Men vs. Women - FP Use

[Stylo]

but if you do that she won't be able to rustle up your supper.

He'll have her for supper! :roflmho:

[Stylo]

OK, a couple of confessions:

 

1. I have used Pentel mechanical pencils in school as well. It was useful to have them in some instances.

 

2. When I firts met my wife, she apparently noticed my FP and then liked my handwriting when she saw it. She is not into FPs, but she has had a Sheaffer calligraphy FP since her teen years.

[navajo jack]

Think about this one. Mens pens (big and fat) generally fetch lots more money

than Womens pens(cute and little with loop tops) all things being equal. Think maybe it's the demand?? Hmmmmm?

nj

[KendallJ]

So, until a few years ago I never went near pens for any work whatsover. I'm an engineer darnit. What if you make a mistake!

I never thought of the pencil as an expression of the Engineer's lack of self-confidence, but I'll buy it.

Haa!! It's pride in a clean set of calculations with the answer neatly circled at the bottom. Neatness, not lack of self confidence.

[Gerry]

PS:better not pick me kiddo!!! <_<

 

Edit: since the picture was taken, two of the women have left, and three of the men (and we gained three of four men not shown).  Most of the losses were due to relocations - like JT.

it's really not about looks - as I said, if da Bear were at a pen show, no one would think he was out of place at all. None of you "look" phoofey.

 

But see my note to French re: hubby's reaction as I make him sound much more pink-phobic than he is. This same man does look at my Hardanger work and marvel at it. I think it's really just about him not being able to relate and as with so many things in life, if we don't understand or relate, it's easier just to make fun of it rather than try to comment on it and feel out of your element. For all his joking about "Phoofey" - the guy is the most romantic man I've ever met. He'd kill me if he read this but he has watched Jersey Girl and The Notebook so many times it's ridiculous. Jersey Girl makes him think of his relationship with our daughter, and I think The Notebook speaks to him of the utter devotion he has toward me and his parents had toward each other.

 

BTB, to balance things out, I make fun of his wargaming community. They're all nuts as far as I'm concerned. AR control freaks living in a fantasy world. (ducking as I know there's at least one of 'em here.)

Perhaps I should have put a few more smilies after the admonition... it was entirely in jest, as you no doubt suspected.

 

My goodness gracious KC, you sure have stirred up quite an interesting collection of responses to your original post. Reminds me of a co-worker who regularly liked to 'set the cat amongst the pigeons'... , usually getting the whole office in some sort of an uproar... <_<

 

Not that I'd liken Kendall, Glenn, Stylo and Denis to Pigeons, but you'll certainly do as the cat...

 

Best Regards,

 

Gerry

[Dillo]

When it comes to a the cheaper disposable but still nice kind of pens, I think women are interested more in those than those high end pens.

 

:ph34r: I think most of the higher-end pens are more manly looking and also sized for a man's hand :ph34r:

 

Don't flame me ladies

Hi,

 

Well, it saves me money.

 

Dillon

[antoniosz]

So, until a few years ago I never went near pens for any work whatsover. I'm an engineer darnit. What if you make a mistake!

I never thought of the pencil as an expression of the Engineer's lack of self-confidence, but I'll buy it.

Denis, this is, most probably, an american "thing" I went through many years of engineering school in Greece and later here in the US and I almost always used BPs or FPs. During my undergraduate years, we only used pencils for our rough drawing drafts and then spent countless hours with stylographic pens for the final drawings. The idea that I had to write with a pencil to erase mistakes was totally foreign to me. I think in most countries in Europe we were never encouraged to "try things" and "make mistakes" as teachers often tell their students here in the US..

 

In many exams now in the University we ask the students to write in ink (to avoid the rare but unpleasent situation when they "correct" their answers after they get the exam back and come back to ask for extra credit ). The students are scared to death with the idea that they will not be able to erase their mistakes.

[PaulK]

Great topic!...however, no common thread running through the responses.

 

I am currently scribbling with a Conway Stewart 75. My first thought upon receiving the pen several months ago was "if this pen could only talk." I do quite a bit of writing in my job (primarily computer work) but I try to gather my thoughts on paper. I find that a fountain pen helps me slow down. I love the history behind the fountain pens, I enjoy the pleasure of inking a piston-filler or lever-fill pen, and my hand enjoys the much lighter touch required to get ink to paper. Sorry -- but that's about as deep a dive I care to do with my walk into "Lake Me."

 

Like all the other gentlemen, I too enjoy several of the manly pursuits....no reason to discuss so it doesn't sound like a "thou protests too much." Hey, maybe my next picture submission I can submit a photo of some critter that I hunted using only a fountain pen? Like NS, I can do a write-up post-hunt on the toughest nibs....hmmmmm....

 

Tongue-firmly-in-cheek,

 

Paul

Edited March 16, 2006 by PaulK

[Gerry]

So, until a few years ago I never went near pens for any work whatsover. I'm an engineer darnit. What if you make a mistake!

I never thought of the pencil as an expression of the Engineer's lack of self-confidence, but I'll buy it.

Denis, this is, most probably, an american "thing" I went through many years of engineering school in Greece and later here in the US and I almost always used BPs or FPs. During my undergraduate years, we only used pencils for our rough drawing drafts and then spent countless hours with stylographic pens for the final drawings. The idea that I had to write with a pencil to erase mistakes was totally foreign to me. I think in most countries in Europe we were never encouraged to "try things" and "make mistakes" as teachers often tell their students here in the US..

 

In many exams now in the University we ask the students to write in ink (to avoid the rare but unpleasent situation when they "correct" their answers after they get the exam back and come back to ask for extra credit ). The students are scared to death with the idea that they will not be able to erase their mistakes.

Me too Antonios, must have been a more modern trend. Always used FP's for notes, exams, everything except drawings, which were often in pencil, but the one serious drafting project we did in first year was pen and ink on linen. What an experience....

 

The only 'fad' that passed by was the use of Technical Pens (stylographic) for notes from time to time. I found them a little scratchy, but that was probably due to me being left-handed. Most of the time, I used my Parker 45, or a Sheaffer cartridge pen.

 

I always thought the introduction of work in pencil was due to the software influence. So many revisions to everything, even after delivery (ducking and running) . The HW guys had to commit to production of something physical, and much earlier in the process.

 

Regards,

 

Gerry

[KCat]

Perhaps I should have put a few more smilies after the admonition... it was entirely in jest, as you no doubt suspected.

 

My goodness gracious KC, you sure have stirred up quite an interesting collection of responses to your original post. Reminds me of a co-worker who regularly liked to 'set the cat amongst the pigeons'... , usually getting the whole office in some sort of an uproar... <_<

 

Not that I'd liken Kendall, Glenn, Stylo and Denis to Pigeons, but you'll certainly do as the cat...

 

Best Regards,

 

Gerry

yes, I didn't take your comments as anything but having fun with the topic. Which is what I'd hoped we'd do.

 

I'm just glad no one seems overly offended. Sometimes it's hard to admit that aside from obvious physical characteristics (which even those can be deceiving) - we really can be very different (men and women that is) and our motivations may be different. I for one, have no interest at all in the wet shaving topic. I gave up my moustache ages ago.

 

Denis: be careful - there are some very large, scary athletes out there that wear white shoes for their day job that can whup you upside the head. I suspect you and i are using the term "tennis shoes" differently. To me, anything resembling sports shoes (cross-trainers, running shoes, high tops, and yes, "tennis" shoes) are all "tennis shoes." Not sure where that peculiarity comes from other than it's what my family always called them so it's what I call them. But don't for a minute think I'm referring to those thin-soled, little white shoes that you can feel grains of sand under. hubby won't even wear slippers, i know he wouldn't be caught dead in those things. But a bit honkin' pair of Nike's - that's another matter. And entirely Masculine!

[memphislawyer]

kcat: i am 46 and we called them tennis shoes as well, and it covered athletic shoes of all sorts but not cleated ones, they were called cleats, lol.

 

but the "tennis shoe" as it were is making a comeback. kswiss has kept up with their all white tennis court shoe all these years, but the addidas models of the stan smith are updated, and then out comes lacoste with their all white shoe, with the tennis court sole (though as i recall in their prior heyday they had no shoe line). im thinking of rolling a pair of the stan smith adidas tennis shoe with the green sole.

 

sam

[Guest Denis Richard]

Denis: be careful - there are some very large, scary athletes out there that wear white shoes for their day job that can whup you upside the head. I suspect you and i are using the term "tennis shoes" differently. To me, anything resembling sports shoes (cross-trainers, running shoes, high tops, and yes, "tennis" shoes) are all "tennis shoes." Not sure where that peculiarity comes from other than it's what my family always called them so it's what I call them. But don't for a minute think I'm referring to those thin-soled, little white shoes that you can feel grains of sand under. hubby won't even wear slippers, i know he wouldn't be caught dead in those things. But a bit honkin' pair of Nike's - that's another matter. And entirely Masculine!

Well... If you met me in person, you'd know that even some skinny ladies in high-heels can easily hurt me.

 

I have a thing against any type of sport shoes and shorts. Don't ask why, I just have. I would not be caught alive in either.

[joseanes]

I do not see too many other people using fountain pens. I have a male co-worker who uses them and kinds of hides them, as in "not to offed anyone with his 'arrogance' of using a fountain pen while everyone else uses a BIC". A female co-worker uses them normally and shamesly. With only two or three sample points it is difficult to evaluate the situation. I use them shameslessly.

 

I do wear pink and lilac shirts. I don't worry too much about my hair (since I have almost none left). I do worry about my clothes to the extent I look presentable, but not beyond. I like nice food.

 

But I can understand the stereotypes described in this thread.

[saintsimon]

I have a thing against any type of sport shoes and shorts. Don't ask why, I just have. I would not be caught alive in either.

That's the 'bad' European influence , especially that by France or Italy. They have allready their (justified) opinions about northern European dressing habits, exhibited by gazillions tourists from the north ...

[KCat]

kcat: i am 46 and we called them tennis shoes as well, and it covered athletic shoes of all sorts but not cleated ones, they were called cleats, lol.

maybe it's our age in part - or being in the south?

the only other kind of shoe that I grew up with (other then patent leather) was plimsoles. Now... my memory of what that is is limited - I recall a thin-soled, solid black shoe that had it been white would have been similar to true tennis shoes. But I only knew of and wore those for the few years we lived in London. Back in the US never saw or heard of them again.

 

i did intend to discount cleats... Hubby has his cleats. So basically he has 4 pairs of shoes. One pair tennis shoes, one pair work/dress shoes, one pair of cleats and one pair of tennis shoes that have been abused that he can wear on the jetties or while mowing the grass.

 

how'd we get here?

 

after me saying I don't obsess about shoes... well, not my own shoes anyway.

 

how can I get this back to pens?

 

Oh - Jose... i don't hide my pens either. I care as much about what people think about me spending $50 on an FP as I do what they think about my "bag lady" attire. I do show them off to people I know have an interest. Past that - i will use them and if someone wants to make assumptions about me, that's fine. I also don't use the pens at banks and checkout counters - but that's a whole different issue (public health and all that.)

[Stylo]

maybe it's our age in part - or being in the south?

 

I think "tennis shoes" is just a U.S. thing.

 

how can I get this back to pens?

 

Here is how: from tennis shoes to tennis, then from tennis to the LE Cross Townsend Tennis Hall of Fame FP!

Edited March 16, 2006 by Stylo

[Johnny Appleseed]

maybe it's our age in part - or being in the south?

 

I believe they are very similar to a type of footwear known as "Tenners". Kids wore them in the summer. They were put on in June at the end of school, and removed in September by parents with surplus gas-masks and immedietly burned. Between June and September they served as an all-purpose running shoe, hiking boot, climbing shoe, fishing wader, nightime slipper, etc.

 

Patrick F. McManus documents their use extensively in one of his books.

 

John

Edited March 17, 2006 by Johnny Appleseed

[Garageboy]

I collect knives, flashlights, watches, interested in rifles and yes, I use a FP

[Guest Denis Richard]

To make my first serious post in that thread, I think Sam and Stylo have the most serious point : There are not that many accessories that a man can wear or carry in a regular business or professional setting without looking... dare I say... weird.

 

That some people already find something as banal as a pen "weird" tells a lot about the level of conformism in our society as a whole.

Edited March 17, 2006 by Denis Richard

[memphislawyer]

denis, i saw that dress you posted and didnt wendy o williams wear stuff like that?

 

sam