I stayed out of this thread for the most part, due to a recent loss *sob* of a favorite writing instrument, that sadly succumbed to the tests and rigors of time. *sob* the implement will remain nameless, but was shiny, italian, and nibbed. Alas it was the irreplaceable nib that gave up the goose. *sob*
On the bright side of life however, my wife finally found the long misplaced waterman fountain pen that was given to her as a gift a couple years ago by a friend that worked at a pen store. She doesn't have any appreciation for fountain pens (philistine!) so I'm of course hoping that the afore-mentioned pen will make its way into my stable. The damned thing was missing for so many months that we thought it had sprouted legs and went off to South America to start some kind of mini-rebellion.
It is difficult for me to restrain my comments on a subject like this, because I have something almost akin to a fetish for pens and good mechanical pencils....I will not wax rhapsodic...I will not wax rhapsodic....
As a general rule, for the act of writing, I greatly prefer fountain pens. I have a near unexplainable love of Montegrappa's, especially some of their special editions, like the Geo for example. For general purposes, and specifically for sketching, etc. I like mechanical pencils...I have had literally hundreds over the years. At the moment I have a Koh-i noor .9mm that I really like, I've had it for close to 10 years, and it's never failed me once. I've had times when I thought it was stolen, times when it was lost for months at a time, but then found to great jubilation and near tears. I even had an interesting incident when that same little Koh-i-noor was held for ransom, but a friend was able to rescue it in truly James-Bond-ian fashion. All I can safely say about it is that a dark night, a bottle of vodka, and the help of some particularly attractive women was required to save my poor pencil.
Once, in fourth grade, I had an arch-enemy (curse his name!) who had a similar pencil fetish to my own. We had an ongoing arms-race of mechanical pencils, and neither of us would let the other have the better pencil. Constant purchases ensued, hap-hazard trips to the stationary store were common, and secret promises to the clerks behind the register were not unknown. ...
One day he came to school with a particularly lovely little Staedtler, that had just come into the store. Not wanting detente in our little battle, of course I had to get one too...I went to the store that afternoon, and picked up one in red, and one in blue. (haha, that would show him!)
The next day when I showed him my excellent prize of TWO such pencils, he accused me of stealing his (his had been green, the jackass) and told the teacher that I was a thief. Of course his "bloc" of allies backed up his story that I had taken the pencil out of jealousy. A great amount of drama ensued, but eventually I was able to prove my innocence. Virtue was restored, and he was made to eat his shame in silence. I had the upper hand, and never again did he out match me in the pencil arms race. That day was his Waterloo, his Stalingrad, the bastard!
Then of course only a philistine would use a highlighter in a well-bound Plato manuscript; it's only China markers and Prisma-colors for me. At one point in my studies, each related idea had to be highlighted in the same color; this created texts that looked more like Persian miniatures than philosophy texts, but were very very easy to study with. Fortunately that period only lasted for a while, because ittook me longer to highlight than to read.
Ok. I must shut up.
