Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May	A very little work on the website	Most of the stuff I’ve been saying I’d update.	OMAS Arte Italiana Sheaffer Balance Craftsman PenBBS 500 Sailor Pocket Pen	Diamine Honey Burst Diamine Writer’s Blood TWSBI Blue Jentle blue-black

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Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
26 April 27 April 28 April 29 April	“Willful Murder” (working title). Something I’ll present tomorrow	4 manuscript pages (again?!). Simultaneously more and less effort that you’d think.	PenBBS 500† Pelikan 140 OMAS Arte Italiana Sheaffer Balance Craftsman	TWSBI Blue Monteverde Malibu Blue† Diamine Honey Burst† Diamine Writer’s Blood†

† So, clearly I didn’t get any updates on the site on the weekend. I got distracted by the possibilities of…

OK, it’s a little circuitous. My wife acts, and since the provincial government chased film production out of the province a few years ago, she’s been concentrating on the stage. This outlet to her creativity was somewhat stifled by the current plague, since live theatre is exactly the sort of thing the phrase “super-spreader” was invented for.

The theatre has decided to push on with the new season, though, and my wife has been cast in a leading role. How this? They’re presenting Sorry, Wrong Number in its original format– a radio play. I will, of course, offer a link when the play goes public; the “no public gatherings” command has been turned into a disadvantage, as local theatre goes online and global.

I’ve been on the fence about getting a (somewhat) decent microphone, and this has pushed me over the edge. Our Yeti Snowball arrived this week… but that’s just the catalyst. Since I’m having trouble wringing words out of my head, I’m spreading out into other media.

…and I’ll roll some of that out tomorrow.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
19 April 20 April 21 April 22 April	“Willful Murder” (working title)	4 manuscript pages (like pulling teeth, it is!).	Sailor Pocket Pen PenBBS 500† Pelikan 140 Sheaffer Balance Craftsman	Jentle blue-black TWSBI Blue Monteverde Malibu Blue† Diamine Writer’s Blood†

† I am going to try to get a load of updates to the site complete this weekend, because this is getting silly and I really want everyone to see what Writer’s Blood looks like– it’s an amazing dark burgundy. I say “try” because a large chunk of my Saturday is taken up with a meeting of the Sask Writers Guild board meeting.

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
20 April 21 April 22 April 23 April	First draft of “Ancestral Curse” (working title).	9 manuscript pages	Pilot Vanishing Point Sheaffer Craftsman TD Pelikan P1 Parker 180	TWSBI Blue-black Herbin Vert Empire Diamine Midnight Noodler’s Walnut

I can only imagine how much COVID is affecting others, when I, whose life has barely changed as a result of it (still at work, no fear of money running out, family waiting at home at day’s end), am having trouble stringing my entertaining lies onto a thread. I wish you all good health and mental fortitude.

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
13 April 14 April 15 April 16 April	First draft of “Ancestral Curse” (working title).	9 manuscript pages	Sheaffer Craftsman TD Parker 180 Majestic, model unknown† Pilot Vanishing Point	Herbin Vert Empire Noodler’s Walnut Edelstein Topaz† TWSBI Blue-black

† I hadn’t realized that the pen was so humble that I hadn’t even put together a page for it or its n^th tier maker when I pulled it out of storage. I also hadn’t really meant to use this ink again so soon, but when the idea of putting a ridiculously expensive ink (free to me, but still) into a pen so cheap it was affordable during The Great Depression tickled me deeply.

I’ll try to edit in a picture of it later. Like a lot of really cheap pens, the celluloid is quite striking.

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
6 April 7 April 8 April 9 April	Not much.†	A whole bunch of it.	Pilot Vanishing Point Pelikan P1 Sheaffer Craftsman TD Parker 180	TWSBI Blue-black‡ Diamine Midnight Herbin Vert Empire Noodler’s Walnut

† It’s definitely the work-exhaustion that’s doing in my writing; I find I’m having to do things that I normally can see to between the regular duties of The Regular Job. Now, since I’m not shoved out of work like so many millions, I don’t want this construed as a complaint… although I am mightly happy that we are facing a long weekend. The prospects for a return to something more like my preferred level of work-effort are not certain, but there may be some relief next week. Mid-month is, generally speaking, slack time. All the same, I don’t feel wrong re-using this:

‡ I got a bottle of this as part of the social contract I perceive to be in place, which suggests that we who still have an income try to support local businesses. My favourite local place for pen and pen-proximate things, Paper Umbrella, has responded to the current plague by setting up a web-store. Locals like me can, on the way to collect vital groceries, pause to have stuff thrust out the door at us. So I did.

Sadly, you won’t see anything about the new ink on my own site, because my computer has finally noticed that it’s very very old and can no longer support running anything except its OS. I’d probable have started a Gofundme to seek the help of well-heeled but charitable folks, if not for the sudden explosion of people who are seeking the same money for more dire purposes– being able to maintain a site like mine is definitely not of the same importance as food and shelter.

I can, I think, manage my tax return without the computer, and because our household income is low, there’s a plague on, and we can expect a big fat rebate of the federal carbon tax, there’s some hope that tax refund can be turned into a new computer. Just like happened eleven years ago. Of course, I wouldn’t say no to a well-heeled passer-by throwing some money at me…

I should mention that I quite like the TWSBI blue-black. It’s only a little darker than Herbin Bleu Nuit, but it plays well on non-great paper, it’s reasonably water resistant, and it has a very inky scent. I’m sure there are some who would call that ink-stink, but I like it. It also comes in a whopping great 70ml bottle which has a plastic inner vessel to allow for low-ink filling, so the bottle will be a keeper even when it’s empty.

Long weekend, so no film tomorrow. I’m going to TRY to get some fiction out of me.

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
27 January 28 January 29 January 30 January	First draft of “Second Impression”.	13 manuscript pages.	Pelikan M600 TWSBI Classic Parker 51 Sheaffer Balance Craftsman†	Diamine Amazing Amethyst Quink Black Skrip black Diamine Sargasso Sea

 

†This pen reminds me that pens of this age are not very pleased to be left sitting idle for days at a stretch. I uncapped it this morning to find that what ink remained in it was… not freely flowing, let’s say. As a back-up, I’m pressing the TWSBI Eco which produces my fictional output into some non-creative uses. I’m sure it will be all right.

In fact, it may even get rotated out for a different high-capacity modern pen I don’t mind leaving at The Regular Job for months on end. I don’t remember the last time it had a break, and it will be in my pocket at the end of the day.

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
20 January 21 January 22 January 23 January	Third draft of “Grand Finale”. Third draft of  “Uncle Bert’s Best Friend” First draft of “Song of the Pen”.	SO MANY TYPOS Fewer. Still plenty. 5 manuscript pages.	Lamy 2000 Sheaffer Balance Craftsman TWSBI Classic Pelikan M600	Diamine Oxford Blue Diamine Sargasso Sea Quink Black Diamine Amazing Amethyst

On the depression front, because I might as well update that too: General improvement, but with a recent hitch. The magic brain pills I’ve been prescribed have been slowly ramping up dosage, and a week ago they got to what the doctor described as the low end of “a maintenance dose.” Cool. Except now I’m always very sleepy– I should have gotten more done on “Song of the Pen” but yesterday I actually had a nap instead.

Well, not really. I sat in my chair at The Regular Job with my eyes closed. Actual sleep might carry on past the end of the lunch break and demand official notice.

I’ll have to look into whether this is something one eventually gets used to, because right now it’s very like I’m perpetually crammed with antihistamines and that doesn’t seem a lot more supportable than the depression.

…and maybe it’s worth having thyroid levels looked at, too. Who knows? “Don’t assume zebras when you hear hoofbeats” is something said to young doctors on TV, but there’s other things than horses in the farmyard.

The Whisper of the Conscience

Mid-January, huh? Just about the time for people to start pretending they never made any New Year’s resolutions.

…and then some jerk like me comes along. I won’t judge. I’ll just suggest some self-improvement which is within reach. Loads of people want better handwriting, and today’s film is some hints in that direction (and some low-power advertising; we are fish in an ocean of capitalism).

I am not, I should say, of the same school of handwriting as herself. I find some of her notions of correct letter shape unappealing. That said, there’s nothing wrong with studying other schools to discover new means of mastering the art. You see it in kung fu films and samurai movies all the time.

Today’s pen: Sheaffer Balance Craftsman
Today’s ink: Diamine Sargasso Sea

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
4 February 5 February 6 February	Second Draft of “Cannon Fodder.”	About 1700 words typed	Pelikan M20 TWSBI Precision Sheaffer TipDip Craftsman Pilot Short	Lamy blue-black Edelstein Topaz Herbin Lie de Thé Montblanc Royal Blue

The output for this week is pretty good, given a Tuesday on which I was called away during writing hour and a Thursday when I am wriggling in the grip of stomach flu/food poisoning/unexpected necromantic curse. If I’d had any warning yesterday, I’d have brought the thing home so I could work on it. But no.

And on that note, it’s back to the WC for me.