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One Of Us - A Funny Story


MarcShiman

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We had a barbecue a few weeks ago at our house (July 4th) and invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate the day. It was really a lovely afternoon and evening, and the guests started to leave around 9pm.

 

I wanted to show one of my friends my pen collection - rather, shall we say my pen passion. I have a study off the main floor where I have mounted quite a few of my pens on trays on the walls, and I sit and read in there surrounded by the history of my pens.

 

 

 

So I brought him in to show - and a few other people followed. One was a young lady I didn't know - a girlfriend to the son of another friend - and her eyes opened as wide as saucers. "I didn't know such people collected....." and she couldn't form a complete sentence. At that point, she put her hand into her ample purse and pulled out a fistful of gel pens, ballpoint pens, rollerballs, etc.

 

She said "I go into Staples and stare at the walls of pens for hours - I just want to try them all". She didn't realize that there was a hobby built around pens. She thought she was alone out there, with an unexplainable passion for pens.

 

This is a young person (she's early 20's?) that's just a serious paycheck away from really going off into the deep end. Funny that its sometimes the passion that wanders towards our hobby, and not something we create in others.

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Yes, I could be comfortable contemplating writing instruments in that room too : D

 

So, what will be her first foray into the world of fountain pens???

 

edited because I cannot edit correctly for beans today

Edited by pen2paper
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I sent her to Bertram's Inkwell in Bethesda Maryland, as her boyfriend lives a block away or so. Don't know what's happened since...

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I'm sure Bert will have just the pen for her. At the right price.

 

Enjoy,

Yours,
Randal

From a person's actions, we may infer attitudes, beliefs, --- and values. We do not know these characteristics outright. The human dichotomies of trust and distrust, honor and duplicity, love and hate --- all depend on internal states we cannot directly experience. Isn't this what adds zest to our life?

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How wonderful! The total opposite to having friends who constantly ask why I want another pen when I have several already. :rolleyes:

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What a wonderful experience for both of you. My experiences tend to be more along the lines of those of BookCat's. I have been guilty of starting more than one or two young people down the fountain pen lane, but none started with quite the exuberance of this young lady. Also to be noted, I do not have my fountain pens so cunningly displayed as you. WOW! I congratulate you on a beautiful fountain pen collection and a truly fantastic manner of displaying them. I think you could charge admission to that room. What's more, I would willingly pay it.

 

-David.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery. -Anon.

A backward poet writes inverse. -Anon.

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This is a really nice story! What a beautiful setup you have there. I can relate a whole lot to her, actually– young woman in her early 20s, inexplicably obsessed with pens, doesn't realize that fountain pens are an actual wonderful hobby until someone shows her their collection. And is then hooked :)

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Here are a few more shots of the study

 

 

 

 

 

I heard a great phrase once - was it on FPN? My "Sacred Writing Place". That's what I always wanted this to be, but for some reason, this room never inspired that. I have loads of sunlight, great inspiration - but I don't write in there. I do better in the Starbucks down the road. Can't figure out why.

 

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Love the story, and also the room. How exciting to meet someone so young who few so passionate about pens. It'll be easy to bring her over to the Dark Side. She's just one "gateway" fountain pen away from becoming an addict. :)

 

My experiences are the opposite. Just yesterday, I got the "you pay WHAT(?!) for (just) a PEN?!?!?!" type of reaction when I mentioned I was indecisive about choosing between an Edison Glenmont and a Pelikan M205.

Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. -- Albert Einstein

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Love this story, thanks for sharing. As a young(ish) person who used to go to staples and do the exact same thing, I am really happy to have discovered fountain pens and other people who share an obsession! I hope you told her about FPN. :-)

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That is exactly how I came into this hobby. I just saw a fountain pen once, got interested, saw a few more over the years, and when I got money and decided on which one I bough one. Now I just need a nice pay check and I'll have a full shelf of inks and pens (that shelf is really big, I swear!)

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Did you tell her about the Supershow?

 

Yes, told her about the site, the show, etc - there wasn't a whole lot of time for chatting about it, she was being pulled out of the house by a boyfriend who's probably seen this obsession play out in different ways before. Hopefully, I'll get back in touch with her in the next few weeks and see how she is doing.

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Here are a few more shots of the study

 

attachicon.gifCorner of my study small.jpeg

 

attachicon.gifPlace for Ink Small.jpeg

 

I heard a great phrase once - was it on FPN? My "Sacred Writing Place". That's what I always wanted this to be, but for some reason, this room never inspired that. I have loads of sunlight, great inspiration - but I don't write in there. I do better in the Starbucks down the road. Can't figure out why.

 

 

 

My guess would be that when you're home there are other things you feel you should be doing. At Starbuck's it's just you, your beverage and your pen and paper.

Grace and Peace are already yours because God is the Creator of all of life and Jesus Christ the Redeemer of each and every life.

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An inspiring story and what fun for the young woman; I hope she keeps her passion for fine writing instruments. Someone to carry the torch after we are gone! lol

 

Lovely study, MarcShiman; looks like just the place to retreat to for a nice writing or reading session. I hope you can figure out why you don't like writing in there and change whatever it is..... Maybe an Espresso machine and the smell of fresh brewed coffee would make the atmosphere right for you.

 

Now, of course, I want close up photos of your pens. Oh, and you definitely need more inks to balance the display! :P

 

Holly

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Here are a few more shots of the study

 

attachicon.gifCorner of my study small.jpeg

 

attachicon.gifPlace for Ink Small.jpeg

 

Okay! Now I am doing some really serious drooling. Fantastic study. Way to go! I hope you have some Esterbrooks in there. The young lady owns at least one fountain pen by now if she is human.

 

-David.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery. -Anon.

A backward poet writes inverse. -Anon.

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Great story & like the way you display the pens on the walls.

What is the material that is used for the shelves ?

I like that idea you have to use the walls for storing and displaying the pens.

 

Ken

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Great story and a wonderful study. I could stand in there and drool for some time. Wish I had one like it. Also hope you have UV filtering glass on your pen cases particulalry on your celluloid pens. Though not celluloid, I have a red Esterbrook J that is now between a red and a copper that was due to UV exposure. The only pure red is under the cap.

"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?" Patrick Henry

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