One more thing, and then I'll stop spamming the friendslist. Really.

[mrissa]

I ran out my red pen today. Luckily I have another in backup -- well, that's not actually luck, that's a personality trait. But still. I remember someone -- but I don't remember who -- being fascinated that I was running a pen out. "You don't run pens out!" she said. (I remember gender, at least.) "You never keep them long enough to run them out! You always lose them first!" But I don't. I keep a death grip on them until the last dregs leave their skinny little rollerball bodies. Except for the fountain pens, and I keep even more of a death grip on those, and change the cartridges frequently.

Still, only 18 pages into Sampo and already a pen has died for the cause. I suspect that can't be a good omen.

Comments

[everyonesakitty.livejournal.com]

A good pen is a treasure. What kind do you use? I like those Pilot precise V5 ones in pastel. Although there's a red vision pen that comes in blood red, which is very cool. I use the blood red ones until they're dead. *doesn't make bad vampire/writing analogy*

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

For rollerballs, Pilot, mostly. I have the uniball roller kind, and I also have "Precise Rolling V5." Lately I picked up the "Fusion" kind in a variety of colors for notecards and manuscript markup, but I don't like them as well; they come out lighter even when the color is supposed to be just as dark. As I understand it, they're gel pens.

For fountain pens, I have my Waterman so far.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

It makes a good rallying cry, though: Comrades! Remember the first red pen to die gloriously for the cause! Do not let its sacrifice be in vain!

Like that.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Since there is an extremely sincere Communist early on in Sampo, this is particularly apropos in my head.

[brooksmoses]

I remember running a number of pens out over the years. It's not that I don't lose them first, it's that after a while, if one doesn't somehow throw the lost ones out, they get re-found and added back into the stack. (And, really, I don't lose them. I put them down on my desk or my bedside table or in my bookbag, and then they stay there for a while and get covered with papers, but that's not lost.)

I've actually refilled one of my rollerballs, too, so I've now got a Pilot VBall that writes with Pelican nut brown (I don't remember the actual name), which is unfortunately a bit light in that line width for much beyond pale shading on sketches, but is still amusing.

Meanwhile, hello! I found your journal via ... I think it was marykaykare, but I'm not completely sure.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Hi, welcome! I suspect that I know more than one person who knows you, since your name looks familiar.

The refilled rollerball amuses me greatly and also comes out looking like, "Hello, I am an engineering geek." Which is not unwelcome around here, to be sure.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I got my first El Cheapo Shaefer when I was 8, so the cartridge thing is normal to me. I have a perversion, though, where I like to see how the inks blend if I change cartridges and don't rinse. I don't do it often any more--bad for the pen--but I like it.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Oh, I completely get running pens out of ink. If I have a good pen, like my big, chunking Sanford PhD ball point, I keep a firm grip on them.

[sraun]

I frequently run pens dry - of course, it's easier with fountain pens, but I've run my backup rollerballs dry several times too. I've got a Levenger rollerball and Cross Ion. Irene runs pens dry regularly too.

I think whoever mad that comment is not a writing-type person. Or else they only use cheap ballpoints, and have never had a pen they really liked.

Re: already died - maybe it was just on its last legs, having given massively to the cause on prior sheets of paper?