Summer is a pen full of blues
The end of my school year carries a mixture of emotions. I’m happy to have survived the most challenging and exhausting teaching year of my career. And I find myself also sad to say goodbye to my students.
Perhaps my mixed feelings are the psychology informing my ink choices? This week’s kit is awash in unsaturated blues: Aonibi, Gris de Payne, and Summer Storm. To adapt Jagger’s words: “In the [two months] of time, I will find peace of mind. [Summer] is a [pen] full of blues.” I really dig teaching. As much as I will also dig not teaching three ways simultaneously any longer.
Three pen and ink combos carry over from last week. The Montblanc and TWSBI are piston fillers and so have ink for weeks. The KACO is a newcomer, inked when it arrived only a few days ago.
The Star Wars Platinum continues on with a new ink as my daily driver. It’s rare that I clean and re-ink the same pen from one week into the next. Star Wars customization will do that to a wannabe-jedi.
I’ve leaned into narrower nibs for the coming week: three EF, two F, a M and a B. I anticipate some hectic processions of last-minute meetings. End of year worries over grades — from parents and students — leads to flurries of conferences.
Broader nibs risk emptying during a late-week call. For this week, I prefer to take that possibility off the table, so to speak.
Grey/Black
Platinum 3776 Star Wars Kylo Ren (F). L’Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Gris de Payne. The pull of the dark side was too much for me. I had to lean on this pen as a daily driver once again. Payne’s grey-blue shakes up my weekly task management without too much distraction. Task management, scratch notes, detailed reading notes.
Blue/Teal
Montblanc 146 Le Petit Prince and Fox (EF). Kyo-no-oto Aonibi. This pen sat unused last week more often than I’d prefer. So this combo gets a specific job this week: reading notes. Specifically: the marginalia and reflections that I record in my commonplace notebook. Reading notes, and likely some journaling.
Narwhal Original Poseidon Blue (M). Diamine Aurora Borealis. I chose a matching ink to pair with the new-to-me Narwhal. I’m experimenting with this pen. Borealis shades enjoyably and dries quickly, making this combo great for journaling and for quicker notetaking in meetings – a wide variety of use cases. Meeting notes, reading notes, journaling.
Earth Tones
TWSBI 580-AL Lava (M Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Krishna Vaikhari. The predator grind brings out Vaikhari’s extremes: orangey-brown and dark sheeny-green. Last week confirmed this combo makes a wonderful — and useful — meeting pen. Party on, Garth. Meeting notes, journaling, manuscript editing, pocket carry.
Esterbrook J Copper (9555, Firm Fine). Diamine Salamander. An uncomfortably scratchy pairing. The 9555 spit, burped, and tore its way through a letter to my friend Pier. Quite unpleasant. I set the combo aside without a job until later in the week.
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (B). Diamine Salamander. A last-minute addition to replace the Esterbrook. The only B in this week’s currently inked. The Nakaya produces a dark green line. Will make for joyful journaling and manuscript drafting.
Wild Cards
KACO Green Retro Blue (EF). Robert Oster Summer Storm. A dark enough pairing that the KACO can serve as a backup daily driver if needed. A fully saturated feed has led to a smooth, if broad, EF line. Excellent off-grey color for accent notes during meetings, while recording reading notes, and broad enough for comfortable long journaling sessions.
