On Monday, the new semester begins. One is forced to take a look back at the last month of inter-semester break, to see what has been achieved.
Not much, really. I had these grand visions of spending hours writing every day. I got a little bit done, but not much. I sent out one piece to a magazine, but only one. One thing I did do is manage to maintain my running schedule. I am feeling fit. My 5k time is still abysmal but I don’t care, because you should see my calves.
Last semester ended on a high note, marks-wise, and my treat to myself for a Job Well Done last semester was a bunch of ink samples and two fountain pens: the TWSBI Diamond 580 and the Pilot Decimo.
God, the nib on the Decimo is a fucking dream. I can write so tiny with it! Japanese fine nibs run small, which I like, and the Decimo (a slimmer, lighter version of the Vanishing Point) has a gold nib, so it’s delightfully springy. It’s also gorgeous. I’m in love. But it’s a bit too pricey to really want to take it out with me every day.
(Excuse my ink-stained desk.)
The TWSBI Diamond 580 is going to be my new “everyday carry” workhorse pen. The nib is not a dream, but it’s a steel nib, and I’m going to be honest: all the nibs I’ve used that make my brain go unf and release happy chemicals are gold. I just assume that gold nibs are genuinely better and that’s why, but it might just be the ones I’ve used. There may well be plenty of top fucking shelf steel nibs out there I have yet to meet. At any rate, I do like the nib on the Diamond (another fine, but German fine, so quite a bit bigger than the Pilot) and it’s perfectly satisfactory to write with. The winning aspect of this pen is the feel of it in the hand. It’s really solid, in a way that makes you want to tap it against your teeth. I have no fear of damaging it, and if I do, it’s not so expensive that I’ll cry. It’s attractive, especially with a nice ink in there (as it’s a demonstrator), and for some reason I really enjoy the act of capping or uncapping it. We’ll see how it fares as a workhorse over time, but I have high expectations for this one.
As for semester two… I foolishly chose papers that have their classes in the early morning. I will need to catch the bus at the ungodly hour of eight on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the other hand, I have Wednesdays and Fridays off. I am not good at mornings, or at sleeping early, and fibromyalgia gets unpleasant if I do not get enough sleep, so whether or not I manage to survive the semester remains to be seen.
For now – time for tea, and YouTube videos. Sending love to Nice and Turkey, hoping all are safe and well.