I went down the fountain pen rabbit hole during the pandemic, and 4 years later I’ve got about 30 pens and 50 bottles of ink. Some are dirt cheap, some very expensive. I come back to one pen brand more than any other and to me it feels like the most utilitarian Kleon pen there is - The TWSBI Eco and the TWSBI 580. These are workhorse pens, super reliable, and write well beyond their price tag. Safari is nice to look at, but their steel nibs tend to be scratchy and vary from nib to nib. If you love Lamy though, the Lamy 2000 would be your lifer pen. It’s perfect in just about every way, smooth as butter gold nib and all that.
I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much info right now, but fountain pens are super fun once you get in the swing of things, excited for you!
I couldn't write that post about notebooks and not include you! I've got an Amtrak journey this afternoon and I've queued your video for it. I love everything about your notebooks!
Also, I swore I'd never use fountain pens because they seem overpriced...but and then I became friends with some enthusiasts on Substack. I can attest the Lamy Safari is wonderful! But my heart belongs to the Kaweko Sport. It's little and very portable--and half the price of the Safari.
I wish I had physical pictures of the library cards from the games of library I played with my sister and brothers when we were kids. We went to the town library every week but also played library at home. As the eldest, I made them all check out books and I loved stamping them and then reading them to them. We also played school at my command and they all could read before entering kindergarten. I’m still the bossy big sister.
Thanks for the newsletter. The library checkout card is a brilliant idea and Jillian's post about notebook is very inspiring.
I have a few fountain pens but I rarely use them. I haven't found one pen or ink that fits me well. But the fact that they last long could be a fairly good advantage. My cemetery of pens probably worth more than a really good fountain pen.
My currently favorite pen is the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5, it is awesome because I can buy the refill as well.
https://shieldsdategarden.com This place is right up your alley, Austin! The date shakes are terrific and the whole place is a special step into the wierdness of the socal desert experience.
There is a small airplane museum in Palm Springs. Last time I visited (10 years ago?) there were WWll veterans who volunteer there. I spent some time with a gunner and heard his stories. He was full of life and humor. Not sure if any of those “boys” are left. ❤️
...and *I* am chuffed to be on that same list with you in Jillian Hess's NOTED! To be associated in any way with two of my favourite Substack newsletters has me feeling honoured and has definitely made my week 🫠
This was a stellar list! Especially loved the Shakespeare story—so meaty in so few words. And a long lost memory—I worked for Chapters (a big box bookstore in Canada) back in the 90s and LAMY pens were one of the few products we sold. We had to take a course on fountain pens and the LAMY pens in particular. They are really good ones!
In Palm Springs - walk around the neighborhoods with the mid century modern homes and take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Even though it’s a tourist attraction, it’s really neat to see the views while going up and you’ll probably have snow at the top. Plus there are hiking trails.
I second the Tramway! I thought it would be a tourist trap but it ended up being my favorite Palm Springs experience. That you can go from a desert floor to a snowy, forested state park in minutes is awesome.
Your library cards and pockets and your wooden card file remind me of my favorite retro find-- 3x5 cards for my flat Rolodex which is stuffed with all my addresses and passwords and numbers for everything. I also bought your date stamp to stamp the date in another retro find-- steno pads which I use for my day log.
Austin,
I went down the fountain pen rabbit hole during the pandemic, and 4 years later I’ve got about 30 pens and 50 bottles of ink. Some are dirt cheap, some very expensive. I come back to one pen brand more than any other and to me it feels like the most utilitarian Kleon pen there is - The TWSBI Eco and the TWSBI 580. These are workhorse pens, super reliable, and write well beyond their price tag. Safari is nice to look at, but their steel nibs tend to be scratchy and vary from nib to nib. If you love Lamy though, the Lamy 2000 would be your lifer pen. It’s perfect in just about every way, smooth as butter gold nib and all that.
I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much info right now, but fountain pens are super fun once you get in the swing of things, excited for you!
studiorum lol thanks Austin, love it
Another suggestion for Palm Springs - check out
http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com/
It’s small but with an interesting history - a bit quirky and lots of cool cactus
Thanks for sharing the article about Ravel & Anne Adams, so fascinating!
I couldn't write that post about notebooks and not include you! I've got an Amtrak journey this afternoon and I've queued your video for it. I love everything about your notebooks!
Also, I swore I'd never use fountain pens because they seem overpriced...but and then I became friends with some enthusiasts on Substack. I can attest the Lamy Safari is wonderful! But my heart belongs to the Kaweko Sport. It's little and very portable--and half the price of the Safari.
Oooh will check it out!
Just tunes into the Eagle cam tonight after reading this. My family and I are hooked!!!! Thank you for sharing!
I wish I had physical pictures of the library cards from the games of library I played with my sister and brothers when we were kids. We went to the town library every week but also played library at home. As the eldest, I made them all check out books and I loved stamping them and then reading them to them. We also played school at my command and they all could read before entering kindergarten. I’m still the bossy big sister.
Thanks for the newsletter. The library checkout card is a brilliant idea and Jillian's post about notebook is very inspiring.
I have a few fountain pens but I rarely use them. I haven't found one pen or ink that fits me well. But the fact that they last long could be a fairly good advantage. My cemetery of pens probably worth more than a really good fountain pen.
My currently favorite pen is the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5, it is awesome because I can buy the refill as well.
https://shieldsdategarden.com This place is right up your alley, Austin! The date shakes are terrific and the whole place is a special step into the wierdness of the socal desert experience.
on my list for the way back from Joshua Tree!
There is a small airplane museum in Palm Springs. Last time I visited (10 years ago?) there were WWll veterans who volunteer there. I spent some time with a gunner and heard his stories. He was full of life and humor. Not sure if any of those “boys” are left. ❤️
...and *I* am chuffed to be on that same list with you in Jillian Hess's NOTED! To be associated in any way with two of my favourite Substack newsletters has me feeling honoured and has definitely made my week 🫠
I’ve never played UNO and feel like I’m the only one. Only child woes.
I feel your pain. 😁
This was a stellar list! Especially loved the Shakespeare story—so meaty in so few words. And a long lost memory—I worked for Chapters (a big box bookstore in Canada) back in the 90s and LAMY pens were one of the few products we sold. We had to take a course on fountain pens and the LAMY pens in particular. They are really good ones!
In Palm Springs - walk around the neighborhoods with the mid century modern homes and take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Even though it’s a tourist attraction, it’s really neat to see the views while going up and you’ll probably have snow at the top. Plus there are hiking trails.
I second the Tramway! I thought it would be a tourist trap but it ended up being my favorite Palm Springs experience. That you can go from a desert floor to a snowy, forested state park in minutes is awesome.
I love that it’s like 30 degrees cooler when you get up there
We’ve just introduced our 4 year old to UNO and the deck seemed smaller than we remembered. We wondered if we’d grown up playing with two decks?
Your library cards and pockets and your wooden card file remind me of my favorite retro find-- 3x5 cards for my flat Rolodex which is stuffed with all my addresses and passwords and numbers for everything. I also bought your date stamp to stamp the date in another retro find-- steno pads which I use for my day log.