Sad Commentary...

[Recoil Rob]

I'm the Vice President/Consigliere of a local club of 40 individuals. We had a meeting tonight, about 25 showed up and I needed all of them to sign a list. I was using an FP (a Platinum Preppy M) and kept giving it to people to use for signing. About half of them didn't know how to hold it or looked at it funny. It's OK though, I like being special.

[rwilsonedn]

Yes, sad. We were working with a construction contractor last night, and when he asked for a pen we handed him an Esterbrook dipless. He kept looking at it and saying "What a strange pen ..."

ron

[Fountain Pen Mike]

Yes, sad. We were working with a construction contractor last night, and when he asked for a pen we handed him an Esterbrook dipless. He kept looking at it and saying "What a strange pen ..."

ron

 

I tend to keep my fp for me, and always have a decent ballpoint to hand everyone else. Saves all the hassle and confusion, and I don't get the 'weirdo" looks.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Oh, I dunno...I'd have used it as an opportunity to Spread The Word, but I guess not everyone's like that.

[ANM]

I am glad you were not at a pen collectors club meeting.

[savingbirds]

 

I tend to keep my fp for me, and always have a decent ballpoint to hand everyone else. Saves all the hassle and confusion, and I don't get the 'weirdo" looks.

Yep, I have a cheap Parker Jotter just for that purpose!

[OakIris]

I am glad you were not at a pen collectors club meeting.

lol - for some reason, I was thinking you were talking about a pen club meeting, too - what, people join a club for discussion of other hobbies/obsessions/addictions/reasons? And I had to look up what a Consigliere was. The main definition says a Consigliere is an advisor to a crime boss.....now I am really wondering what kind of a club you are in.

 

I seldom have the opportunity to lend someone one of my fountain pens, but I realize that some folks have no idea what a fountain pen is, let alone how to use it, and I can imagine their look of horror should they end up with ink on their hands from this unknown writing instrument. Anyway, being Special can be fun, but as Sailor Kenshin mentioned, you can also take the opportunity to show folks how to use the pen correctly - the Preppy is an inexpensive pen, I suppose, but it still doesn't need to be abused - and see if you can convert a few!

 

Holly

[tinta]

In truth, there are not a great number of fountain pen users out there.

It is no surprise that some people would have difficulty holding a FP or even writing with it.

 

Yesterday I had a very useful training session at a Tellus store.

(Apparently a regular thing @ the store for folks of my age.)

 

My Samsung Gallaxy S III was losing a lot of battery power & real quick too. I only had the device for a half a year. Drat!

 

The associate soon showed me how to delete apps that were running in the background, even when the phone was not in use. It was suggested that I bring some paper & pen to these sessions, along with a list of questions,...so,.. of course I brought along my trusty Sailor Profit Standard with a 1.1mm. CI nib & my journal to write in.

 

Patrick first raised his eyebrows when my pen was pulled from its case. He watched me curiously as I took a few brief notes.

Now, I could have taken the opportunity to have him try out my fountain pen, but I had one of my best Mottishaw ground nibs on that Sailor.

Besides he was teaching me & not the other way around.

 

However, the next time I have a smart phone training session (soon I think), I will bring my Pilot 78G with a

B nib to take notes & perhaps for him to try out.

Maybe I can make a convert?

Edited April 23, 2015 by tinta

[Charles Rice]

Seriously, why should that surprise you? Heck, ask a teenager to use a rotary dial phone. If somebody asked me how to make mud bricks, I wouldn't have a clue.

[El Gordo]

and kids getting excited about a printer with only a keyboard, no computer needed to get something on paper...wow

[tinta]

Charles, I still remember my Godson trying desperately to call home, using our dial phone.

The poor kid could not understand that he had to wait for the dial to return to its rest before dialing the next numeral. He was already a product of the push button (instant response) age.

Eventually he got it & you could see the look of great accomplishment on his 9 year old face.

[Sasha Royale]

Recoil Rob is doing good work, out among the sinners.

Even if you save but one, it is holy work.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Sasha Royale

[tinta]

Recoil Rob is doing good work,.

 

Amen to that!

Edited April 24, 2015 by tinta

[sandy101]

About half of them didn't know how to hold it or looked at it funny.

 

Clearly you are not a golfer...

[Recoil Rob]

 

Clearly you are not a golfer...

 

 

 

I fish so I don't have to play golf...

Edited April 24, 2015 by Recoil Rob

[Bo Bo Olson]

I am glad you were not at a pen collectors club meeting.

I know how to do mud bricks....at least in theory, in I'm writing a western, and some one was or had made adobe brick.

I got cured of fishing, in it's second coming .....being miles away at summer sunrise did it.

 

Golf problems are cause by those stupid grips...that plant your thumb in the wrong place....no matter how often one reads, V's into the right shoulder.....that marking on the grip kept me a stupid slicer.

Placing the thumb 1/4 of an inch to the right cured everything, but my putting.

It was real weird, hitting a ball straight.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Bo Bo Olson

[DaveBj]

Seriously, why should that surprise you? Heck, ask a teenager to use a rotary dial phone. If somebody asked me how to make mud bricks, I wouldn't have a clue.

 

Or ask my 80+-year-old aunt to use a push-button phone. I had to punch in the numbers for her.

[KBeezie]

It's sad when people twice my age (or even 10-15 years older) don't know how to hold a fountain pen...

[Matt.Nethery]

Honestly it's not surprising or sad that people don't know how to hold a fountain pen. Culture's change and adapt. People today always seem in a hurry with little free time and everything deals with computers, tablets, and smartphones. Fountain pens require maintenance and an active interest in writing. No one really writes anymore and school and work want everything typed and printed. Why should people who never really write know about fountain pens?

 

What's sad is seeing how people drive. Too many drive slow in the fast lane, text while driving, eating a 2300 calorie value meal while debating bringing a lawsuit against McDonalds because they got fat eating fast food four times a week. Or complaining because they feel they are entitled to comfortable living from welfare because working for a living isn't fun...

 

Whew ok im gonna calm down and go smear some Bay state blue on some Tomoe river paper and stare at the lack of feathering or bleed through. That always gives me hope for the world.

[KBeezie]

Honestly it's not surprising or sad that people don't know how to hold a fountain pen. Culture's change and adapt. People today always seem in a hurry with little free time and everything deals with computers, tablets, and smartphones. Fountain pens require maintenance and an active interest in writing. No one really writes anymore and school and work want everything typed and printed. Why should people who never really write know about fountain pens?

 

What's sad is seeing how people drive. Too many drive slow in the fast lane, text while driving, eating a 2300 calorie value meal while debating bringing a lawsuit against McDonalds because they got fat eating fast food four times a week. Or complaining because they feel they are entitled to comfortable living from welfare because working for a living isn't fun...

 

Whew ok im gonna calm down and go smear some Bay state blue on some Tomoe river paper and stare at the lack of feathering or bleed through. That always gives me hope for the world.

Thing is though, I'm talking about people older than me, people who grew up using them, you don't just suddenly forget how you used something for 10-15 years of your early life.