Have The "i Don't Need Another Pen" Thoughts Hit You Before?

[jar]

More importantly, what is this pound cake recipe? I feel like I need want some today!

Recipe? Recipe? I don't use no stinking recipe.

 

But this time I took some cake flour and added some sugar, and a half a stick of butter and a couple X-Large eggs and some water and a couple big spoonfuls of peach preserves and used my old hand beater until the batter looked right, poured the batter into a greased and floured pan with pineapple all over the bottom and baked the mess in a 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes when the top started splitting and a toothpick came out clean.

[Dickkooty2]

Recipe? Recipe? I don't use no stinking recipe.

 

 

.. for the benefit of those too young to remember ...

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Fred C Dobbs

[inkstainedruth]

.. for the benefit of those too young to remember ...

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Fred C Dobbs

 

I remember when I first saw that movie. I suddenly understood the old Bugs Bunny cartoon about some character who looks faintly Humphrey Bogart-ish wandering through various scenes going "Care to help a fellow American down on his luck?"

Just as I suddenly understood *all* the Roadrunner cartoons the first time I saw the film Sitting Pretty....

Actually kinda surprised that Bogie didn't get an Oscar for Treasure of the Sierra Madre. He was really damned good in that.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Calabria]

I've only felt that I needed a new fountain pen a few times in my life. Need and want are two entirely different issues. I certainly did not need any pound cake last night but I certainly wanted some; so I baked a cake. Nothing wrong with that as long as fulfilling a want does not create an unmanageable problem.

That is pretty much my philosophy. I don't think I'm virtuous by having more pens than I can tire of in my lifetime, quite the contrary. But it doesn't create an unmanageable problem in my life and often takes my mind off of bigger, stressful problems.

[Pentrawler]

The great thing about collecting pens for me ,as opposed to say, grand pianos, is that I can keep them all in a smallish box. Plus with the Midland Pen show in Lichfield coming up, I won't need to turn up in a removal van!

[IrishEyes]

I have those thoughts fairly frequently--yet here I am, waiting for about 3 or 4 new pens to arrive in the mail....

[mr2txaggie]

Yup, I MIGHT have had that feeling ~~~ but like a cold, it went away as soon as I saw that Bexley Poseidon Magnum II Bronze Sands last week at CFP (no affiliation ). John customized the nib and I got it in four days😊.

 

Then, that feeling tried to sneak up on me again & I was almost listening to it ... " Don't buy another pen ", it whispered., until I saw one of the latest ones Shawn posted in the Mall. Will I listen to it, who knows?

 

If I don't create a problem with my " Fun Fund " ( the $s I put aside while I worked for that same company all those years for - " retirement Fun "), then I can ignore that little voice😊.

[Cryptos]

I'm having that feeling right now. In fact, I feel like I've really come to the end of the road with this. I've tried quite a few different pens, although there are hundreds out there that I will never likely even see in my life. The time, the distance, the lack of any meaningful connection to any support group of pen lovers - especially in the world of vintage. These all take their toll, ablating the initial enthusiasm until it becomes just a faintly burning ache almost forgotten...

 

 

Just received a Pilot Custom 823. It is, as others have found, a superb pen. If I had found that one first it is entirely possible that I would never have looked at anything else. Now, I don't know, I just feel as though there is nothing to be gained by interacting this way online, or by getting at all stressed over pens I can never have (and I am not only thinking of expensive ones).

 

For now I am waiting on some Indian pen that I bought for no discernible reason, a Mabie Todd that was a randomly stupid online thing, and the spare parts so I can repair these two damaged Waterman 52s and get rid of them.

 

On the dip pen side, well, I sat on my obliques and busted them.

 

Overall I don't think the universe really wants me to be engaged in this activity, and so I am re-evaluating what I am doing. I've enjoyed some of the pen experiences I've had, even with 5th rate pens (and there were many), but without available resources at reasonable cost it's just unsustainable.

 

Not to worry, I'll find another outlet for my curiosity.

[pajaro]

I'm having that feeling right now. In fact, I feel like I've really come to the end of the road with this. I've tried quite a few different pens, although there are hundreds out there that I will never likely even see in my life. The time, the distance, the lack of any meaningful connection to any support group of pen lovers - especially in the world of vintage. These all take their toll, ablating the initial enthusiasm until it becomes just a faintly burning ache almost forgotten...

 

 

Just received a Pilot Custom 823. It is, as others have found, a superb pen. If I had found that one first it is entirely possible that I would never have looked at anything else. Now, I don't know, I just feel as though there is nothing to be gained by interacting this way online, or by getting at all stressed over pens I can never have (and I am not only thinking of expensive ones).

 

For now I am waiting on some Indian pen that I bought for no discernible reason, a Mabie Todd that was a randomly stupid online thing, and the spare parts so I can repair these two damaged Waterman 52s and get rid of them.

 

On the dip pen side, well, I sat on my obliques and busted them.

 

Overall I don't think the universe really wants me to be engaged in this activity, and so I am re-evaluating what I am doing. I've enjoyed some of the pen experiences I've had, even with 5th rate pens (and there were many), but without available resources at reasonable cost it's just unsustainable.

 

Not to worry, I'll find another outlet for my curiosity.

 

My first good pen was a Parker 51 when I was 21. A fortunate choice, and, after a long journey through pendom, I mostly use that first 51. Few pens have been close to being as good as writers, and those I didn't like the looks of as much. I feel no desire for any more pens. I think this pen thing can run its course, particularly when you realize that each newly acquired pen fails to measure up to what you already have. Forty-six years of trying new pens without bettering the first. Enough buying.

[canibanoglu]

I did experience the same mindset before and I'm not too far away from it nowadays either. Towards the end of last year, this hit me hard and I sold some of my pens. I'm happy that I sold the pens that I didn't use but I made two very big mistakes: selling my M1005 Demonstrator and my M800 Tortoiseshell. I have recently replaced them after being able to locate them and that seems to have flipped some switch inside me because I have bought 2 more M80Xs and a Visconti HS last week. Having sated my penlust, I am now of the mind that I need all the pens that I need.

 

Having said that, I'm not kidding myself that I will not buy another pen in the future. I will certainly buy a lot more pens and will try to whittle down the size of my collection. I have made a promise to myself though. I won't ever sell pens that I can't replace easily in case I am hit by seller's remorse. This has its own problems though because most of the pens I own now are either gifts (which means they won't ever be sold) or they are special/limited editions. Oh well...

[catbert]

Interesting that both the OP and EoC have been stopped short by the same pen.

I've had the feeling for some time that I really don’t need another pen. Which is not to say I don’t want another pen.

I'm not looking for the one pen to end all pens. I maintain a fairly consistent shortlist of ‘want’ pens and a more fluid longlist of ’someday, maybe, if I ever get a chance to see/try them first’ pens. I’ve saved enough to acquire at least one ‘want’ pen, if a reasonable example turns up. In the meantime, I try to spend more time using and appreciating the pens I already have, while being slightly disconcerted by how many there are.

[ShortRound131]

My father recently spent $1,800 on a single golf club. More power to him, it was something he wanted, and didn't need.

I could go crazy and spend that amount on a few pens, but I've capped my limit on pens to $150. I've almost hit

"buy now" several times, but I've resisted (so far).

 

I've stopped feeling guilty about my pen habit, there are more expensive hobbies I could be into. No pen is a "need" for me, just "wants"

 

(I repeat this to myself every time I see a pretty pen) ha, let's see how long it lasts.

Edited June 15, 2016 by ShortRound131

[vinniekowalski]

I have no problem with people buying stuff, but it's refreshing to hear people like the OP who may finally have realized what they like, and am relatively happy with what they have. I feel like I've finally gotten there, too, and glad that I'm not out more money before reaching that point.

 

I have a stub that I like (a 2284 nib for my blue Esterbrook J), a "51" Special with a bold/medium line, a "51" demi with a wet medium/fine line, and a gray Parker Vac Deb because it's a classic. I find myself a bit sugared out some of the breathless marketing speak that comes with new pens, and uncertain that the higher prices will yield a better experience than something vintage that often is a little cheaper. Plus I had a terrible experience with a TWSBI Vac Mini that I loved but could not be housebroken (i.e., the *replacement* one kept leaking into the cap and then onto my fingers as I wrote and even sometimes burped on the page).

 

So for a while, I was getting more excited about inks. Cautious about this one after hyping myself up on 54th Mass but then being disappointed in its overall color + staining an old Lamy Safari. Now I'm set with my current signature ink: Diamine Green-Black and a bottle of Lamy Dark Lilac because it's the best limited edition that's come around in a few years obvs.

 

So now I'm content writing more letters (sadly some of my old friends haven't really caught the analog communication bug...) and picking up a modified form of bullet journaling. It's been nice, though weird.

 

Hadn't really thought about doing a PIF with my unused pens (kinda wasn't sure if anyone would really want them...) but that's a great idea. I'm keeping a couple for my kids when they get old enough, but other than that, I could probably get a few out back out there in circulation. I like to thought of not having to throw away old pens, though given how much most of us collect in terms of pens / notebooks / inks, the environmental benefits of our hobby are probably way overblown.

 

There was that one link from The Cramped to a Curious Rat post on how many notebooks do you really need -- the gist being that it's good to remember to create / practice / write and not just get lost in how awesome your tools of creation are...

[Newjelan]

I've lost all desire to buy another fountain pen or ink or notebooks. I'm sure this feeling will pass, but ripoff now I'm so happy with my collections. I enjoy them all enormously and can't imagine anything better.

[LuckyKate]

"I'm sick of fountain pens." Every time I say this to myself, it passes. Next thing I know I'm ordering a Nakaya.

I try to be a little more rational now.

[spring3r]

Well, mine just did hard, as I am writing with my second new Pilot Custom 823. Prior to owning the 823, I was playing with pens with different price range, most of them were okay, but none of them amaze me, until I tried the 823. It was the single best writing experience I have with any pen. It was so good that I decided to get another one, with the same nib size, just different colour.

 

Now in my mind, I am having the thoughts of "I'm good for the next few years, I don't need other pen".

 

I don't see the need where I need to experience other more expensive pens to satisfy my writing experience, and I probably will bound to get more disappointment.

 

I think I'm set for the next few years.

 

Do any of you have similar thoughts and actually stop buying pens(At least for a period of time)?

 

Well, despite having several pens that I'm truly fond of, I have yet to find the one that blows me away.

 

Do you feel similarly about inks?

[praxim]

I am currently in the position that I have paid for three pens somewhere around the planet and presumably heading in my direction, plus one being held by the seller who is waiting to see whether I can be persuaded to buy another one of two that have just come in (waiting on photos and descriptions).

 

The "I don't need another pen" thought may have hit several times in there . With success today at resurrecting two older pens, I am seriously thinking of stopping entirely for a while. I have a very nice selection available to me.

 

Meanwhile, there is an interesting pen on ebay at the moment.