Monday, May 14, 2007

Pens

I got a catalogue in the mail today. That's not a unique occurance, by the way. I buy things online. The online stores send me paper catalogues. Sometimes I get two or three a week from the same place. It's a rare day that goes by that I don't get a catalogue from somewhere to recycle. I continue to buy things online, but they don't get it. I'd send them letters, asking them to stop. "You're wasting paper!" But then I'd probably end up on two different mailing lists and double my catalogue deliveries.

But, that's not the point of this post. The catalogue I got today was from Colorado Pen Direct. So? Well, they sure found their target demographic, whether they knew it or not. I love pens. All kinds. I collect them and keep them long after the ink is gone. I even have a pen display box - it's like a jewelry box with a glass insert in the top.

In that box are mostly hotel pens I've collected from places I've traveled overseas, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, England. Some are just plastic pens, others are fancier but still were giveaways - except for the silver one with the opal in the top from Australia, that one I bought at a gift store. When my eye wanders over to the box I'll take a moment to simply remember and enjoy the memories of those places. I may never get back to Singapore or Sydney but I will always have something to remind me that I went.

I've also got mugs full of common pens, drawers full of miscellaneous pens. Funny thing, though, whenever I quickly need a pen to jot a note while I'm on the phone, there's never a pen near the phone. I swear I leave a pen or two there each time, but they must wander off. I think they could be collecting in the same place that the missing socks and the lost earrings go.

I spent several moments drooling over the beautiful pens in the catalogue. I didn't know Waterford made pens. Now I'm going to obsess over them until I finally break down and buy one. I toured the Waterford factory when my family went to Ireland. I think all of the patterns are beautiful, but the Seahorse is probably my favorite because it's so intricate.


There is a Lismore Waterford pen - it's the only one in the catalogue that has the same type of cut glass pattern etched into it as you'd find on their crystal. I'm glad they don't have a Seahorse pen. I wouldn't be able to resist.

I'm looking for a new small press book to review - if you know of anyone who'd take a chance on me, point them over here and ask them to drop me an email.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

And you love "The Pirates of Penzance", right?

Thumper said...

Ohhhh...I need a catalog of pens. And office supplies. I am such a whore for both...

ohdawno said...

Serge, you goof, you. But, yes, I do enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan overall. ;)

Thumper just drive on down, I've got a couple Levenger catalogues as well as the Colorado Pen one. I'll give 'em to you and buy you a glass or mug of your favorite beverage as well.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Sounds like you have the same mysterious Pen Evaporation disease we do in my house.

We buy pens (not the fancy kind like yours I'm afraid) by the boxful, and put them right near the phone, and two days later, they've all dissolved! No trace left. Well, that's not quite true--there always one old crusty pen left from the Nixon administration with no ink in it.

I'm with you, too, on the catalog thing. It's like the charities that send these elaborate brochures that eat up half your contribution to pay for marketing costs, and you can't get them to stop.

T. M. Hunter said...

Ironically, I've been looking for a small-or-medium size publisher for my current WIP.