I got this pen today

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, Ceramicist said:

I think people now know to avoid going on the weekend, and also, when the weather turns here with the promise of snow or ice, people panic and clear out the shelves of eggs, bread and milk. The joke is that we'll all be eating French toast during a winter storm. Have to be prepared! 😂

  The joke here is everything will have kale in it, because it sells out quickly before the rare snowstorm. 

[Ceramicist]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

  The joke here is everything will have kale in it, because it sells out quickly before the rare snowstorm. 

Really? Maybe you all are making soup? A kale and white bean soup is healthier than French toast, at least.

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, Ceramicist said:

Really? Maybe you all are making soup? A kale and white bean soup is healthier than French toast, at least.

   I don’t know, I prefer spinach. A bean soup does sound appetizing though, as does French toast (but maybe not together). Kale got really popular for a bit, it was in everything: soups, salads, smoothies, even dried like chips and flavored with a spice mix. Maybe it found its way into family favorites. 

[Misfit]

Do any of you take advantage of grocery pickup? Let someone else do your shopping?  I do. It mostly works out. I was disappointed when a grocery store substituted a chuck roast for eye of round. Fatty substituted for lean. But that was several years ago. The grocery store sent texts about substitutes. 
 

I mostly get grocery pickup from Walmart. They let you choose substitutes prior to their shopping your order. They send texts and emails about substitutes. And the system “remembers” your substitute choices on repeatedly ordered items. 
 

Also, I think there is less impulse buying when you use grocery pickup. 

[Penguincollector]

Just now, Misfit said:

Do any of you take advantage of grocery pickup? Let someone else do your shopping?  I do. It mostly works out. I was disappointed when a grocery store substituted a chuck roast for eye of round. Fatty substituted for lean. But that was several years ago. The grocery store sent texts about substitutes. 
 

I mostly get grocery pickup from Walmart. They let you choose substitutes prior to their shopping your order. They send texts and emails about substitutes. And the system “remembers” your substitute choices on repeatedly ordered items. 
 

Also, I think there is less impulse buying when you use grocery pickup. 

 

   Very rarely, but I prefer to choose my own cuts of meat and produce. If I didn’t go grocery shopping I would only regularly leave my house for pen meetings and soccer matches.  I don’t feel like that’s very healthy. We have bulk staples delivered like coffee beans, dry beans, rice, and our supplements. 

[Ceramicist]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

   I don’t know, I prefer spinach. A bean soup does sound appetizing though, as does French toast (but maybe not together). Kale got really popular for a bit, it was in everything: soups, salads, smoothies, even dried like chips and flavored with a spice mix. Maybe it found its way into family favorites. 

I love kale chips! 

 

38 minutes ago, Misfit said:

Do any of you take advantage of grocery pickup? Let someone else do your shopping?  I do. It mostly works out. I was disappointed when a grocery store substituted a chuck roast for eye of round. Fatty substituted for lean. But that was several years ago. The grocery store sent texts about substitutes. 
 

I mostly get grocery pickup from Walmart. They let you choose substitutes prior to their shopping your order. They send texts and emails about substitutes. And the system “remembers” your substitute choices on repeatedly ordered items. 
 

Also, I think there is less impulse buying when you use grocery pickup. 

We have in the past, especially during Covid. We've used curbside delivery and home delivery but haven't done either in quite some time. I personally like to hand pick my groceries; I'm finicky that way. It is a very handy service to have, though.

[Ceilidh]

On 8/5/2025 at 1:23 PM, carola said:

Today, I have had a very nice Sheaffer PFM III in the mail, straight from Great Britain. Broad nib, green colour, gold trim, made in Australia. Filling system fully functioning.

 

I have pondered buying one for years, but there never seemed to be just the right pen coming up, but a few days ago, it suddenly did. I happened to stumble upon it on ebay, when the seller had only just listed it. We reached an agreement and there it is now, freshly inked up with Lamy Crystal Peridot, which happens to be a pretty nice colour match.

 

Well done!

[Penguincollector]

4 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

I love kale chips! 

  Oh, they’re so delicious! 

[Ceramicist]

11 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  Oh, they’re so delicious! 

🤤

[inkstainedruth]

I've always been kind of dubious about having groceries delivered, just in general.  But then, I'm one of those people that gets really irritated when stores move items around.  Because as far as I'm concerned?  That's aimed at people who binge-shop.  Which I don't do.  I have a shopping list, and if I can't find what I want I'll go to another store and see if that place has something, and I also look at the store flyers when they come in the mail to see if it's worth going to one of the other chains in the area BEFORE I go out.  And if they don't have something?  I tend to not buy a "substitute" and I tend to bulk-buy stuff when it's on sale, or shop in places like Sam's Club or BJ's (and prefer the latter overall, but there are some things that they don't carry but Sam's does).  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ceramicist]

My last pen of the year, I think. I have the Platinum Maki-e in the Moon and Rabbit and wanted to add the Goldfish to my collection. Here it is shown against a late 1800s Japanese woodblock print by Chikanobu- Asaji Fields No 6, part of the Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared series.

[InkyProf]

1 hour ago, Ceramicist said:

My last pen of the year, I think. I have the Platinum Maki-e in the Moon and Rabbit and wanted to add the Goldfish to my collection. Here it is shown against a late 1800s Japanese woodblock print by Chikanobu- Asaji Fields No 6, part of the Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared series.

That’s beautiful - I like the simplicity of the goldfish and the relative minimalism of the design. I’m not familiar with that type of Platinum nib, as I only have 3776s: how does it write?

[Ceramicist]

4 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

That’s beautiful - I like the simplicity of the goldfish and the relative minimalism of the design. I’m not familiar with that type of Platinum nib, as I only have 3776s: how does it write?

Thank you! It is a perfect combination of smooth toothiness, if I may describe it this way without creating an oxymoronic expression. I believe we, the most ardent of fountain pen users, understand.

[InkyProf]

30 minutes ago, Ceramicist said:

I believe we, the most ardent of fountain pen users, understand.

 

Indeed, I believe I do! I suppose you could call it al dente.

[Misfit]

@Ceramicist so no pens expected from Santa?

[USG]

9 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

My last pen of the year, I think. I have the Platinum Maki-e in the Moon and Rabbit and wanted to add the Goldfish to my collection. Here it is shown against a late 1800s Japanese woodblock print by Chikanobu- Asaji Fields No 6, part of the Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared series.

 

That's a beautiful pen Ceramicist and equally beautiful photographs.

I can't tell from the photo, which nib did you get?

 

8 hours ago, InkyProf said:

That’s beautiful - I like the simplicity of the goldfish and the relative minimalism of the design. I’m not familiar with that type of Platinum nib, as I only have 3776s: how does it write?

 

What he said.... 

 

8 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

Thank you! It is a perfect combination of smooth toothiness, if I may describe it this way without creating an oxymoronic expression. I believe we, the most ardent of fountain pen users, understand.

 

Smooth Toothiness:  I have a <M> Platinum President that feels smooth but I can hear it when I write on Tomoe River paper and a 3776 <SF> that shares that characteristic. [Both are silent on Cosmo Snow paper]

Is that what you mean, feels smooth but audible or are you able to feel the toothiness?

[Ceramicist]

11 hours ago, InkyProf said:

 

Indeed, I believe I do! I suppose you could call it al dente.

That's a perfect description, and it's keeping in line with the pasta metaphors like wet noodle.

11 hours ago, Misfit said:

@Ceramicist so no pens expected from Santa?

No, I didn't ask for any. What about you?

3 hours ago, USG said:

 

That's a beautiful pen Ceramicist and equally beautiful photographs.

I can't tell from the photo, which nib did you get?

 

 

What he said.... 

 

 

Smooth Toothiness:  I have a <M> Platinum President that feels smooth but I can hear it when I write on Tomoe River paper and a 3776 <SF> that shares that characteristic. [Both are silent on Cosmo Snow paper]

Is that what you mean, feels smooth but audible or are you able to feel the toothiness?

Thanks so much! The nib is a fine, and I can feel the toothiness but not really hear it. It is as @InkyProf described-- al dente.🍝

[InkyProf]

1 hour ago, Ceramicist said:

it's keeping in line with the pasta metaphors like wet noodle

 

That hadn't even occurred to me! But now I'm going to run with it, because it gives me the opportunity to complain about badly-finished stock nibs by saying that my penne are maltagliati.

 

Oh, drat, now I'm hungry and it's only 9am. 🙂

[Ceramicist]

1 hour ago, InkyProf said:

 

That hadn't even occurred to me! But now I'm going to run with it, because it gives me the opportunity to complain about badly-finished stock nibs by saying that my penne are maltagliati.

 

Oh, drat, now I'm hungry and it's only 9am. 🙂

Ha! That's perfect! One also could say a generously sized nib dispenses ink like an overstuffed cannelloni. How's that?

[InkyProf]

1 hour ago, Ceramicist said:

One also could say a generously sized nib dispenses ink like an overstuffed cannelloni.

Now I’m imagining an ink called “Besciamella…” maybe lightly nutmeg-scented… hard to read, but impossible to resist…