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I'm sick of naming this shit
July 2, 2018, 8:49 P.M.
It was a weekend of horrible hot weather. We waited till after 7:00 pm to mow the yard on Saturday, and it was still 93 freaking degrees. For Friday and Saturday, we ate cold foods, and stayed inside as much as possible. Spouse spent most of that time busy worrying around on the computer for something that isn't even happening until NEXT MAY, but I kept busy by doing household chores. Unlike him, I had to keep to the here and now, because dirty underwear and dirty toilets aren't going to go away today, just because I prefer to think about 10 months from now.
And if I DID get the chance to think five minutes ahead, I'd be more worried about what the fuck I'm going to wear to this damned wedding we're going to in 2 weeks! I have not a clue what I should wear. The damned thing's in the middle of a vineyard in the middle of nowhere in the middle of summer.
Anyway-- while I scrubbed and washed and vacuumed and made beds and did laundry, Spouse booked hotels at each end of next year's cruise, also booked flights for each end of cruise, and got fabulous deals on all. BUT--the flight home will be arduous, have to be at YVR at 4:00 am for a 6:00 am flight to SFO, a layover there, then a flight to ORD, then a THIRD flight, to MKE. I will be DED. My luggage will be dog knows where. (But hey! Be optimistic, right? Yeah. Like, maybe I'll get lucky and die before next May!)
My husband is dangling pen stores (he found three shops in Vancouver) under my nose to try and get me enthused, but he will never understand that I don't live my life in "next year", and I do not derive anything but anxiety and stress from interminable anticipation and pathological planning. And I don't enjoy spending thousands of dollars on a vacation when our house is very nearly falling down around our ears.
I still haven't been in the pool, and still don't care. I realized when we were mowing on Saturday that I have absolutely no interest in spending any time in my backyard anymore. It is an impossible, neglected mess, all the shade trees dying makes it hot and miserable, and the neighborhood has turned into such a shithole that we're surrounded by sights, sounds, and ODORS that make me want to hide in my house, and preferable under my bed.
Aunts & cousins update: AZ Auntie is in rehab in IA, back close to her circle of family and friends, and doing much better. Due for an eval and possible discharge in two weeks. Cousins and CA Auntie drove back to AZ, and Auntie flew home to SoCal from there. Cousin is knackered, and now will be spending some time trying to put her life & business back together after two weeks away. Young cousin is going to be making up time at his job, and is scheduled for every day this week.
Sunday afternoon was hobby time. Pens for me, cooking for Spouse. I killed a good two hours, playing with, organizing and maintaining, cleaning and filling, and USING my pens.
I decided to try a cartridge in the Vanishing Point; I'm loving it, I'm using it a lot, and a lot of users seem to find that cartridges work well for them--so I thought I'd try it. I used a blue one I had, and since Pilot carts/converters are proprietary, it was naturally a Namiki. It flows fine, but the more I use the VP, the more I wish I'd gotten the fine nib. This ink makes a very fat line with the medium nib. And it is a very boring blue ink. Terribly dull and businesslike.
When I refilled the Bexley, I decided to try the Birmingham Pens "Mary Lou Williams Piano Girl Pink". Well, I did try it. And I hated it. It isn't anywhere near to pink, for one thing. And it is an unpleasant, muddy brownish shade with no life in it at all. Long dry-time, too. I immediately flushed it and refilled with a brighter color. The DeAtramentis Fuchsia is a sample I've had for a while, and I can't say I really care for it in the Bexley. It is a very bright fuchsia/magenta--heavily saturated, very wet. I think it would be lovely in a truly fine nib. But in the firehose, it is kind of wasted. Minimal shading, too wet to even show line variation to any great extent.
My conclusion on both the Birmingham inks I bought is that I'm not liking them much, and I probably won't buy any more. As for the Knox Galilleo, I will try it with an ink I am more familiar with, before I decide whether or not I like it.
I debated inking up a fourth pen this week, but as I was tidying and re-organizing my pen storage, I came across my Parker IM Premium (Graphic Lines In Chocolate/Med Nib). I haven't inked up the Parker in quite a long time, so I said what the heck, and threw some Pelikan green in it.
I have to admit--I am rather liking it with the Pelikan green. It has a metal grip, but it is a brushed finish so it isn't terribly uncomfortable to hold, and the ink flow is quite nice with the converter and a good, solid, well-behaved ink. I used to find it too slim for comfort, too--but this time around that isn't bothering me. I always wanted to like using that pen as much as I like looking at it, and this combo is putting that goal within reach, I think.
It was too hot, then too thunderstormy, to cook out, so Spouse decided to get creative and try a new recipe for pasta sauce--he made a beef and tomato ragout. I personally didn't care for it; it was sour and watery and undercooked and the meat was too chewy and it was generally rather gross. But I didn't let on; pretended to enjoy it and ate it all up. And was up at midnight with bad acid reflux, popping a handful of Tums. Oh, Well. He's back to doing pretty nearly nothing around the house, so I'm not going to discourage him if he cooks an occasional meal.
Reading: More of "The Progressive Grocer" (Jan-Dec, 1930), a grocery store trade journal, found at Google Books.
More Joseph Crosby Lincoln: "Cy Whittaker's Place" (1908), "Fair Harbor" (1922)
Listening: Billy Idol, Arcade Fire, Lovely, Warren Zevon.
Inked Up: Pilot Vanishing Point with a cartridge of Pilot Namiki Blue, the Bexley 10th with DeAtramentis Fuchsia, Parker IM Premium with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green, Conklin Duragraph with Private Reserve Copper Burst.
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