Any other college students here?

[thn]

Hi,

 

I am so excited to find this very interesting forum, and I can't believe that there are so many FP enthusiasts out there. I'm currently a freshman at Cornell U in Ithaca, NY.

 

I have used FPs for as long as I can remember, but didn't become an addict until fairly recently (when I chose a limited edition Etruria over a new computer for a graduation gift ). Actually, I don't regret it one bit, but none of my friends seem to agree. In fact, I haven't seen anyone use a FP on campus.

 

So am I one of those freaks of nature, or are there more college students lurking here? If you're out there, give a shout (especially if you're a cute girl with nice handwriting!)

 

THN

[southpaw]

Hi THN,

 

Welcome into the FPNuthouse. I don't fit into any of the categories you addressed: finished my masters in Dec., I'm a guy, and I doubt "cute" is appropriate either. Nonetheless, I figured I'd shout out to you anyhow!

 

Glad you're here and hope you stick around. BTW, there are plenty of college folks here.

 

See ya around,

southpaw

[Badger]

Hi THN

Welcome and enjoy. I'm quite recent to the FPN and I'm already an addict. My handwriting is ok, but I do look like my avatar, cute if you like grey hair and big behinds!

[RyanL27]

Hey thn,

 

I'm a senior at Grinnell College (IA), and I've been around these parts (FPN) for a while now. I'm also an obsessive FP user/collector/accumulator/drooler, etc. It's cool to have another student around - welcome!

[Desirider]

Hi thn,

 

I am in grad school and started using FPs last semester after realizing that I was going through several gel refills a semester. In theory, a bottle of ink should last a few semesters, but who stops with just 1 bottle

 

Now I am done with course work and I can't get enough things to write. So make full use of FPs while in school.

 

Desirider.

[mike1]

Welcome to FPN. Sorry, I'm not a college student now. Last time I was in school as a student was thirty-six years ago. Time flys when you're having fun.

[Sonnet]

I "recently" graduated from college [May 2005]....does that count?

[Libertas]

Junior at Brown here....FP's make note taking much less arduous!

 

I've only known one other student who used fountain pens, so I guess I should work harder to convert some more!

[thn]

Libertas,

 

I completely agree; if it weren't for my FPs, I would probably not take notes in class. So, my addiction is actually a good thing: it prevents me from having to drop out of college. Now if only FPs were smart enough to do multivariable calculus...

[Ruaidhri]

THN,

 

You'll find quite a few students of one sort of another lurking around here - and a few old #$£" s like myself

 

Welcome to FPN

 

Regards,

Ruaidhrí

[TMann]

THN,

 

Hey there! Welcome!

 

I'm in my late 30's, so I am way past the "student" portion of my life. Thank goodness....

 

Welcome to FPN!

 

TMann

[corniche]

In fact, I haven't seen anyone use a FP on campus.

 

So am I one of those freaks of nature...

Greetings THN and welcome,

 

We’re all one big family here; a family of “outsiders” you might say, but that is what makes us close. In a world where less than 2% of the population uses a fountain pen we are often lumped into three categories- snobs, retro-philes who are stuck in the past or just general nut-jobs and misfits.

 

Perhaps we are all a compilation of the three; however, I would prefer to believe most, if not all of us fall into the fourth and least recognized category- the “individualist.” When using a fountain pen in this day and age you are often met with ridicule and jibes such as “oh, you mean you still use one of those things…? I’d never bother with one of those…”

 

However, consider this: a snob would never subject himself to such critique because he is too concerned about his social position and would buckle under and use a roller-ball. A retro-phile would only use his fountain pen when he was around other retro-philes- just like Star Trek fans only dress like Kirk and Spock when they are around other “Trekkies,” and the misfits and nut-jobs… well, who knows what they’d do. However, the “individualist” uses his fountain pen with equal pride within every social milieu as well as every private moment.

 

While I am not a girl, have never been cute, (well, maybe I was a long time ago), have penmanship that prompted my third grade teacher to jump out of a window and haven't darkened a college's doorway in a long, long time; I still say... welcome.

 

Welcome to a unique place. Feel free to speak your mind and rest assured if you ask a question to almost any conceivable or inconceivable pen or ink question- you are sure to get at least one answer- some of them may even be right!

 

Best wishes,

 

Sean

Edited September 16, 2006 by corniche

[umenohana]

Hi thn! I go to college, too, and I seem to be the only one on campus using a FP here.. If you want to see nice writing, you should check out the penmanship forum if you haven't done so already. James Pickering may not be a "cute girl", but he sure writes well! lol Check out Ann Finley, too, she is marvelous!

 

-Hana

[Bill_D]

If you attend Cornell, you must be extremely intelligent as only the best and brightest manage to get admitted to, or graduate from, that fine institution. In fact, I bet you are so intelligent that you can probably guess where I went to college.

 

Welcome to FPN.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Bill_D

[dwmatteson]

Welcome thn!

 

I'm 0-fer-4 as well (sort of like the Buffalo Bills and Superbowls ).

 

Not in college any longer (in what feels like my 200th year of grad school -- working on the pesky doctorate -- and I teach college students).

 

Not a girl.

 

Definitely not cute.

 

Handwriting is fair-to-middling at best.

 

My students are amused and somewhat perplexed that I'm a fountain pen user. They do like the fact that their homework is seldom graded twice in the same color.

 

Maybe if I give more homework assignments, I'll need to buy more inks!

 

It's a nice group of people around here. You'll feel welcome.

 

Don

[playpen]

thn - welcome!

Ruaidhri - lurking eh? Is there any particular outfit required for those who wish to lurk? A dark raincoat maybe?

[helius]

Heya Thn,

 

I'm a grad student at Georgia Tech. Finally took the plunge a few months ago and got a Lamy Safari, and nowadays I can usually be found drooling all over the display cases at Art Lite (the local fountain pen store).

[Ruaidhri]

Playpen,

 

This is a recent shot of Ernst lurking - Black Balaclava, snood, undervest and leotard against the black wallpaper in the Meditation Room -

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/Ernst_2.jpg

 

 

Sometimes he is an example to us all

 

Regards,

Ruaidhrí

[a11en]

Hey THN-

 

Welcome! I'm a Grad-student (and a very old one at that)- I get some strange looks- unfortunately I haven't learned not to loan my pen when others wish to write down their e-mail addy's etc., for my work- one mentioned the other day: "Oh, you use an ink pen!"... It was a "51" - so it wasn't obvious immediately to some.

 

I've noticed the Chinese students (at least the older ones) appear to know how to use it... my good friend used my m400 yesterday to try and explain a few things to me on a piece of paper- he kept going between the normal side and the top-side- so he must have had a double-sided tip. Very cool.

 

BTW, don't be too concerned that others aren't using FP's- there are a lot of good things that most of these guys won't know about- and won't be doing either. This just tells me you're a bit ahead of your class.

 

Hope you do well in your undergrad studes, THN! It'll be a strange trip, but keep on pluggin' and you'll make it through!

 

-Allen

[playpen]

Ruaidhri,

I think I'm in love...