The Pen is Mightier

I don't consider myself a snob about too many things. Maybe snob isn't the right word... I have certain things in my life that have specific preferences. Including but not limited to: greeting cards, hair product, soccer cleats, chapstick, Italian restaurants, and PENS!

I think my obsession with the Pen started in high school and may have been a result of the increase in amount of time that I spent writing. Journals, love notes, etc. I remember days when my BFF Erica and I would go through her dad's desk drawers and try out every pen to see which ones were the best. There are serious differences in pens my friends.

My preferences and opinions regarding the Pen have changed over the years. I used to be a strictly ball point type of girl. I also absolutely refused to use a blue Pen. All of my writing was in black. Now, in the legal world, anything I sign/notarize is in blue ink to differentiate between originals and copies. I'm ok with it now. I have embraced the blue ink as well as the gel ink b/c it's smoother and thicker to sign with. One tradition that has remained is my complete aversion to the pencil - unless expressly required (i.e. scantron sheets, mini-golf score cards). Pencils are ridiculous. Way too much effort involved for such a temporary result.

Over the years, I have evolved, maybe even matured, in my Pen of choice. In high school, it was the RSVP pen in fine point and black (obviously). In college it was the BIC-Ultra Stic Grip (I was poor and they still wrote like a charm for a ball point). I also had a run with the Zebra brand for a time. Since college I have found my Pen of choice for work and elsewhere. It is the Pilot G-2 in fine point. I mostly use the blue (b/c I'm constantly signing things) but the other colors are pretty amazing. It is the perfect gel-ness and writes much easier than any ball point I have. Not to mention the clicky-pen feature. I am spoiled by its convenience.

The Pen I use also depends on what I am writing. The quill is reserved for my handwritten letters on parchment paper and wax-sealed envelopes. My journal pen is always the best pen. It can't be ball point but also can't be too heavy and inky. The balance between the ball point Pen and the gel/heavy ink type Pens is a battle I have been fighting for many years. If you get a gel Pen that is too heavy, it shows through on the other side of the paper and also tends to blend letters together if you write too quickly creating a dreadful cursive effect. Needless to say I'm one of the only people in my office that makes specific Pen requests when our receptionists orders supplies. So maybe I am a Pen snob....