I usually carry a Field Notes memo book around with me. In fact, I have a few going at any given time. Even though the paper inside is usually not fountain-pen friendly.
So, why? When I prefer to use fountain pens?
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Month: September 2016
Ink Review: Noodler’s Pacific Dawn at the Golden Gate
Noodler’s Pacific Dawn at the Golden Gate. This ink has a long name, a great label and an interesting and complex blue color. Also an interesting story: Noodler’s made Pacific Dawn at the Golden Gate for Straits Pen of Singapore to introduce at the 2016 San Francisco Pen Show.
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Sheaffer PFM: A Pen For Me
So what’s been going on at the party palace that is Chez Fountain Pen Follies? Well, nothing that I want to share with the authorities, of course. But now that the Great Platinum Maki-e Contest is over, it’s quieter. We’re just hanging. And by “we,” I mean me and that pen up there.
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And the Platinum Classic Maki-e Goes to …
The random winner of the Platinum Classic Maki-e from Pen Chalet is Gareth19. Congratulations to you, Gareth19, and I know you’ll enjoy this beautiful pen. Please use the Contact menu at the top of the page to send me your full name and address, so I can send you your new pen.
If the pen isn’t claimed by next Monday, I’ll do a new drawing next Tuesday and post that person’s name on the blog instead. Because if this thing stays with me much longer, there’s an excellent chance you’ll next see me hiding with it underground and cooing “my precious.”
But wait, because there’s more to give away. Ron at Pen Chalet and I were so blown away by the rhymes laid down by our commentators, that Pen Chalet is also going to give away two Flash Poetry Prizes. Each Flash Poetry Prize will be a new bottle of J. Herbin 1670 ink of the winner’s choice. I heartily recommend the new Caroube de Chypre, or Emerald of Chivor if you want a bolder color.
With the Flash Poetry prizes, there were so many great choices we just chose 11 of the most outstanding, then had a random number generator pick the two ultimate winners. And those are: Jorge Gomez and Robert Holland.
So Jorge and Robert, please use the Contact menu up there at the top of the page, to give me your names, addresses and choice of ink.
Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to all the entrants. Those rhymes for Pen Chalet really did slay.
Pen Case Review: Kaweco Traveler Case
The Kaweco Traveler pen case is a six-pen case, in a temptingly soft leather, that fits not only Kaweco Sport fountain pens but also most standard-size fountain pens. It’s cleverly designed to fit a lot of gear in a compact package, which makes it ideal for carrying around.
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Music Break
Due to unforeseen circumstances, my surely engrossing, or at least on-topic, fountain pen posts are going to be postponed. I hope not for too long.
But what do we do when the going gets tough? Turn on the radio. Or the turntable. Or Spotify.
Given the month, what could be more appropriate than the song up there, September Gurls by Big Star? This one is from way, way back in the 1900s — 1974. It’s from an album called Radio City, which was the second album from Big Star, and truly it’s a lovely song. Since September Gurls has been covered by other groups, you may have heard it.
So, okay, some trivia. Big Star was a little group and never became big stars. But one of its members, and the principal songwriter, was the late, great Alex Chilton. You may have heard of his earlier group The Box Tops. And Chilton happened to be friends with a guy named William Eggleston. Now, just a few years later, Eggleston would start being recognized as one of the greatest photographers ever. But back then Eggleston wasn’t particularly well-known, and he gave his friend a recent photo for the cover. That photo, The Red Ceiling, is surely the most famous thing about the record today.
But the 1970s ended, and we came to the 1980s. In 1987, the band The Replacements put out a tribute to Alex Chilton, called, appropriately enough, Alex Chilton.
The Replacements were the greatest American band of the 1980s. (I think that’s been scientifically proven). Also, totally wrecked. Fun fact: the band broke up for good during a concert, on stage, in Chicago.
I don’t like old music, but The Replacements are the bomb, even today. Scrolling through their YouTube videos, I’m in heaven. Merry Go Round. Kiss Me on the Bus. Unsatisfied. I’ll Be You. The whole of Let It Be. It does seem that they were never all sober at the same time, so if “on-key” or “well played” are important aspects to music, don’t even click.
But then the next decade came, the 1990s, and everything changed. Again. There was this little band, that became huge, called Nirvana. Back in the 1900s. And it’s very hard to believe this, but tomorrow will be the 25th anniversary of the release of their second album, a little thing called Nevermind.
Actually, if you watch the video, it does seem like 25 years ago. Because that is the most dated video ever. Check out the the hair flips. We could do a drinking game to the hair flips: “He/she flipped his/her hair; drink!” Except we’d all be passed out drunk within the first minute and a half.
So I’m not ruling it out or anything.
Green Thoughts
Let me just mention that if you are reading this, you should stop for a few seconds. Instead, first read the newest Pen Chalet rhymes in our Most Excellent Pen Giveaway thread. Our blog readers are awesome.
And be sure to post a rhyme or other comment of your own, if you are interested in the Platinum Classic Maki-e. It’s quite a pen, and quite a generous giveaway by Pen Chalet. Actually, I just found out yesterday that the Classic Maki-e is no longer available with a broad nib, which is sad for me, but that means that whoever gets this pen is doubly lucky. So go click on the Giveaway. No worries; this will wait.
Okay, welcome back. Here are two photos of interesting green pens — not mine. This past weekend the Chicago Pen Club had a green theme for the monthly meeting. Those three pens up there are different green Sheaffer Snorkels.
Vintage pens are interesting. The Snorkel on the bottom of that photo, which I think is a nice, cheerful color, is the very common Pastel Green. The one in the middle, which I also like, is the not-terribly-uncommon Sage Green. The one on top I would pass right on by. It’s not my kind of color.
Except that it’s the really uncommon Fern Green. So, whoops.
Doesn’t it often turn out that the pens no one likes are the ones that down the line are worth more? Because fewer people buy them, fewer are made. And tastes change later. Examples abound, including the Parker 51 in Plum. If only my grandfather had bought his Duofold in the reviled Mandarin Yellow instead of the popular Jade. If only my mother’s Parker 51 had been Nassau Green or Yellowstone. Not that I’d sell them anyway. But in my head, I’d be a pen mogul.
So back to Sheaffer. Here are two green lacquered Sheaffer Targas, also not mine. These are much more recent. I really like them both. The one on the top is the Green Moiré. It’s awesome and wild, and someday, one will be mine. The one on the bottom is the Malachite Ronce. It’s gorgeous.
I hope the fashion for Targas comes back at some point. Although, if it’s alright, could that be after I’ve found a $5 Green Moiré?
The Targas are from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yesterday, to me. But technically, that was the last century. I point that out because of something that happened last week. My younger daughter looked at me witheringly, in disbelief at something I had said. (A frequent occurrence.) More in pity than in anger, she said, “Mom, things are different now. You were born in the 1900s.”
Nightmare Fuel
Hey, Macy’s, it’s September. The Nutcracker army stays in the barracks until November. Kthxbye.
Platinum Classic Maki-e Fountain Pen: Enter to Win Right Here
(If you are just stumbling across this post today, I have some bad news: entries are closed; this giveaway is over; and this bird has flown to its lucky new owner. But I have some good news, too: the pen still is available for purchase, so go ahead and read the review if you’re interested. And do read the comments below, because our commentators contributed some awesome rhymes. Hooray.)
Our friends at Pen Chalet are giving away this gorgeous Platinum Classic Maki-e fountain pen with a broad nib through Fountain Pen Follies. The pen is great. Don’t take my word for it — everyone at my Pelikan Hub loved it, too.
To enter to win the Classic Maki-e, just leave a comment below. Any comment is fine, but how about something that rhymes with Pen Chalet? Mine would probably be, “I’m waiting for the next Dim Sum tray.” But for the well born, maybe, “I could use a good valet.” Fans of the most lovable baseball team ever surely know, “Hey, hey, what do you say, the Cubs are going to win today.” And kudos for anything like, “Shopping at Pen Chalet makes it a good day.”
This contest is open to anyone, anywhere, but only one entry per person is allowed. I will randomly select the winner on September 27th, and post the lucky winner’s name on the blog. So be sure to check back then. Once announced, the winner will need to contact me with a mailing address within a week.
Pelikan Hub 2016: Chicago
I went to my first Pelikan Hub on Friday night. Fun.
We had a small group of six; Friday night at 6:30 in the city is a hard time, and some people had to cancel. But for those who were there, it was awesome. The nicest host ever. Key lime pie. And many Pelikans passed around. Fountain pen people are usually congenial, but these other attendees were all amazing. I’m afraid I had so much fun I didn’t take very many photos.
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Fountain Pen Follies 