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Gandalf And My First Fountain Pen


cednocon

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Greetings to all-

 

I have been a member of the forum for a few months now. However, this will be my first official forum post. I usually spend most of my FPN time in the Classified section where I've had the opportunity to meet wonderful members who were more than generous in sharing with me their beautiful and timeless pens.

 

I was introduced to my first fountain pen roughly summer of last year. Though I have experience in using dip pens for illustration, I have not tried nor even considered fountain pens as an alternative to creating artworks. My chance encounter with my first pen occurred in a quasi-melodramatic manner. As if fate had its hand in this, the usual art store that I often visited was closed for a month-long renovation process and I decided to take a trip at another art store far from where I live. I was new to that swanky store and as I fumbled my through the labyrinth-like aisles chocked full of rows and rows of paints, brushes, paper goods, and all the artsy fartsy supplies that will make even Rembrandt wet his pants in his grave, I ended up in the fancy fountain pen department that was managed by a mild manner older gentleman who happened to look like Gandalf the Wizard from Lord of the Rings film! And to add to his near-authentic looking gray hair, beard, and mystifying expression, he also sported an oversize white button-up shirt that, I swear at certain angles, glowed with faerie magic under the track lighting above!

 

My first impressionable notion was, "Oh... my... hot potato... Gandalf is here!"

 

He saw my big raccoon eyes staring at him, and in return he waved his modern day magic staff at me as if offering me a rare blessing into knighthood--or the last rites before you face a fire breathing dragon and become a charbroiled burger.

 

As I walked closer, his staff was a Porsche Design fountain pen in carbon fiber trim with a rhodium nib. "Can I interest you in this pen that we now carry in stock," he said. "It is just one of the BEST writing pen around!" He followed with an upselling tactic, "Once you write with this, you'll never go back to ballpoint pens again." You know when Gandalf says that a pen is the best, you do not question the 'white wizard' of Lord of the Rings... and of Two Towers... and of The Return of the King! His word... is EPIC!

 

I immediately grabbed the pen like a giddy kid being handed an ice cream on hot day. For a moment there, I felt the wizard's life giving aura flow through me with such vitality. It was legendary. Then I saw the price tag.

 

"Are you nuts?!" Okay, so I didn't say that directly to him.

"Oh sonova@%&*%#!" And not that one as well.

 

Yes, the price tag quickly depleted the life giving energy from me. I felt like one of the... forsaken.

 

I turned down Gandalf. I had to. Ofcourse, now that I think about it again, some of the pens I would like to acquire someday are worth double or even triple that price tag. But still, at that time, the whole 'shock and awe' feeling had me walking away with a Lamy Safari outfitted with an EF nib instead.

 

I enjoyed my Lamy--yes, in white color to honor the white wizard--and as my first official cartridge converter pen, it was a wonderful instrument that allowed me to fall in love fountain pens slowly but surely. Sadly, I had to part with the pen a few months later as I found myself convinced by better 'wizards' in the Classified section of the Fountain Pen Network forum who wield pens of true power and harness mystifying concoctions of indelible inks than Gandalf! The Classified section is a place where magic meets your wallet.

 

Thus, is my story... my tale. I hope to meet and more more FPN members soon!

 

Thank you, all! Cheers!

 

Ced

 

 

P.S. The art store really does exist and the gentleman is still working there. He is really a kind fellow without whom I probably would not have given a thought about fountain pens.

Edited by cednocon
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Hey Ced. and :W2FPN:

 

Great story. You know, I would love a picture of that gentleman in his "booth" wielding a FP-wizard-staff.

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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Hello cednocon, welcome to FPN. I can tell by your imaginative prose that you belong here.

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Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Sounds like you’ll fit right in around here!

PAKMAN

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Thank you, everyone! I'm glad to have found a place to meet and know new friends. Enjoy the weekend!

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Wow!!! ced,

What a wonderful re-counting of you tale. I love the " Lord of the Rings " series and I can just about see Gandalf wielding his mighty magical Porsche Design. Have you considered a try at being a playwrite? I am, however it happened, glad that the fancy smansy art store was a stop on you path and got you in the direction of FPs and FPN.

 

aggie

If your out-go is more than your income,

 

Then your up-keep.

 

May be your Down-falll!!!

 

 

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Welcome to FPN! What a great story — I hope you have more of them in store for us!

Life's too short for bad paper.

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Welcome to FPN. Great to have you here with us. :thumbup:

Edited by Clancy

"Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause." - Gandhi -

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Welcome !

 

I enjoyed reading your narrative. I look forward to reading more from you.

 

Glad you joined.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Hi and welcome.

 

BTW wait until another Gandalf shows you the Porsche design fountain pen with a titanium nib. My wife had to grab me out of the airport shop as my wallet was already out of my pocket...

 

Kind regards,

 

Rui

Kind regards,

 

Rui

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Wow!!! ced,

What a wonderful re-counting of you tale. I love the " Lord of the Rings " series and I can just about see Gandalf wielding his mighty magical Porsche Design. Have you considered a try at being a playwrite? I am, however it happened, glad that the fancy smansy art store was a stop on you path and got you in the direction of FPs and FPN.

 

aggie

Thank you! I'd like to someday explore an endeavor in putting together a short story. Certainly my growing interest in fountain pens and being around others (here at FPN) is helping to cultivate the possible writer in me somewhere. :)

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Hi and welcome.

 

BTW wait until another Gandalf shows you the Porsche design fountain pen with a titanium nib. My wife had to grab me out of the airport shop as my wallet was already out of my pocket...

 

Kind regards,

 

Rui

LOL I can just imagine the attraction that the pen had on you! I just googled it and I'm afraid I may not be as strong as you in being able to walk away from it once it is in my sight! :)

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Welcome !

 

I enjoyed reading your narrative. I look forward to reading more from you.

 

Glad you joined.

Thank you for the heart warming welcome!

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Welcome to FPN. Great to have you here with us. :thumbup:

Thank you very much! I look forward to the wonderful company!

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Welcome to FPN! What a great story — I hope you have more of them in store for us!

Thanks.... and I do hope to share more adventures in my quest to collect more pens. Incidently, seeing the massive (and some highly rare) collection of fountain pens that everyone in this forum has to share... I cant help but feel... well... severely underfunded. lol. I may have to launch a Kickstarter campaign to assist me in building my daily arsenal as well. ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

What a wonderful introduction and captivating story!

 

Welcome to FPN, Ced! I hope we will read many stories of your pen adventures!

Scribere est agere.

To write is to act.

___________________________

Danitrio Fellowship

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Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network, glad to have you here!!!

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

 

—Oscar Wilde

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