Losing interest in pens

[Rotomobees]

Good Afternoon Friends,

 

I gave away a Visconti Manhattan LE to friend whom I told about my desire to part with some of my pens. I also gave two Millennium Rotring LEs to another friend who wants to take up calligraphy. Then I parted with my blue Pelikan Original of their Time to a person on the board. I'm making progress.

[Passion]

Good Afternoon Friends,

 

I gave away a Visconti Manhattan LE to friend whom I told about my desire to part with some of my pens. I also gave two Millennium Rotring LEs to another friend who wants to take up calligraphy. Then I parted with my blue Pelikan Original of their Time to a person on the board. I'm making progress.

Congradulations! I'm sure those people are thrilled with their "new" pens

[r1chard]

i'm new to pen collecting. i just have an artpen 1,9 calligraphy before. as i enjoy the hobby. now i'm collecting artpens; calligraphy and sketch. then now i'm into altro. i tried to streamline collecting only artpens and altro. budget is a major factor. and as everyone advised to collectors, collect only the ones you like. i think the thrill of collecting is not getting all that wanted and need. if you collect all at once. there's nothing to do after.

[nvbrennan]

I'm not sure what anyone will think about this but I can sympathise with rotombees. In fact I think most of us can from what I can see on FPN. Most of us haven't had either the time or resources to construct such an incredible collection of pens. But it seems that what is analagous is the experience many of us (just picking up on comments) seem to have of purchasing a pen and almost moving onto the next hunt before the pen is in the mail to us. I wonder whether a waining interest under these circumstances is simply having no further pens to hunt for. I think at least in my own life this mostly reflects that, as wonderful as pens are, they sometimes occupy too much of my thoughts, time and affections. How to keep a good thing good without being everything? Under those circumstances then I think collecting and enjoying satisfies, but I think often for me, as silly as it seems, the merely good becomes the ultimate sometimes .... hence the ill ease. Just a thought.

[pixwriter]

I think this is one of those topics that has really hit a chord with everyone to some extent, making us think, even if we see the dilemma in very different ways.

[George]

Quite honestly, this thread, and the actions of Rob have really changed the way I look at material items. I always coveted pens, or lusted after a certian one, but after reading the posts in this thread I realize they are "just pens". Easily the most influential thread that I have ever read.

 

Regards,

George

[hehiheho]

I had difficulty to trust all this at first. I was thinking of someone wanting to get some attention, or something like that. Just above mine, there is now a message proving Rotomobees is actually doing what he says (look at the signature). I am sorry for my doubts.

 

I am strongly impressed. That is al lot of generosity. I think people in this forum are lucky to have met Rotomobees and seen his action. You all have seen a proof that getting all the objects you dream about will not make you any happier on long term. This shows the difference between satisfaction and happiness. Such a proof is not seen often.

Edited August 15, 2009 by hehiheho

[Rotomobees]

I had difficulty to trust all this at first. I was thinking of someone wanting to get some attention, or something like that. Just above mine, there is now a message proving Rotomobees is actually doing what he says (look at the signature). I am sorry for my doubts.

 

I am strongly impressed. That is al lot of generosity. I think people in this forum are lucky to have met Rotomobees and seen his action. You all have seen a proof that getting all the objects you dream about will not make you any happier on long term. This shows the difference between satisfaction and happiness. Such a proof is not seen often.

 

I thought perhaps people might not believe my offer was real or motivated by some sort of need for attention, but please know that it is genuine. George (above) has not yet received his Pelikan because I did not make it down to the post office today. I guess he just trusts that I will send it. But he will receive it, I promise, unless I meet the Grim Reaper prematurely tonight. I have also sent off a few others, but I had to pull one because the recipient informed me that color nauseated him/her. I am not going to reveal to whom I send the pens because I don't want to betray anyone's confidence. It really doesn't matter to me if people believe this is real because those who receive them will know I am true to my word. I agree, though, a good degree of skepticism does seem appropriate here. Wait and you'll see, I'm sure, some of the pens I will send out making an appearance on FPN.

[alvarez57]

God bless your kind soul.

[thebeesknees]

God bless your kind soul.

 

Couldn't say it better myself.

[Anton Emdin]

You are a very kind person to give these pens away, Rob.

 

I would like to think that I would do the same. I've already instructed my wife to donate my (very small, but loved) collection to you good folk at FPN if I should die. It means a lot that the pen should be used and not just shunted into a drawer.

[voop]

You are a very kind person to give these pens away, Rob.

 

I would like to think that I would do the same. I've already instructed my wife to donate my (very small, but loved) collection to you good folk at FPN if I should die. It means a lot that the pen should be used and not just shunted into a drawer.

 

Careful, now, someone might want to send a firing squad

[Ghost Plane]

Nah. This group's more likely to send bodyguards. We take care of our own.

[pen2paper]

...

Edited August 16, 2009 by pen2paper

[WendyNC]

A long time ago, there was a small kitchen item that I wanted to get for good friends of ours, but just couldn't squeeze the $8 out of the budget. At that point, I decided that I'd know I was wealthy if I ever got to the point that if I wanted to give someone a gift, I could.

 

We had a few good years there during which I was able to enjoy that privilege. We might not have been wealthy by the world's standards (in fact, far from it) and none of the gifts were in any way extravagant, but to be able to give someone a little something s/he might enjoy or to write a check to a charity or cause without having to worry about the groceries was one of the most comfortable feelings I've ever experienced.

 

Although I can't do that as freely now, I can still pass on things which are no longer actively used in my life and it's pleasing to know that items I once enjoyed are again being put to the purposes for which they were designed. I think I get where Rotomobees is coming from.

[Carrie]

Not read this topic for a couple of days and sometimes you've got to just love the way topics can go off on tangents as well as keeping to the original topic. Found the beekeeping bit very interesting. A couple of years ago the beekeeper in the village where I used to live lost 7 of his 11 hives to disease, really quite worrying that something like that could happen. Last month I went out the house one morning for work and found a swarm of bees above the garden and road. Looking online it seemed it was the wrong time of year to be swarming, so I hope that wasn't caused by disease. The local beekeeper only lives in the next street, so he came out to collect them

 

It certainly sounds like there's going to be some very lucky people as a result of your generosity. I hope we'll be able to see photos of some more of these pens as I imagine that's the only way some of us will ever get to see pens like this.

[Lachesis]

While I'm at it, if I could I'd request for a pen but I don't have the money to cover shipping costs...so instead, I'd like to subscribe to this thread and to a future thread about the writing experiences and stories people have with his pens, whenever that may be.

 

I'll pony up and pay for shipping to Lachesis.

 

Thank you, Wendy. Sorry if I haven't been replying as of late...

 

I'll send you a message, Rob, and good show with the beekeeping.

 

Lachesis

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thank you for all your comments. Let me address a few issues. First, I am not depressed, or at least not any more depressed than normal. I am reluctant to engage in self-revelation, but I am a recovering alcoholic (7 years sober), and I am very familiar with depression. This isn't depression; it's rather a realization that having too much stuff makes one's life miserable. How do you enjoy a pen when you don't even know how many you have or even where they all are?

 

Oh, amen to that.

 

My pens are very low-end (think Hero, Sheaffer NN, Preppy, Pel Jr.), with one or two exceptions, and though I do not have as many as you, I bought in quantity from fleabay, and have duplicates of just about everything.

 

Yet there are only a handful that I LIKE and use on a regular basis, and I could see myself doing the very same thing you are doing.

 

You've inspired me!

[Ghost Plane]

Not pen related, but a vague tangent from the bee keeping, I got a wild lizard to take 4 bugs from me today. I was fishing live bugs out of the swimming pool and the lizard nabbed one. So I put another out and he came a little closer, 3rd a little closer. The 4th bug was nabbed off the end of a pine needle, less than 6 inches from my finger! After that, having consumed what appeared to be about 1/4th of his body mass in bugs, he turned and scampered back to the fence. [i'm being sexist - I didn't check the throat for gender but usually it's males on the fence]

[johnr55]

I've gotten that way more than once with photography. I've still got piles of very expense photo equipment that is unused.

 

As another has recommended, I go back to the basics. I have a few dozen FP's but nothing over regular MB-expensive. I pick one pen and use it for a month or so in my daily writing.

 

I go in and out of interest with all my hobbies and have gotten used to it. The tough part is keeping a level head when the fever hits!