One day, a few months ago, I was writing a business minute when it occurred to me how much many words I have written in blue ink my lifetime. I looked up and glanced around the office and noticed every other person simultaneously writing in blue ink. So right then I decided to make a random pledge; from that moment on, I would only write in pens that weren’t blue, or black or red. I rushed out and bought a mixed packet of Staedtler sliver balls from Germany in a variety of colours including orange, dark green, light green, purple and brown. I then went about fulfilling my pledge.
I mentioned my new pledge to a friend whilst in Canberra and two days later I received an envelope in the mail containing a very fancy uni-ball signo metallic violet pen. Why didn’t I think of that? Metallic ink. And here I was writing in non-metallic ink for all these years.
RIP uni-ball signo
So, over the last few months my trusty uni-ball signo metallic violet pen has accompanied me to all my business meetings. It’s funny how long uneventful meetings are much more fun when you can write notes in metallic voilet ink.
Today, halfway through writing an important business minute, metallic violet signo stopped mid-sentence. I didn’t know what was going on; I thought that pens, like love, lasted forever. Signo had given up, I had used Signo up and now there was nothing left. I didn’t know what to do, continue the sentence in green non-metallic ink, or start the whole thing again?
Then I felt weird: I can’t actually remember the last time I completely finished a pen. It’s actually really sad. There must be a huge pile of partly-used pens somewhere (with copious lost guitar picks and bobby pins I imagine) just waiting to be bought back to life.
I was just about to get a new metallic violet pen when I thought that maybe I shouldn’t. Instead my new pledge should be to use up each and every pen I already own, even if they are blue, or black, or red.
I grew out of blue ink in high school, and began to think of myself as purely a black ink man.
Way more sophisticated, black.
Not as sophisticated as metallic violet, but, then, i’m a black ink kind of guy.
The Pilot Super Grip Retractable Ballpoint Pen (636577 BPGP-10R BLACK) – that’s a medium ball – is the only pen i’ll use, and i use each one down to scratching.
But, about two years ago, i switched to a mechanical pencil.
I like the idea that everything i write can just be rubbed out, as if it had never existed.
As if i had never existed.
Kitty loves mechanical pencils too. But what happens when you need for sign a credit card slip?