Rollerball Roundup

I have long been intrigued with the idea of a refillable rollerball - a truly refillable one, capable of using fountain pen ink in its myriad of colors and makers, and not a rollerball insert confined to a manufacturer's idea of what colors might be appropriate or popular.

With that in mind, over time I have purchased three of the more budget-friendly models: the Kaweco Sport rollerball, Noodlers rollerball, and the J. Herbin rollerball. Each has its advantages and its drawbacks.

Sneak preview: notebooks, the continuing saga

Just a hint of something coming up soon here...

A new chapter in the ongoing quest for a notebook I really like.

In celebration of fountain pens: Fountain Pen Day

Many have lamented the apparent passing of the days of good penmanship. Alarmist comments abound that computers have even robbed us of the tactile experience of handwriting, replacing it with keyboard pounding or phone texting (or often in my case, the rather retro experience of dictating to Siri - "Dear Mr Jones Comma Next Paragraph" hearkens back to my early days as a professional, dictating correspondence into a tape recorder or a phone-in system. Yes, I am that old).

In all this flurry of worry, it's nice to see a ray of hope - the first annual Fountain Pen Day. I like the idea of celebrating the fountain pen and the experience of handwriting.

Besides, the nice folks behind FPD #1 are having a giveaway of one of the famous TMLee journals, which is reason enough to celebrate! I have one (and, no, I still have not been able to make myself write in it!) and they are works of art!

Why don't you drop by the FPD website and see about entering? And while you're at it, mark your calendar for November 2, the first annual Fountain Pen Day. I am resolved to use nothing but fountain pens all that day, which may astound and annoy my coworkers...they'll just have to cope.

And I may have to buy another fountain pen to celebrate. Hmm.