Monday, January 12, 2009

Pen Peeves & Pen Pals

Only my dear friend and former colleague, Annie understands my pen/penmanship neurosis. I can not write in blue ink, I'd save those for her. I will not use a pen that has been chewed, labeled, cordoned, or is missing a cap. I can not use fine points, gel pens, felt tip markers, wide barreled pens or pens with an abrasive, scratchy feeling flow. If I get a false start- I.e. the ink doesn't begin to flow upon touching the paper resulting in retracing of the first character of my writing, I toss it. This is what the first page of my journals, notebooks, sketchpads are used for-that, and those pesky words you have to write out in order to spell correctly! (Does that happen to you-it only looks right in your own handwriting?)

Today, all four of my Bic Atlantis super smooth comfort grip retractable black medium ball point pens were missing amidst the Mercado abyss. And as usual, I was met with raised brows, Scooby faces and silent prayers of invisibility as I launched into a near tear-filled rage. Where are my pens, I have shit to do!

Fast forward through my phone rant, a piece of heavily iced coconut cake, my third glass of Diet Coke-following a week-long Diet Coke detox and, a nap. Favorite Guy takes me to the Mega Lo Mart to purchase not one, but two packs of my perfect pens and a Whatchamacallit. I'm in histrionic housewife heaven! And for good reason, I have a pen pal.

Not since the grammar school foreign language pen pal program have I had a pen-pal, and now I do. Even better, is you can too. Awesome Etsian and zinester, Patti of No Somos Nada Zines is conducting an upcoming zine project using letters from various pen pals. How cool is that? I found out about the project and alerted her of my interest after purchasing my second zine in her "Who is This Woman?" series. I received my first letter last week and can't wait to write her back with my contribution to the project!

When is the last time you sent or received a handwritten letter, just for fun? If you are interested in this project you can reach Patti via Etsy convo.

Peace and the perfect pen

11 comments:

lori vliegen said...

well, you have my permission to smack my hand...as a lettering artist, you would think that i would have pen pals galore (and all of those opportunities to decorate the envelopes!). sadly, i put my pen aside the day my beloved Mac came into my life...i've gone digital!

Unknown said...

at some point during jr. high, i became very fond of blue ink and since then have found it hard to write with black. if there's a black ink pen sitting right in my face, i'll tear the house up looking for a blue one before i'll give in and use it.

i also despise the old false start. it's enough for me to send the pen flying across the room in a rage.

the last handwritten letter i sent out was last week to my mom, but it was just an explanation of something else i was sending. i include handwritten *notes* in all my etsy packages.

a full fledged letter, though? it's been about a year. i actually like doing it and the idea of doing it, though. and dammit, i'm gonna find someone to do it with!

(well, not *it* but...)

mmmm...coconut cake...

(my late night craving for sweet, cakey carbs kicked in a few minutes ago)

Unknown said...

I have a thing for 'the write pen'!! I have to try that one!!
I wish I could give up coke, but I do allow myself one every couple of days. I gave up the aspartame diet cokes though! Aspartame is evil!

Lisa's RetroStyle said...

There's no way around it...my penmanship sucks...plain and simple! I wouldn't want anyone to see it.
I used to get lots of handwritten letters from my grandmother. Right up until she died at age 97...which was just before this Christmas. That was her primary means of communication. She had beautiful handwriting. Why couldn't I have inherited that instead of her thin lips and jowls?!
Have fun with your pen pal!

My Inspired Reality said...

What a cool project. As a teenager, I had pen pals all over the world and I diligently wrote to them. I still miss the whole hand written letter thing:) Didn't mind what color ink though:):)

High Desert Diva said...

Pen, paper, envelopes, stamps....real mail.....yippee!

A Cuban In London said...

Thanks for such a lovely post. I have not had the pleasure of hand-writing letters for a long time. And I blame myself, no one else.

Thanks.

Greetings from London.

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

I'm one of those die-hards who still hand-write my holiday cards....and yes, it has to be with a pen that feels "right." Mostly for me its about grip and ink flow.

I love the Scooby face image for the "who, not me" moments in life!

Barbara said...

OMG! The whole pen thing.

We are here -->(.)(.)<--

I must have the perfect pen in order for my thoughts to flow. It has to be black and it has to have the perfect pigment... not too light and not so dark that its bleeding through the paper (although, I do like the gel pens, until I have to go back and retrace letters like you said because they don't mesh well with certain types of paper). As I am gonna be needing to restock the school supplies, I am now on a mission to find "your" favorite pen... and make it my own, ha ha ha.

Pen pal sounds GREAT! I love writing letters. My last handwritten letter isn't a happy memory though, lol. I wrote my ex a 4 page, front and back, letter detailing why we were not a good fit.

Weith Kick said...

It's sad that the days of the letter writing seem to be fading. When I lived in California, in my early twenties, I used to write letters all the time to my friends back in Phoenix. I cannot tell you the last time I wrote a letter but I wish I could start doing it again. But that is why I have email, right? Lame excuse, I know.

Anonymous said...

I am returning the bloggy love not out of obligation. I'm here because I just knew you had something interesting to blog about.

After reading this post, I can say that my instincts have, once again, served me well! ;)

One of the things I love most about the internet is how quickly I am introduced to people I would have otherwise never met! I am glad to have met you!

I failed miserably as a child when it came to the pen pal game. (1) I couldn't get a pen pal to save my life, and (2) I probably wouldn't have known what to do with them if I had been successful in snaring one.

Keeping in touch with folks wasn't something my parents ingrained in my mind. Even now, I 'struggle" to keep in touch.

If I didn't have my blog or Twitter/Facebook accounts, folks wouldn't know boo about what's happening in my lil patch of this place we call Planet Earth.

Funny, how I can write every day in my blog, but the thought of writing a letter seems, well, alien to me.

I should just bite the bullet and write one. The recipient would probably pass out from shock which would sate my morbid sense of humor. ;)

Looking forward to reading more of your wonderful musings!

Adonya

Adonya Wong
Author | Autism Blogger

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