What makes a stationery purchase “good?”

What is a successful stationery purchase? On what metric does one measure a successful purchase? My mind rests this week on the philosophical challenge of deciding which stationery purchases are good and which are mistakes.

Because I’ve made stationery purchases throughout the last two weeks. And asked for stationery purchases as birthday gifts. Nerdy armchair philosophizing incoming. All shared in fun.

The joy ruler. If the pen or ink or paper brings me joy then it’s a good purchase. Life is complicated. We can all use a smile in our lives. If a fancy, or simple, or bespoke writing combination makes me happy then we have success.

At its essence, the joy ruler measures time.

I’m excitable when it comes to new stationery arrivals. A new pen day or new ink day is exciting. Exploring, unpacking and experimenting with a new pen or ink is worlds of fun.

But then again, perhaps I should extend the happy-bar over time? Perhaps a more meaningful measure of happy feelings extends beyond the first day. Staying power.

The extent to which a pen or ink or paper remains enjoyable weeks or months or years afterward may be the measure of a good purchase.

Or what about the …

The time-used standard. A college roommate of mine gauged “good” video game and book purchases in a simple ratio. Dollars spent must be fewer than hours spent enjoying the purchase.

So, a video game with 20 hours of gameplay is a good purchase provided it cost fewer than twenty dollars. A fifteen-hour audiobook should cost fewer than fifteen dollars.

Extend the time-used standard to writing. A twenty dollar bottle of ink that provides at least twenty hours of writing, painting, picture-taking, sharing and swatching time would constitute a good purchase.

Unless it’s more about …

(Re)engagement. Engagement is a loaded word. My intended sense is an engagement that starts or keeps me writing, tracking, prioritizing or managing my thinking. Do I actually use and reuse the pen or ink or paper?

For me, fountain pens have a pretty factor. I want to hold and use them. So I actively seek out excuses to pick them up again. That’s engagement. Engagement in the educational sense.

The same goes for my planner. And my journals. They’re aesthetically pleasing to me. And so I want to engage with them. They draw me back to my desk.

Lastly, fountain pens are also finicky. Humidity and viscosity and nib creep all cry out for attention. Attention that brings me back to my desk — and my notebooks and planners.

Engaging with my work because the work hath been rendered enjoyable. Worth engaging with.

This seems the tip of the evaluation iceberg. How do you gauge a good stationery purchase?

This week’s Inked Tines update includes last week’s currently inked writing tools.

Toolset

Pens. The Nakaya Neostandard, equipped with a lovely M Naginata-Togi grind, is a clear standout for the week. Slightly dry — which ensured Whitman’s excellent shading was prominent and noticeable. The M line was forgiving during medium-length reflections, lesson plans and some paper marking. The EF line served well in detailed brainstorms and hospital notes. 2/5 left in the converter.

• Franklin-Christoph 45 (B SIG) — 1/5. The week’s lone bright, flashy combo. A shimmer ink that lasted three weeks without clogging. Excellent and reliable for headings, accent notes, and journaling.

• TWSBI 580-ALR (B) — 1/5. Firmament is a lovely dark green once dry. Wet pairing. Coated papers only. An excellent meeting combo. Also: journaling, lesson plans, teaching reflections, and some pocket carry.

• Kaweco Sport (EF) — 1/4. Simply excellent pairing in cool weather. Aired out twice during hot days last week. The narrow EF suited pocket notes and detailed accent notes. Copper Noir stood out clearly against Downpour in all my accent notes and lesson plans.

• Sailor Pro Gear (MF) — 2/5. A dry combination. The quick drying pair is well-suited to scratch notes, pocket notes, and accenting important tasks. Right for a select job.

• Sailor 1911L (EF) — 1/2. Yes. After tweaking the nib for my preferred feedback and line width: yes. And Downpour is a great task management ink. Mid-grey. Dries quickly. Keeps a disciplined line. All the yes. Meeting notes, scratch notes, lesson plans, and Hobonichi planning.

• Nahvalur Schuylkill (EF) — 1/2. Frequent hard starts. Once the nib channel is full, this pair writes fantastically. Journaling, lesson plans, brainstorm notes, some meeting notes.

Notebooks. Work bujo. Odyssey Neptune 400 (A5). Seventeen new pages of notes, lessons, lectures, and logs. Activity central.

The week’s pages begin with a two-page monthly brainstorm. I feel no compunction to follow Carroll’s suggested use for monthly pages. Flexibility is a resource for me.

So: I used the November monthly page to brainstorm important projects I want to get off my desk. A self-diagnostic to reconnect with my work goals for November. Long term goals. Goals that live in the soon-time.

Inviting other schools’ research students to our spring student research conference. Capturing my faculty advisors’ needs in on-on-one check-ins. Projects that are made of many small, trackable tasks.

All sketched out alongside a pretty calendar. In the 1911L’s EF.

A Downpour of goals. Ah, puns.

Four pages of lesson plan outlines follow another two-page weekly spread. I tapped each of my inked M nibs for a lesson plan.

The Nakaya’s disciplined M lines are a refreshing change of pace from my steady rotations of EF and B nib choices. Novelty.

Then seven pages house meeting notes. I used the TWSBI’s B green lines for headings. The Sailor’s EF grey lines recorded details throughout. And then I flip-flopped between the EF Kaweco (orange) and MF Sailor (teal) for accent notes.

Accent colors render new tasks easily skimmed

I start the coming week on page 176. Bring it on, November.

Journal. Endless Recorder Mountain Snow (A5). Last week was light on journaling time. I spent three evenings addressing health issues with family. We’re not passed said issues yet, but we’ve made progress. Sometimes life lives beyond the page.

All told, I added ten more pages to my journal. Two longform entries recorded the day-to-day happenings of last Sunday and Monday.

I tried out all three of my new inks between Sunday and Monday. Shirokashi’s swampy green brought a strong shading to my writing. An impressive double personality coming, as it did, from an EF nib.

Shading like, “Ka-pow”

My partner leaves me notes on hard days. The remainder of my weekly journaling consists of saved notes and various scratch lists.

And evidence of nib work on the Sailor EF nib

Written dry. The combination of narrow nib options and seven inked pens allowed for all seven pens to survive the week. Huzzah.

Ocean’s Seven

Newly inked. I strongly considered inking a new pen this week. And then I got distracted. Incidental victory.

My seven currently inked pairings from last Sunday ride on.

The collection

Incoming / new orders. Another new pen day graced my desk this week. My first #8 sized nib. And my first 159 by Jinhao.

Business attire

I don’t need this pen. And I don’t need this nib. My most common use cases are presently covered well by my existing collection.

However, I simply want to try the feel of a new-to-me sized nib. Experimentation unto my inky horizons.

Jinhao’s new x159 sports a simplified and modern clip design. The broad-bodied pen suits my writing grip during medium-length and long writing sessions. And the extra large 8 nib looks promising!

I am surprised to notice ink in the feed. It seems that Jinhao may be testing their pens, Lamy-style. Promising.

Quality control to Major Tom …

And most surprising: the 159 has sat uninked in my desk pen tray since it arrived last Wednesday. I can hear a power-up charging.

Outgoing / trades or sales. No further movement here. Beyond a second, thorough cleaning.

Squeaky clean

Currently reading and listening

Fiction. My good friend, MJ, recommended a new fantasy book series to try. Bill McCurry’s Death-Cursed Wizard series is a dark high-fantasy story that is willing to wink at you while you read. A tough balance to manage while retaining a sense of sincerity.

MJ knows I’ve been shopping for a new fiction series. McCurry was offered as an experiment before jumping back into Wheel of Time’s final trilogy. I’m 204 iPhone-sized pages into the first book after my first week.

A fun, thoughtful magic system drew me in early. Sorcerers barter with gods for finite amounts of magical power. Clever. I enjoy a fantasy world that begs philosophical questions.

Nonfiction. No appreciable nonfiction reading saw my desk last week. I’m hopeful for this coming week. Fingers definitely crossed.

Music. Solo piano is a great option for soundtracking my writing and teaching. For me, a mellow piano arrangement is a balanced productivity companion. Mellow arrangements sit in the background, which let me focus. Clever, layered arrangements attract my attention when I would otherwise “hey, squirrel!” my way into hours of distractions.

Akira Kosemura’s new album sits in just such a balance. Mellow enough to avoid center stage. Beautifully personable enough to keep my eyes facing forward.

Office friendly. School friendly. Writing friendly. Reading friendly. Well worth a listen.