April 27 April 28 April	Hero 100 Pelikan M600 Pilot Elite 95S Parker Duofold AF	Namiki Blue Diamine Syrah Edelstein Olivine Pelikan blue-black

No clever alternatives to the current layout. I’ve been distracted by a new COVID outbreak at work, and by the nasal inflammation of stuffing the test swabs up my nose. Still negative, hoorah.

Also, hoera for 5 May– Liberation Day for the Netherlands.

Advertisement

Day	Pen	Ink
25April 26 April 27 April 28 April	Pelikan M600 Hero 100 Parker Duofold AF Sheaffer Targa	Diamine Syrah Namiki Blue Pelikan blue-black Herbin Bleu Myosotis

I haven’t thought of anything clever to do with this progress report when progress is diffuse and mostly internal. There is progress of that sort, happily, although the fortress of United States tax requirements is not only unbreached but as yet unassaulted. I’ve realized that I can probably get some advice from the provincial Writers Guild and possibly even from the Horror Writers Association, as I’m a member of both.

I just have to… you know… do something that involves someone who isn’t me. After two years of glorious enforced stand-offishness, I’m rather out of practice with that stuff.

Day	Pen	Ink
18 April 19 April 20 April 21 April	Parker Duofold AF Pilot Elite 95S Pelikan M600 Hero 100	Pelikan blue-black Edelstein Olivine Diamine Syrah Namiki Blue

That’s pretty blank. Maybe I’ll rethink this format change.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
21 February 22 February 23 February 24 February	First draft of “Golden Hour”. Buying some groceries and mentally preparing for second draft.	Five manuscript pages. About $24 worth.	Parker 45 Sheaffer Sovereign II Pelikan P1 PenBBS 487	Montblanc Royal Blue Herbin Lie de Thè Pelikan blue-black TWSBI Royal Purple

Ignorance is Bliss for Dummies

I’m somewhat repeating a tweet I committed recently, but the situation which prompted it is still in effect.

The eponymous phrase above comes from the summation of “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College“, a poem written by Thomas Grey in the middle of the 18th century. Unlike the modern handwaving about “a few bad apples” (a phrase which is being rehabilitated, hoorah) or the general view of the story of foolish King Canute (which I explain the non-general view in an old post on the writing outlet), the common understanding of the phrase really does follow the source: remain unaware, and remain happy.

I object to this. There is something to it– when I was pursuing therapy for depression, the therapist wondered why I burdened myself with the daily news– but as a rule for living, in the world as it currently is ignorance leads to… well, the world as it currently is. People who shout about deadly surgical masks. The persistent unwillingness to address climate change with vigor. Crocs as quotidian footwear.

To underline my stance, let me offer a sterling example of how ignorance brings the opposite of bliss– painful death!

If you watched that through, I imagine you’ve somewhat less bliss in you than before, and I’m sorry. I’ll offer this as a counter-measure; when you’re aware and attending, the small joys that life offers are substantially sweeter, standing out more clearly from the background of daily worry.

Today’s pen: Parker 45
Today’s ink: Montblanc Royal Blue

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
7 February 8 February 9 February 10 February	First draft of “Golden Hour”.	Seven manuscript pages.	PenBBS 487 Parker 45 Moonman M2 Pelikan P1	TWSBI Royal Purple Montblanc Royal Blue Diamine Writer’s Blood Pelikan blue-black

Water Tiger

I was looking as someone’s lunar astrology prognostication for the upcoming year, and in explaining the cycle of elements the signs pass through, they mentioned that putting “water” and “cat” together strikes some as unlikely.

Nope.

Today’s pen: Parker 45
Today’s ink: Montblanc Royal Blue

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
24 January 25 January 26 January 27 January	A story outline for an anthology for which I was invited† to contribute. Collecting my van from its alternator surgery. “The cats are out of food.” The barest beginning on “Golden Hour”, the story mentioned above.	(What I think was†) an extremely persuasive 500 words or so. $600. Sigh. Three ravenous moggies.‡ Two manuscript pages	Pelikan M30  Parker 45 Moonman M2  Lamy 2000	Diamine Honey Burst Montblanc Royal Blue Diamine Writer’s Blood Edelstein Topaz

† Yes, I’m very excited about this. Also, the editor I sent the outline to seemed very enthusiastic about it, so my self-assessment may be accurate.

‡ The smallest of our cats is large. The biggest encroaches upon Maine Coon dimensions. It’s really in our own best interests to keep them in food.

“People are made of… it starts with an M… rhymes with ‘eat’?”

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
6 December 7 December 8 December 9 December	Opening a campaign which will culminate in a Kickstarter campaign… and ideally somewhat thereafter a short story collection.	The journey of ten thousand stadia begins with a few hesitant and uncertain steps. And what could be sweat or tears. Hard to tell.	Sheaffer Saratoga TM Snorkel Pelikan 140 OMAS Arte Italiana Parker 65	Skrip Jet Black Pelikan Blue-black  Krishna Pakeezah Quink Permanent Turquoise

If anyone out there is shouting “What the hell are you thinking?!” they may rest assured that I can’t hear them over the screeching of my own internal critics. Updates as they develop… which given the careful approach to this unknown country I’m adopting, will probably not begin until Mid-January.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
29 November 30 November 1 December 2 December	“Hobb’s Landing”. Birthday Off! ‡ Fixing stuff from the previous day. ³ Just too damn tired.	Squeezing words from a stone. A mighty lounge! [Another Homer Simpson noise of remembered trauma] Get more sleep, dummy.	Pelikan 140 Ditto† Sheaffer Saratoga TM Snorkel Parker 65	Pelikan Blue-black  ” † Skrip Jet Black¤ Quink Permanent Turquoise¤

† It’s my birthday and I’ll use the same pen as the previous day if I want to.
‡ I have never taken my birthday off prior to this year. I recommend it, to be honest, if it doesn’t make life too miserable for co-workers. There is, however, still a price to be paid…
³ Never be The Indispensable Man. I’m not, really, anymore but I’m still not easily replaced despite writing and polishing instruction manuals for the past couple of years.
¤ The Skrip is NOS, just opened on the day of pen-filling, but isn’t quite contemporary to the pen; it’s got the red label from the last days of the dip-well bottles. The Quink, on the other hand, is possibly slightly older than the pen but definitely from the same rough era of manufacturing and also unopened until I got my mitts on it. I don’t know how this happens.