What Do People Say To You When You Whip Out That Pen?

[NevynM]

i too am baffled by people who mistake fountain pens for knives or weapons. haven't they ever seen a decent knife?

 

"That's not a knife, *this* is a knife!"

[Lyander0012]

Hmm, I was at an interview recently and one of the applicants mistook my TWSBI 580 for an electronic cigarette! I was fidgeting, having waited around two hours at that point, and turning it over in my hands. Out of the blue, she asked "Hey, is that your...?" after which she made a motion suggesting smoking.

Hm, come to think of it, yeah, it actually does look a bit like one to the uninitiated. At least I don't smoke, since it might have been very embarrassing to whip out one or the other and end up trying to write with a cigarette or smoke a pen!

 

 

Cheers!

Kevin

[canibanoglu]

Most of the time nothing about the pen itself. People at work usually find it weird that I write my code on paper first so when I finally commit some new code it is clean and works pretty well.

 

Those who do have a reaction usually ask me if that's a fountain pen and after that I get questions about price. That's when people start rolling their eyes and start making jabs at my sanity. I usually counter by saying that they really don't need more than one pair of shoes/jeans and point out thay they wear something new every day.

 

If they tell me that a ballpoint costs less than a dollar and writes just as well I tell them that I don't consider ballpoints to be pens.

[JefferyS]

Fill that pen with De Atramentis Tobacco scented ink!

 

Hmm, I was at an interview recently and one of the applicants mistook my TWSBI 580 for an electronic cigarette! I was fidgeting, having waited around two hours at that point, and turning it over in my hands. Out of the blue, she asked "Hey, is that your...?" after which she made a motion suggesting smoking.

Hm, come to think of it, yeah, it actually does look a bit like one to the uninitiated. At least I don't smoke, since it might have been very embarrassing to whip out one or the other and end up trying to write with a cigarette or smoke a pen!

 

 

Cheers!

Kevin

[cactusneedle]

I was at a cousin reunion this weekend and pulled out my pen several times. I did have to instruct them how to write with it but they loved it. One asked her husband to buy her one (she's a writer and prefers pens to jewelry as gifts). She had never written with a fountain pen before. I think I got 2, maybe 3 converts this weekend!

[amberleadavis]

I was at a cousin reunion this weekend and pulled out my pen several times. I did have to instruct them how to write with it but they loved it. One asked her husband to buy her one (she's a writer and prefers pens to jewelry as gifts). She had never written with a fountain pen before. I think I got 2, maybe 3 converts this weekend!

 

Good job!!

[Kodachrome64]

Sheesh. I'm not a violent man, but if they did that with a pen of any actual value that belongs to me, they'd wake up in the emergency room, wondering how they got there and why there's a fountain pen sticking out of their leg... ;P

Hmm I'm not so sure I'd waste the fountain pen on that person's leg...

 

I've had a few friends who would ask, "woah is that a calligraphy pen?" Which always irritates the pedantic side of me

Edited June 9, 2014 by cchiu10

[Beckwith]

A coworker the other day r.e. my Conklin crescent (black with rose-gold trim): "that looks like my watch"

[Lyander0012]

Fill that pen with De Atramentis Tobacco scented ink!

 

 

... That ink EXISTS?! Haha, my net's a bit slow so Google is being unresponsive, but assuming that that ink is an actual thing, I may very well give that some serious consideration. As a joke, of course

 

Still, I don't particularly like the smell of tobacco, so I may just get a small sample for laughs

 

 

Kevin

[Hardcase]

Either I get no response or, if I'm at work, where quite a few of my coworkers are from India, I get, "I didn't know that you used a fountain pen!" Sometimes I get the latter more than once from the same person.

 

Surprisingly, at least to me, there are three or four people in my little corner of the company who use fountain pens. We're all electrical engineers.

[tonybelding]

 

Oh, if only we had Ollivander equivalent for pens...

 

Does Brian Gray count?

[GabrielleDuVent]

Well, whaddya know. My mate (now at one of the largest gaming companies in the world) managed to distract a room full of tech trendoids with his very antiquated pen.

 

Apparently people who make Cloud Strife and Lightning come to life likes antiquated utensils. Maybe he'll introduce them to straight razors next. Nothing makes you feel more manly than having a sharp blade by your throat every morning, evidently.

[Mari1013]

I wasn't wielding a pen on this occasion, but it's the most interesting pen experience I've ever had:

 

During the 2000 elections, a certain pair of candidates for president and vice-president were visiting the city in which I live; a few friends and I decided it would be fun to go take a look. When we got to the event's venue -- a wide plaza in the center of town -- we positioned ourselves where we thought we might catch a glimpse of the two men. Quite by chance, our chosen spot turned out to be the front row, with nothing but police barriers between ourselves and the expected visitors. Quite sensibly, I had left my purse behind and carried only a few bills and my fountain pen, a blue Levenger Sheaffer Mediterranean, in my blouse pocket.

 

City officials, police, party honchos, and Secret Service agents sprinted back and forth between the podium and the spot where the candidates were to arrive. One particular person, a female agent, caught my attention because A. she was a woman, and B. she seemed very focused on the path she was criss-crossing. Suddenly, a shiver of excitement spread through the crowd, and we saw the candidates walking toward us. Just ahead of them, the female agent was walking close to the barriers, waving to people to stay back. As she aproached, she leaned toward me, looked me in the eye, and said, "Don't pull that pen out of your pocket." Stunned, I managed to stammer a "Yes, Ma'am" as she continued down the line.

 

I didn't even look at my pen until I was on my way home.

[amberleadavis]

Great story! Welcome to FPN.

[cybaea]

Great story @Mari1013 ! Thank you for sharing.

[TheModernGent]

Awesome story Mari

[DaveBj]

Most people don't even notice; the few that do are complimentary.

 

I've never gotten the weapon comparison. Some of y'all must live in strange 'hoods.

 

Edit: I just finished reading the whole thread -- most entertaining

Edited June 11, 2014 by DaveBj

[LuckyKate]

Mari--love that story!

 

My students ask to borrow my pens several times a day, and loaning them out is so automatic that I barely notice I'm doing it Therefore, I never use fountain pens at work. The last time I did the pen (an orange Lamy Safari) showed up in the front row. I knew it was mine but didn't dare ask for it back!

Edited June 11, 2014 by LuckyKate

[Cepasaccus]

A Russian guy told me after seeing my pen, that in his childhood they had a dip pen and ink well at the post office to be used. That was in the 1980s.

[LWJ2]

Monday I had a discussion with the cashier in the tobacco store about fountain pens when he saw me using one of mine to make out a cheque; he inherited a desk set from his grandfather and uses it at home. He wasn't at all familiar with pocket fountain pens and was quite intrigued. Muwahahahaha, another poor sod who's ruined. Company is great.