My ADHD brain in blog form.
Posted in Fountain Pens, Ink, and Pen Shows
You’ll have to excuse the tardiness of this post. Last week was a bit crazy. That said, let’s just pretend I got this out in a timely manner, shall we?
Another Baltimore Pen Show (BWIPS) is over, far too quickly in my opinion. I’m happy to report that the “off” feeling I experienced last year was completely gone this year. I had a blast at the show.
Posted in Pen Shows
Jim and I scheduled our vacation around the London Pen Show this year. For those unfamiliar with it, the London Pen Show is a one-day pen show, held this year at the Novotel London West. I understand that in previous years, it’s been at a different location.
We were eager to meet different makers and experience different shops; and we certainly did. This show had a drastically different exhibitor list than the U.S. shows we’ve been to.
Posted in Pen Shows
I’ve said in previous posts that the fountain pen community is amazing. The DC Pen Show was an excellent reminder of this. For both Jim and I, the focus — and highlight — of the show was socializing with pen friends.
It’s been easy, for the past few years, to forget what a great community the pen world is. In general, members are welcoming and helpful. The experienced members tend to be generous in sharing their knowledge, and sometimes inks or even pens for testing.
Posted in Pen Shows
I want to start this post by ensuring any reader knows that I’m not writing this to denigrate the DC Pen Show, the show organizers, or the venue. This post is going to seem negative since I’m writing about issues I had with the show and venue. But, nothing is perfect, and you can’t improve without input. So, that’s what I’m trying to do: provide input and suggestions for improvement.
I also want to acknowledge that Barbara and her team have improved the DC Pen Show by leaps and bounds. Their work to better the show for vendors and attendees deserves recognition. I want to help the show organizers continue to make the DC Pen Show even better.
Now, with my purpose explained, let’s dive into the few issues I had with and at the DC Pen Show and some possible ideas for mitigation.
Posted in Pen Shows
While absolutely exhausting, I have to say that this year’s DC Pen Show has been my favorite by far of all the ones I have attended. I got to chat with so many pen friends, meet new people, strengthen relationships, and reconnect with older friends.
For those who didn’t attend the DC Pen Show last year, and/or who didn’t read my blog posts, the show hotel underwent a major renovation — it was in progress during last year’s show — so multiple areas were seriously altered in comparison to previous years.
I have a lot to say for my show review this year, so check out my post about it later this week.
Posted in Fountain Pens, Non-Fountain Pens, Paper, and Pen Shows
I typically share my pen show haul after each show I attend. I see no reason to diverge from that for this show. However, be prepared, because my haul is not pen heavy this time. Shocking, I know.
Let’s start with the pens, shall we?
Posted in Pen Shows
Jim and I needed a vacation after all of the Athena stress, but we had trouble figuring out where to go. We ended up deciding on a long weekend trip to the St. Louis Pen Show. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised.
The entrance/registration desk was at the same level as the hotel lobby, with the show itself one floor below. Thankfully, there were both two elevators and a stairway, so there wasn’t a bottleneck — at least not that I saw.
The space allotted for the show was rather large. There were two adjoining rooms, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say there was a large conference/ballroom with an anteroom. However, you want to look at it, both areas were used as show floor.
Posted in Pen Shows
Last weekend was Baltimore Washington International Pen Show (BWIPS) weekend. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, or if you know me, then you know BWIPS is my favorite pen show. This year, however, was significantly different than previous years for me and Jim.
We attended this year’s BWIPS without any responsibilities. We didn’t volunteer, and we didn’t commit to teach any classes. It was nice, from that perspective, to attend a show like “normal” people. We didn’t have to worry about schedules or anything.
Posted in Pen Shows
For those who aren’t familiar with the show, Scriptus is held in the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library, from 10am to 4pm. This year, it was on Sunday, October 30.
When we arrived at the library about five to 10, there was a line wrapped along the Asquith Ave wall of the library, and it was clear that a large number of people had already been allowed in. The line moved quickly, and, once we made it inside, I was amazed at both how fabulous the library is and the length of the line ahead of us.
Posted in Pen Shows
When I shared my 2022 DC Pen Show Part 2 post, I received some comments about accessibility that made me start thinking. The pen shows I’ve been to range from just passable for physical disability accessibility to barely accessible for non-disabled persons. As such, I’m dedicating a post to some thoughts on pen show accessibility.
Please be aware, I’m by not even close to an expert here. I’m 100% certain there are accessibility issues I don’t know about and accommodations I’ve never thought of. I would just like to help get a discussion going in the pen world. For the most part, the pen community is inclusive and welcoming, and it’s a shame our shows don’t reflect that.
Posted in Pen Shows
I’ve decided to end my 2022 DC Pen Show series here. While I have a couple more posts peripherally related to the DC show, I’m going to post them as “stand-alone” entries.
Straight up, this post has caused me some trouble. First, I wasn’t sure it was something I should write. Then, I didn’t like how I’d written it. Then I questioned if I should post it. Now, well, I think it’s about as good as it’s going to get.
Because this is a contentious topic, I’d like to remind everyone reading that all comments on my blog go through manual review and approval. That isn’t unique to this post.
Posted in Pen Shows
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
Although I purchased and received several non-pen items, I’m only going to review the pens and nib in this post and the Jinji chocolate in a later post. Feel free to jump down to a specific mini review: Analog Notes | Namiki | Platinum | Mayfair Pens | Gravitas Pens | Nahvalur | All in the Nib
Posted in Pen Shows
When Esterbrook first announced Nib Wars, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was described as a competition where, “the nibmeisters will participate in three rounds, each round tasking the competitor to execute a specific nib grind.” I didn’t know if it would be fascinating or boring. But, it sounded interesting enough that I registered to attend.
I was especially intrigued by Esterbrook’s description of nibmeisters: “the unsung heroes of the pen community, nibmeisters build their skill over years of training and persistence. Not unlike a Jedi, if you think about it.” I’ve definitely found that people new to the pen world either don’t know about, or are somewhat skeptical about, going to nibmeisters. And, while I 100% advocate learning to tune your own nibs, nibmeisters are fabulous for narrowing a nib or changing the shape of a nib (e.g. standard round to stub or architect).
Posted in Pen Shows
Normally I wouldn’t review a show I’ve already reviewed. However, this year’s DC Pen Show was a bit different, as the hotel was undergoing renovations. So, I’d like to address how Barbara and Jeff, the main show organizers, handled the inconvenience. I’d also like to revisit some of my concerns from last year.
Overall, I was very pleased with the show organization. I think the show organizers did an excellent job given the difficulties they faced. They definitely seem to be learning from mistakes and oversights, and I give them immense credit for that.
Note: I’ll be discussing the show layout. For those of you who didn’t attend the DC Pen Show, you can take a look at the PDF version of the interactive show map, created by Alexander Kramer (pen_show_maps on Instagram) for the DC Pen Show organizers, to get an idea of the layout.
Posted in Pen Shows
You all know I write a lot. Too much, really. And I knew this post would be no different. So, I broke out my Thursday experience in my last post, since it was something new. Today is an overview of what I did and purchased each day of the show. There are pictures this time, but no reviews of anything. That’s for another day, because this is ridiculously long already.
Of note, I made plans before the show. I had a shopping list of pens and inks I really wanted to get. I was… somewhat successful.
For those of you who didn’t attend the DC Pen Show, you can take a look at the PDF version of the interactive show map, created by Alexander Kramer (pen_show_maps on Instagram) for the DC Pen Show organizers, to get an idea of the layout. I’ll also refer to table numbers for those who want to check locations to jog their memory.
Posted in Pen Shows
As I do every year, I’d been eagerly anticipating the DC Pen Show for the past month. Beyond the pens, knowing I’ll get to see maker and pen friends is a huge draw, and something I greatly look forward to. Last year, I indulged in the weekend trader pass for the first time, and went Friday through Sunday.
This year, I did something different again. For the first time, I attended the DC Pen Show on the Thursday. My hope was to sell some pens and inks to augment my show budget. That didn’t really happen. But, I had fun anyway.
Posted in Pen Shows
Alright, I’m back for part 2. If you didn’t read part 1, you won’t have a problem following along with part 2, but you’ll have missed a large part of my pen show haul. Grab a snack, because this is a long one, too.
As I mentioned before, you’ll notice a dearth of photos of the show itself. My focus on enjoying myself resulted in me not taking a single photo while in the show room. But, you can get your fill of BWIPS imagery on Instagram by looking up #bwips2022 or #baltimorepenshow2022, visiting the BWIPS website, or watching Mike Matteson’s — AKA Inkdependence — video on YouTube.
Posted in Pen Shows
Buckle up, folks, this is a long one. I did my best to summarize what I did and saw at Baltimore, but there’s a lot to say. You’ll notice a dearth of photos of the show itself. I was so focused on enjoying myself that I didn’t take a single photo while in the show room. Oops. But, you can get your fill of BWIPS imagery on Instagram by looking up #bwips2022 or #baltimorepenshow2022, visiting the BWIPS website, or watching Mike Matteson’s — AKA Inkdependence — video on YouTube.
Posted in Fountain Pens, Ink, Paper, Pen Shows, Storage, and Stores
Since I finished my last Fountain Pen 301 post in October of 2018, I’ve written several updates to the different installments. To make life easier for those looking for a “one-stop-shop” I’m collecting all of the posts here. I’m also including some informational posts I’ve since written that aren’t updates to the original series. I hope it serves as a good resource for many.
I plan to keep this page updated if/when I write future updates or related posts. You can also access this page from the Fountain Pen Series link on my Tags by Category page.
My blog is not monetized, nor do I currently have any intention of monetizing it. So, point people here for information. To make it easier for you, I’ve shortened the page link for better sharing: https://bit.ly/fp-series-update. In the various installments, I link to resources from all over, including Goulet Pen Co, Jet Pens, Pentorium, Nibs.com, Vintage Pen, and quite a few more.
Now, enough preamble, time for the round up.
Posted in Pen Shows
I now return to the scheduled DC Pen Show Programming.
As I mentioned in my experience post, I’m also reviewing the 2021 DC Pen Show. I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed it before. For those unaware, Bob Johnson passed away, and his sister has taken over the show organization. She appears to be more willing to bring in additional help.
Of note, I won’t be as “harsh” as I general would be. With the combo platter of minimal planning time due to COVID uncertainties, a new person running it, and the limitations due to COVID, the show deserves some leeway. Because of that, I’ll likely review it again, next year (or whenever COVID restrictions have been completely lifted).
