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

[Coop]

My boss: I buy you a €2000 laptop and you use that to take notes?

Me: Yes, a study shows that you remember more if you take your notes the analog way. Oh, and by the way, we need better notepads, my ink feathers on these...

My boss:

[GTOZack]

a friend said that I'm from other time, without a beat I demanded to know what year is it.

[Rubicon]

Older people generally don't say anything. My peers (aka younger people in their late teens and early 20s) think it's the (bleep). They usually can't resist making a comment about how cool the pen is, and of course, how great my handwriting is also I'm glad the people in my life are so accepting. I don't get all the stabby comments, haha. Most fountain pens run broader than ballpoint pens, so unless you have an XXXF hairline spencerian or something, I can't imagine anyone using an FP as a bladed weapon. And even IF you have an XXXF, it amounts to at most a very thick needle. (I do, however, remember a youtube clip from a film where some villain savaged a poor chap with his FP)

 

I've personally had things from "you think you're classy because you use a weird pen, don't you?" (?!?!?!) to "is that a weapon?". I've only had a few people identify them as fountain pens.

Were they serious? Gosh, that's so rude. If I meet someone who said that in earnest, I wouldn't want to talk to them again. First of all, where do they get off assuming that before you even say anything? Secondly, people who have chips this big on their shoulders can't be pleasant company.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Rubicon

[GabrielleDuVent]

Were they serious? Gosh, that's so rude. If I meet someone who said that in earnest, I wouldn't want to talk to them again. First of all, where do they get off assuming that before you even say anything? Secondly, people who have chips this big on their shoulders can't be pleasant company.

 

Yeah, but that might have been my fault. I evidently appear as stand-offish and detached. Compound that to blazers (they aren't from Saville Row, but apparently collared shirts and jackets make you look haughty), leather shoes, and a pen that doesn't have BIC on it... it all is a quick spiral to "my goodness, you must think you're posh". Antagonism from the get-go.

 

I must appear as a female version of Robert Langdon or something. Minus the Mickey watch.

[The Journeyman]

Some of the entries here reminded me of what happened to me when I moved to the town where I now live. I moved here some years ago but only heard the following within the last year.

A top priority for me was finding a local coffee shop where I could be comfortable to sit and read, write and generally watch the world go by. After I moved here I began frequenting the coffee shop which is now my "local" and which I use multiple times each week. Of course they now know me well and confided to me that when I first started to come in and sit for lengthy periods of time, because I was always writing with a FP (either in my notebook or diary - though they didn't know what I was writing) they speculated what I was doing. They concluded that I was Government tax investigator keeping a record of the trade they were doing to check it was all being declared on their tax returns! Apparently the fact I wrote so much AND used an "old fashioned" pen suggested to them I must work for the government! First impressions, eh? I confess I felt their view of me was a bit insulting, though I can understand where they were coming from! I have pointed out however their views of me say more about their guilty conscience than my appearance! Interesting though that their view of using a FP was that it was a sign of officialdom!

[GTOZack]

Did i pay tax for this bundle of iily coffee...... i must prove i must prove.

[LWJ2]

 

Yeah, but that might have been my fault. I evidently appear as stand-offish and detached. Compound that to blazers (they aren't from Saville Row, but apparently collared shirts and jackets make you look haughty), leather shoes, and a pen that doesn't have BIC on it... it all is a quick spiral to "my goodness, you must think you're posh". Antagonism from the get-go.

 

I must appear as a female version of Robert Langdon or something. Minus the Mickey watch.

Oi veh.

 

You were dressed (1) as a lady would for a business meeting and (2) fairly stylishly so and that's "standoffish?" I guess I'd have been categorized the same way, I'd have been wearing either a chalk-striped suit, white or blue shirt with a tie and black wingtips or a Harris tweed sport coat, blue Oxford shirt with a tie, khaki trousers and cordovan loafers. And taking notes with a fountain pen.

 

Oh. Yeh, forgot. I wear a military haircut that's a ragingly long 5/8 inch on top.

 

No excuse, ma'am, I was reared Southern.

Edited June 13, 2014 by LWJ2

[PatientType]

Most often I get some expression of admiration for the pen or a question as to what kind of pen it might be. Some older people notice the fountain pen with a nostalgic comment about when they used to use one. A few people react with a smirk and a comment on how fountain pens are messy or foolishy inefficient. As with most everything else the comments are more reflective of the speaker than the pen.

[ac12]

Today I had a lady tell me "that's a proper pen."

She was from England and had used fountain pens up through high school.

And they HAD TO use fountain pens.

[VivienR]

"That is a really beautiful pen.", was the first sentence from a woman whom seen my Parker Sonnet Metal and Pearl. Told, I like fountain pens, they write better than everything. She said: "They have a style too".

[ceramic_pizza]

Mostly my classmates say that it's a cool pen and then ignore it. One guy who always borrows my pens always adds on that he wants a normal one. He says he's afraid to break my pen.

 

Also once in chem class a guy told me to make sure I was using permanent ink since fountain pen inks are waterbased. Then I told him about Noodlers and would have started a discussion if we weren't in class. And other time someone asked me if i got that from Goulet. That was pretty cool.

[napalm]

When I whip mine out, people say, "Oh my! I was not expecting that!"

 

Stub nib, eh?

[Lyander0012]

 

Yeah, but that might have been my fault. I evidently appear as stand-offish and detached. Compound that to blazers (they aren't from Saville Row, but apparently collared shirts and jackets make you look haughty), leather shoes, and a pen that doesn't have BIC on it... it all is a quick spiral to "my goodness, you must think you're posh". Antagonism from the get-go.

 

I must appear as a female version of Robert Langdon or something. Minus the Mickey watch.

 

Nothing at all wrong with the Mickey watch, creepy as it might be with the arms in full contortionist style

 

Hmm, I've actually been running into a whole load of people like that lately, which kinda doesn't make sense considering that a lot of them have had watches worth an insane amount of money strapped to their wrists. I guess the idea of a fountain pen is something more anachronistic and "fancy" than an old analogue watch. Suits me just fine, but I've taken to keeping my pens in hidden pockets nowadays; no use drawing unwanted attention to oneself :/

 

 

Cheers.

[napalm]

Apparently the fact I wrote so much AND used an "old fashioned" pen suggested to them I must work for the government!

 

Tell them you're the taxman.

[Yaakova]

My coworkers tend not to be surprised by most of the things I do, so they take my fountain pen usage in stride. I did get a few questions when they saw me writing in shorthand, however.

[adamselene]

A 20 something young women taking returns at the big box hardware store commenteed, "that's the kind of pen my Grandfather's got me addicted to."

 

I am embarrassed to say I waan't really listening, and rather patronizingly said, "sometimes people will ask me if it's a caligraphy pen, but it's a fountain pen...."

 

She certainly got my attention when she said "I really like how the Pelikans write, but they are really expensive".

 

I stared at my black M800, which doesn't usually attract attention. In fact, I had been neglecting it, but sought it out for the nib when I had to write a special note in my daughter's 28th birthday card, then been reluctant to let go of it.

 

I showed her the great line variation with the IB, and wrote out the URL for FPN in Black Swan in Australian Roses. I recommended this amicable Community, and also told her how well the inexpensive Pelikano performs.

 

I am at an age where I still get flustered when pretty blondes give me grandfatherly attention. I hope she does check out FPN.

[Colin8]

"Oh so did you go to calligraphy camp or something?"

 

"This is a really fancy pen!" (my Pilot MP)

 

Granted anything that is said is usually at work. I go to seminary which is where I use the nicer ones, and students there are either FP users or at least familiar with them.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Colin8

[titanofold]

Like a few others, I've let a new acquaintance use my pen, and she held it upside down. I don't understand how anyone would think that's how it's to be held. I've always understood a fountain pen to be "pretty-side up".

 

My fiancée uses it, and her handwriting becomes more legible. (No, I'm not bad-mouthing her behind her back, I'm complimenting her...which may be worse.)

 

I've gotten the "oh, I've just picked up a fountain pen recently..." and "I do caligraphy...". I get the calligraphy inference only because they both use metal nibs, so there's a natural leap.

 

And Barney Stinson didn't help.

[ravantra]

At a construction site:

 

contractor: I need to take some notes. Do you have a spare pen…?

 

me: <reaching into my bag> Uhmm.

 

contractor: Make sure it is nothing "fancy".

 

me: <Hands him a Sharpie brand pen>

 

I guess he has paid attention to my pens during meetings.

[napalm]

At work I always carry a mechanical pencil, a Parker Jotter with a Fisher Space Pen refill and a fountain pen. They're all very useful to me, each in its own way/purpose. It's the Jotter that always gets handed as the "loaner". No accidents with it so far, everybody knows how to use one, and it will write perfectly on the crappy paper that the pen borrowers tend to use. And it looks decent enough that your boss will not feel mistreated (like in the old slimy dried up Bic stick scenario).