Economical Links: “You Tell Me” Edition

I’m so far behind on my pen-related reading that I don’t have anything to link to today. Instead, I’m flipping the script: What’s got you the most excited right now? Pen-related or no.

I’ll go first: I’m slightly obsessed with a game I picked up on a whim the other day. It’s called Dropmix, and it is awesome. I wouldn’t (and didn’t) pay MSRP, but if you find it on sale for around $55 it’s worth trying for the chance to make some sick mashups.

I’m also looking forward to my annual Spring tradition of riding a motorbike to the coast just so I can eat a delicious crab at my favorite junky-looking crab shack.

On the pen front, I’m excited about inking up my Caran D’ache 849 and writing a proper review of it.

Your turn.

I’m Back!

I’m back to blogging and back home. I gotta admit, it took a couple of weeks to get used to being back in the States.

My partner’s surgery went perfectly and recovery is proceeding nicely. The both of us offer our utmost thanks for all the well wishes y’all sent our way.

In pen-related news, this Nock Co case was waiting in my mailbox when I arrived home:

My favorite colors are orange and blue and this case POPS. I love it unreasonably.

Before I left for Bulgaria, I made sure to clean all my pens except for the ones I took with me — and this Kaweco Skyline Sport, which I left inked with a cartridge as an experiment of sorts. I’m happy to report that it wrote perfectly despite being capped and unused for 10 weeks.

You’ll have to forgive the dumb hashtag. After nearly 40 hours of travel to get home, I couldn’t think of anything witty to write.

On a housekeeping note, I’m changing my posting schedule to Tuesday and Friday.

On Hiatus, Briefly

Howdy folks,

Many of you are aware that I’ve been in Bulgaria for the past couple of months, but I’ve never been exactly forthcoming about the reason I made this trip. I’m here because my partner is Bulgarian and will be having surgery. Due to the vagaries of the body and other shenanigans, a procedure that should have happened at the end of January is now happening early next week. So I’m going to be taking a break from posting for a little while.

See you soon!
-ep

Economical Links for 2018.03.02

I haven’t been feeling well the past few days, so I’m behind in both my reading and my writing. Most of Europe turned into an icebox this week — snow fell in Rome! — and over two feet (61cm) of the white stuff fell in this part of Bulgaria.

Fortunately, the Bulgarians administer rakia (aka homemade rocket fuel) as a cure-all and a restorative, so I’ve been staying very warm indeed!

Anyway, here are some links to the like-minded…

KACO SKY II FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW (via Frank Underwater)

Makrolon and a black Schmidt nib for $11.

Faber-Castell WritINK Fountain Pen Review (via Gourmet Pens)

Faber-Castell nibs are highly regarded, so this might be an inexpensive way to get your mitts on one.

Maruman 3Feet Notepad – A7 (via The Passionate Penman)

A cute little notepad with fountain pen-friendly paper.

A warning about pens in ultrasonic cleaners (via David Nishimura at Vintage Pen News)

Something to be aware of if you use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean your pens and pen parts.

Kokuyo Harinacs Stapleless Staplers (via Bleistift)

Cool and clever. I want one.

Economical Links for 2018.02.23

Here are some links to the like-minded:

Pilot Petits: Mini but Mighty (via Fountain Pen Follies)

I found one of these in my Christmas stocking but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

PenBBS – a review of a beautiful and inexpensive acrylic fountain pen (via Write eXperience)

I’m seeing more Chinese pens enter the market in the $30 price range — could this be a sign of an upwards price correction, or are these just “premium” offerings?

My Old Faithful! Diamine Majestic Blue (via Fountain PenArchy)

READ THE TASTING NOTES. (Also: pics or it didn’t happen!)

Ink Price Evolution (Japan 2005-2018) (via Crónicas Estilográficas)

This makes me glad I never got into Sailor inks.