Has anyone tried a Pilot Parallel pen? I own the 2.4mm nib, but I have not gotten around to trying it.
This video review really sold me on finally trying it out for real. I'd like to get into calligraphy, and this seems like a really useful tool for fancy schmancy writing (look at some of the things he writes in the video!). I might pick up a wider nib for larger lettering.
I'm home for thanksgiving, and I've had some family members try out the Pilot Plumix pens I have. I turned them all into faithful Jetpens shoppers a few years ago, but they had not tried the Plumix. My wife picked one up (she loves Varsity pens, but has never really been interested in trying anything fancier) and started writing and she went nuts for it. Her handwriting is not the best (of the two of us, I have the far girlier writing, which is...hmm...), but the thicks and thins of the Plumix made it look really stylish! It was cool to see what using a different kind of pen did to her writing. I ordered a couple more pens - I have three Plumix pens that I use all the time, but I'd like four on hand (Black, blue, green, red/other ink) - one for Mrs. Bagels, and two for Christmas gifts for friends.
Even if you went with a Lamy Safari or other "serious" pen, the italic nib Plumix, for $7, should absolutely find a place in your collection.
They'll accept the same inks that the parallel pen uses, too:
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As to what to use a fountain pen (or wooden pencil, etc) for, I'll echo Sera O and MR4001 and say that I write a lot of letters to friends and family. A handwritten letter, in really neat penmanship, really means a lot to people. It means way more than an email to most people, even if the content is the same. And actually, the content is usually different. For whatever reason, my letters tend to be much sweeter, more heart-on-sleeve than my other messages. It's a wonderful thing to tell someone exactly why you love them, and leave them with a written record that they can hold in their hands and reread when they feel down.
I'll be writing and drawing personalized Christmas cards for my friends from the Mental-Health-GAF community, which will be a lot of work, but should be a ton of fun. Hopefully, people really dig the personalized approach.
I have a tumblr comprised entirely of handwritten song lyrics, quotes, poems, thoughts, etc. It's a fun excuse to write more (which I just like to do), and it's neat when people like your stuff enough to reblog it, or send you a nice note about it. If I do indeed end up taking up calligraphy as a hobby, I'll post my stuff there, too.
As I mentioned before, sending pics of handwritten messages as tweets ("Bagelgrams," as I call them) is a simple way to make tweets more meaningful. People have often been really touched by these little messages, which makes me super happy. They're in my handwriting, which my friends can instantly recognize, and they just seem more personal and from the heart. Never underestimate how much value you can add to something simply by writing it in your own handwriting.
I've had less luck with my handwritten sexts, but I'm keeping at it.
I also keep a journal, and use a reporter-style notebook with a pocket as a wallet, so I have the paper on hand to remind myself of appointments and stuff.
I guess, if you enjoy writing, if you enjoy using certain pens, you just kind of find excuses to do it more.
. Not as good but I'm just going with parker's quink for now.
