Going the full sentimental

I devote a substantial amount of time, energy, and focus on thinking intentionally about which tools I use — and how I use them. This is my second of two weeks off from work. A week away from my typical work-home routine offers an opportunity to play. Just for playing’s sake.

And I dig a good theme. The theme this week is: pens that I’ve been gifted. Eight pens in all.

Six pens were purchased as gifts for me. My partner gave me the Kaweco Sport and Monteverde Rodeo Drive. They also arranged for the Nakaya. Lucky dog.

My family gifted me the Visconti Homo Sapiens. And my father dug up the Esterbrook J at an antique shop. The Lamy was gifted to me by a good friend. Hooray birthdays.

The Get Lathed was made for me by an old friend. MS is a creator who works mainly with wood. He picked up a kit and made the pen especially for me. By hand. Like a boss. Cheers, MS.

The sole outlier is my daily driver: the Star Wars Platinum 3776. The color ways makes me smile. Every good pattern needs an outlier. Kylo Ren seems a fitting outlier.

I used my ink choices to craft a balance for the use cases I anticipate crashing into over the next six days. Two blues, four earth tones, and a purple. A thin veil of structure over this week’s sentimental collection.

Grey/Black

Platinum 3776 Star Wars Kylo Ren (F). Diamine Earl Grey. Not a gift. Not the plan. Silly, dark side. The daily driver this week. My task management takes place in a Hobonichi Day-Free. The grid is 3.7mm small. This combo’s quick-drying fine lines are tailored to work in that particular notebook. Earl Grey serves as the direct quote notetaker in my reading notes.

Blue/Teal

Kaweco Classic Sport Blue (BB). Akkerman Koninginne Nach-Blauw (#7). The first birthday present my partner gifted to me was this pen — clip and all. Talk about setting the bar high from the get-go. The BB nib accommodates long writing sessions: reflective journaling, manuscript drafting, analytic reading notes, and letters.

Monteverde Rodeo Drive Polaris (1.1 mm Stub). Lennon Tool Bar Yong Quan. An “I miss you” gift from my partner while we were dating. A bottle of Waterman Mysterious Blue accompanied the pen. They knew the way to my heart is paved in pens and cemented in inks. Yong Quan’s shock of bright blue makes a fantastic accent in reading notes and brainstorming sessions. The 1.1 mm stub lends whimsy to focused writing sessions like journaling. And I like the pair as a contrast to Yozakura in letters.

Earth Tones

Lamy Safari All-Black (B). Papier Plume Ink No. 13. A birthday gift from a great friend. Strong bet that a Lamy will lead to smiling. 13 offers a subdued but skimmable teal with excellent shading: reading notes, journaling, some letter writing. An ink that is most at-home on ink resistant and coated papers. Nearly all of my writing this week will be on friendly paper: Tomoe River and Rhodia.

Visconti Homo Sapiens Silver Age (F CI, by Nibsmith). Birmingham Lichen Watermark. A gift from my family for passing my dissertation proposal defense. A pen of (volcanic) stone to symbolize a milestone. The soft palladium nib requires concentration and a light hand while writing. Lichen is a wet, forgiving ink. Combined, this combo is dark and moody. Excellent for methodical writing like outlines, editing, and analytic journaling.

Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (B). Kyo-iro Higashiyama Moonlight. My “engagement ring.” I said yes. The Nakaya feed brings out the best of dry inks like Higashiyama. Ample peach and orange-brown shading stands out against grey ink. Suited, therefore, for reading notes and other accent work. Further, the large Neostandard is comfortable through long writing sessions. My primary journaling pen.

Get Lathed Moonwood (F). Ferris Wheel Press Pumpkin Patch. This pen was made, by hand, for me. It was also themed to an old D&D character of mine. Truly bespoke as there is only one on this planet. Truly meaningful. An odd pen choice as narrow sections and metal sections sit outside of my preferences. That said, the F nib writes consistently and encouraged shading from Pumpkin Patch. Combined, I have my marking and editing pairing for the week.

Wild Cards

Esterbrook J Copper (9128, EF Flex). Sailor Shikiori Yozakura. My father enjoys antiquing. Every so often, he will surprise with a paper bag full of vintage pens. This copper J was filthy. The nib was crusted over and the sac a shambles. YouTube videos and elbow grease later: a fun EF Flex in a pen that visibly carries its history. Small writing in a Yozakura accent = task management accent notes! I’ll try the pair out in reading notes and journaling, too. For science.

All in the family

Wow. Much to be grateful for.