Month: December 2016

Well, I finally remembered how to write a cursive capital Q.  For some of you that may not be a big thing, but I hadn’t done that for quite a while.  I would guess that most people don’t write in cursive (or at least not exclusively).  I throw in a printed capital letter every once in a while, but I’m trying to do better.  F, Q, T, and Z are my downfall, but not too many capitalized words start with a Z.  Unless, of course, you’re writing about the African savannah (that’s a cool word, isn’t it).

I’ve also picked up another fountain pen, a TWSBI Vac 700 in amber, which is no longer in production.  You can probably track one down if you’re interested; it’s not impossible, it just takes patience.  The vac filler is fascinating to watch in action, and it just works.  The ink capacity is more than most, and you can easily see how much ink remains in the pen.

Unfortunately, I got the same fine point nib that the Diamond 580 has, and now I wish that I’d chosen a different nib.  Maybe a broad nib would have been a good choice, just for something different.  That’s one of the appeals of a good fountain pen – you can choose a different nib and change the appearance of your writing.  Yes, it’s a small thing, but since it’s so easy, why not experiment a bit?

Maybe its the geek in me, maybe the old codger trying to get out, but I enjoy writing.  Even if I’m not very good at it, it is still enjoyable to put pen (or pencil) to paper.  The speed at which you write forces you to slow down a bit, and consider things that you might miss while typing.  And writing has survived for centuries – who knows how long my last email will survive.  Actually, it’s probably been deleted by now.

For some reason, I’ve been somewhat fascinated with fountain pens.  I think it’s a throwback to when your writing said a lot about your education – and I do feel sorry for people that “write” with OMG, LOL, SMH, etc.  Sorry to be blunt, but that doesn’t conjure images of learned individuals.  The wonderful script that a fountain pen can produce, and the nuances of the handwriting are really something to behold.  Consider the Declaration of Independence.  We still read that document, with its precise wording, beautifully written, and beyond the document’s espoused ideals I still come back to the handwriting.  Not the writing on the wall, the writing on the parchment.  Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I will likely never be able to produce anything like that, but if I can revive my writing gene (if I ever had one) it will be an enjoyable journey nonetheless.

So, to that end, I bought a fountain pen from Goulet Pens.  A TWSBI Diamond 580 with a fine point nib.  Also picked up some Diamine ASA Blue ink.  Don’t need an eraser with this kit.

I tried a few sentences, and to my surprise, I do remember how to write in cursive.  Do they teach that in school today?  I must admit though, that I really had to think how to write a cursive capital “F”.  Do you remember?  I couldn’t remember how to write a cursive capital “Q”, so I just wrote “Q”.