Hello!

My first post was in the inky thoughts forum (I guess I was so excited I jumped right in), then I saw the new member forum and decided I should properly introduce myself in here.

I am a dental student in the United States. Dental school is very stressful, and a few weeks ago I thought about when I was younger and used to play with my mother's old fountain pen. I remember that it was scratchy to write with, and if I touched it the wrong way, I got ink all over the place! Now that I'm a little older, I figured I was probably using the pen incorrectly back then and I wanted to give it a shot again. I predicted that having a fountain pen and doing some artistic writing exercises would be a great stress reliever, and it might even be fun to use in class while taking notes.

After doing some reading at PigPog.com and hearing M's opinion about the Lamy Safari for a good starter pen, I quickly ordered one, along with a converter and some Noodler's ink (it's waterproof!). The pen and ink arrived last Friday, and I have already gone through two fills of ink!

Taking notes in class can be a challenge, but not without fun. When the professors speak quickly, I have to write quickly to keep up, and when I write quickly, I tend to press harder. I know that fountain pens perform best when used with lighter pressure, so even during a stressful lecture, I can remind myself to use light pressure and instantly I feel more relaxed in class. It's a great feeling.

My handwriting has always been quite messy (here is a sample of the worse it can get; usually it isn't quite this bad, but occasionally: http://sweb.uky.edu/~sedani2/writing01.jpg); however, since I try to use lighter pressure with the fountain pen and can enjoy the smooth flow of ink, I tend to write much better (small example from class: http://sweb.uky.edu/~sedani2/writing02.jpg) Hopefully with more time this will continue to improve. I enjoy writing with the pen, so I will definitely have opportunities to try new things.

As far as pens, I hope to buy more fountain pens in the future. The Lamy Safari is definitely a great starter pen and a great pen for every day use, but one day I'll hopefully have some that are a little more intricate. That is of course after I get all my student loans paid off!

I look forward to reading more from this community in the future. I stay pretty busy, but hopefully I will find time to drop by occasionally!

--Stephen

Welcome.

You are off to a great start in the FP world. Enjoying writing with them is the first step in the addiction process.

Don't rush, but by this time next week you ought to have made up your mind about your NEXT pen!

Stick around, there is a lot to learn.

Andy

Welcome to FPN, Stephen. The Lamy Safari is a great pen to start with, and it has the advantage of being -- as far as I can tell -- almost indestructible

Neil

Welcome, Rabbit!

A dental student! Good! I think all young up and coming dentists should be able to chat to their patients about fountain pens.

Judybug

Hi Rabbit.

I thought all students were .. sorry Dental . My mistake

I presume that is on your list of really unoriginal comments already

Welcome aboard.


Regards,
Ruaidhrí

My penmanship has improved with fountain pen use however I have not changed my signiture. I love using these pens. They relax me.

Hi Stephen, from a lefty who's penmanship improved from FPs - but still has a long way to go! Glad you're here and hope to see you around.

Let me join in the chorus of welcome and, 'fountain pens relax me." I also find they're are certain colors that just make my brain happy. Thank you Noodlers!