In Link Love

Link Love: Back to Penmanship

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Back to Penmanship

It’s that time of year again. I watched the kids walking to school this morning on their way to the first day of classes. Some kids looked like they were on a mission, while others walked with the trepidation — hoping they meet friends, fit in and like their teacher.

And just like the annual ritual of kids walking to first day of classes, its time for another article about how handwriting is dying and why it should be saved (or not).

This time the article comes from WIRED magazine and the article is balanced and fair. But I am definitely standing on my old-timey soapbox yelling at the clouds that “YES! Kids need to learn to write, draw and hold ACTUAL tools and we need to start teaching them early!”

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In feature

Wanna go to a pen show?

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment
Wanna go to a pen show?

We’re almost 2/3 of the way through the year and really in the thick of pen show season. But that means before you know it we’ll be at the holidays and 2026 will be around the corner. This is my way of saying that I’ve updated the Pen Show Schedule and included lots of dates for 2026!

I’m already making plans to attend San Francisco in 2026… Will you attend a show next year?

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Set

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Pen Review: Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Set

I’ve been meaning to pick up one of the Komamono Dip Pens that they’ve been stocking at Vanness Pen Shop but I always miss my chance at pen shows. In DC, I was able to grab one of the Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Sets ($20 per set) though I do have my heart set on one of the cat styled ones someday.

There are three color options in this collection: the Strawberry Cake (pink dip pen and blue green pen rest with coordinating dip inks), Macarons & Chocolate (purple pen and brown pen rest with matching inks) and Soda & Cherry (turquoise blue pen with cherry red pen rest and matching inks). The pink and green set seemed very “desk-y” and it is simple but lovely.

The simple rod shape makes the blunt end perfect to use for doing quick ink swabs with easy clean-up.

The glass dip pen nib is fine-to-medium in width and pretty smooth. It is a glass nib so the angle its held at can affect how smooth or scratchy it is. If you try a glass nib, play with your writing angle or twist it if you are having issues with the nib being scratchy or hard-starting.

The inks included in the set are small (maybe 5ml?) and each ink includes a shimmering ink. These are definitely DIP PEN ONLY inks. Once dry, there is a bit of sheen that suggests the inks have shellac in them so DO NOT USE IN FOUNTAIN PENS. The colors are bright and vivid but didn’t have a ton of shimmer particles in them so don’t expect other the top shimmer. Honestly, I bought the set for the pen and rest, not the ink so I’m not too upset about the inks.

If you are a fan of the Dominant Industry Ink Muddler but are looking for a longer pen barrel, the Komamono glas dip pen is a great alternative and not significantly more expensive.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Book Review: The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Book Review: The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi totally sounded like a book I should read. Kendra is a writer and podcaster and her previous books focused on her “lazy genius” method which is mentioned in this book as well. The key takeaway from this method is to reframe goals in the framework of “what is most important to you at this time” rather than the whole 50,000 foot view or 5-year plan or any of the other planner/productivity methods I’ve read about over the last 20 years or so.

There is some real wisdom in her method for tackling projects and the ever-growing urge to to do “all the things”. The author frames the book specifically around the struggles that women face due to social expectations and how we do more but that there are no books that directly address this issue.

At the start of the book, it appeared she might actually include non-binary, trans and other marginalized people in her approach but, in the end, she focussed on women which was a bit of a let down. It also led to a lot of talk about menstrual cycles for one’s planning strategies. Its fine but even I don’t want to be stereotyped into a bucket that assumes that, just because I bleed, I can’t get stuff done. Other people struggle with lots of issues that might restrict their energy and its a bit of a disappointment that the only one she focused on was women’s monthly cycles.

Her discussion of breaking tasks down into small, actionable bits is not new but her approach, overall, was chatty and accessible. But many of her perspectives might not apply to people with CFS and other conditions that might limit their energy regardless of their gender assignment.

It’s a good system overall but I think she limited the book’s appeal by focusing repeatedly on menstrual cycles. I can be tired just because I’m tired and not because I’m hormonal. Sheesh.

I listened to the audiobook version (via my public library on Libby) of The Plan which ran about 6 hours so it was a “quick read”. I think the paper or digital version which might be annotated and have supplementary material may be easier to process.

Have you read this? What’s your take?

In Link Love

Link Love: Happy Lefthander Day

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Happy Lefthander Day

Today is a day to celebrate the lefthand — even if you don’t write with your left hand, turn that palm over and say “Thanks for being there for me!” For us lefties, its our chance to lift our fist, showing our smudged pinkies and rail against all the ways the world favors right handed people — door handles on the left? manual can openers, pencil sharpeners, keys that turn to the right, and those were just the things I can think of off the top of my head.

And of course, there are the things that are made for lefties that we don’t actually need — Lamy lefty nibs, I’m looking at you!

So, below I have a link from Pen Boutique about left handed fountain pen options. Some I agree with — love me some Waverly nibs– and others I disagree with Lamy LH again and some I didn’t know about — Sailor LH nibs??!?!?!? Regular Sailor nibs work beautifully for me so I am curious about those but not enough to buy ANOTHER Sailor! Finally, I don’t recommend Pilot gold nibs for most lefties unless they try them first because they do bounce and flex so sidewriters and overwriters will have some issues. Underwriters can use them pretty easily.

Are you a lefty? What’s your favorite fountain pen and nib? Happy Lefthander’s Day!!!

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In Ink Review

Ink Review: Teranishi Guitar Taisho Roman Haikara Innocent Mauve Ink

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

On a recent perusal of JetPens, one ink in particular caught my eye: Teranishi Guitar Innocent Mauve (40mL for $23). You know I’m a sucker for purples, and this one has all the things I love: deep jewel tones, warm red hues…

I’m not sure if this color is entirely what I think of when I think of Mauve. I mean it does have the red tone I expect, but it’s so much more saturated than what I usually think of. That said, it’s full of deep, dark tones and almost makes me think of blackberries.

The description doesn’t mention any green sheen, but I got a little bit in my darkest drops, and it appears I’m not alone in that. Mostly this ink is just a nice shader.

In terms of comparisons, I think it’s almost a dead ringer for Monteverde Rose Noir. It’s also fairly close to Robert Oster Velvet Crush. I told you I have a thing for purples (and my ink stash has all 3 bottles now!)

Overall, I’m pleased with this one and glad to add it to to the collection!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.