You know the one.
The cap is long gone, the end is chewed up, but that trusty ballpoint, she keeps flowing like Niagara Falls.
Loyal, failsafe, and inky to the bone, that one really good pen might be stashed on top of the fridge, deep in a dresser drawer, or down at the bottom of the pencil case.
But it’s stashed, and it’s handy, and it does the deed just fine.
Now sure, once in a while you might even think you’ve lost your trusty, old pen. You don’t see her for a few weeks, maybe a few months. You figure she accidentally rolled under the stove, mistakenly got garbaged, or worse — was hoodwinked by a callous and immoral Pen Thief masquerading as a fiddle-dee-dee, aw-shucks Pen Borrower.
There is a period of grieving, but then one random day you just find her again, sure enough — sleeping soundly in your winter jacket pocket or lounging around carefree in the old Scrabble box. It always seems to happen when you least expect it.
And isn’t there just something about that one really good pen that’s always kicking around? Yes, in these days of text messages, kitchen whiteboards, and visual voicemail, it’s nice having a steady-eddy pen by your side. Because that pen is something real. Something honest.
Something worth believing in.
AWESOME!
Only on this blog can an old pen be convincingly portrayed as some sort of hero.
Mine was found 8 years ago in a classroom on the other side of the world and it still with me to this day. AWSOME :)
I find that this pen is often the one that you can’t remember where you found, the one with the slogan for a product you don’t use or the address of a dentist that isn’t yours. The fact that this pen has done no good as an advertising tool is made up for by the fact that it has served you so well over the years.
Yes! I’m still using a pen I found on the floor in my physics room 2.5 years ago, haha.
I used my trusty pen today for my 3 finals. All of my pencils were empty and without lead tubes and my other pens were acting spotty. Then at the bottom of my book bag was my trusty never fail pen. Saving the day AGAIN. Thank you pen you complete me. lol
You are a master of finding little things like this to appreciate. I agree with Melissa. My trust pen is a click pen from some hospice I’ve never seen nor heard of.
It may not be old and chewed on, but nothing beats a Dr. Grip. They are the best pens ever.
Those damn pen thieves.
I’ve had my trusty pen for 10 years – haven’t used it in a while, but now I feel I must.
PMSL S-weet! :D
I have been using the same pen for nine years – just change the refill and carry on writing!
I can never find the one good pen. I have a bunch of other pens that don’t write lying around.
One other important criteria for a “go-to” pen is good, balanced weighting for good pen “spinning”. If anyone has ever sat through a college level calculus class and look around the room, 80% of the kids are spinning their pens on the backs of their hands, and through their fingers like Elvis Stojko during a daring and beautiful ice skating long program.
I once found myself in some painfully boring lectures during a nerd camp that I attended, and if it wasn’t for my well-balanced pen for spinning, I surely would’ve fallen asleep. Thank you trusty spinning pen, thank you!
Awwwh, Elvis Stojko… The times, man, the times… Such beauty. :D
I know pens rule but comparing him to how you spin a pen… You must be really commited. LOL
I’m shocked…SHOCKED…that Freddo went to nerd camp. I would have thought bullfighting or rugby. Or at least mondern pentathalon
That kinda explains things, though…
But what’s up with all nerds being able to pen spin? I’m the only one in my office that can’t do it. I take it as a sign that I’m not as big of a dork as they all are.
You have an amazing way of finding the things in life that are most awesome.
i had a favorite pen, but then i lost it last week and ive gone into denial.. i cant use a pen now. I NEED it back.
This may be old but it is by far a true fact of life. I had one in school from grade 6 all the way until grade 12. The funny thing is the ink ran out right after i finished writing my last exam. It was by far the most depressing thing of that day. It died as i was signing out of the room for finishing the test…
Now i’m older and at work i found a pen 1year ago, on the ground in a bus as i rode in. Every time i need a pen or lose mine and freak out. It always has the flowing ink. To think i stole someones special pen for myself XD
it’s a wonder some pens work after all those years of loyal companionship
you know, you are afraid of checking how much ink it has left, because it might break the wonderful spell that has kept it going for pages and pages, and years and years
Hey mate, nice blog Happy Holidays!
so true, if it actually happens! my pens last about 4 weeks…. it sucks. but at least kilometrico pens are good while they last. i have a pen my dad got from some course at work (what others said about a logo for some company…) and it is blue and when you twist the top a highlighter comes up around the actual pen-thing-that-you-write-with.
AWESOME! but i must use it more often..
I have had many such pens over the years- eventually, each one of them has run out of ink, but they were all awesome in their separate ways. I think of them as soldiers, fallen warriors that will be remembered with honor for their help in fighting the war against blank paper.
my pen has lasted years, it is one of the ones with the cloth ink-sponge so when it gets dry i can just pry the top off with some pliers and re-saturate the insert. i used the wrong ink once and had to buy a new pen to get another insert.
Definately have a pen fetish and “freak out in a moon-age day-dream oh ya”, if my favorites go missing.
;)
I have another one: Waking up all worried and after a few moments realizing it was all just a bad dream.