Hey, gimme your pen for a minute!

[Slivovitz]

"Let me use your pen for a moment," said a colleague the other day. He looked somewhat bemused as I bypassed the two fountain pens clearly visible in a shirt pocket, and fished in a pants pocket to hand him my little Space Pen, but he made the note that he needed to and got on with his day.

No, this isn't about lending out my fountain pens as such. If somebody just needs "a pen" to write with, and I don't have a ballpoint with me, they're out of luck. On the other hand, I'm always willing to let a friend try a fountain pen, although I might ask them to wait while I get a different (less valuable to me) one for them to try. I'd be happy to lend this fellow my Safari, say, or a Pilot FP 78G, but he's not touching my Pelikan or my Conway Stewart.

This is more about the sort of person who never seems to carry any pen at all. We are well supplied with decent ballpoints and rollerballs at work, but some people never have them unless they are actually seated at their desks or workbenches. Yet we're always walking around, and there is frequently a need to write something down.

Outside of work, many people seem to have the attitude that pens are something you scrounge from others as you need them. The people who actually carry something to write with, let alone something to write on, seem to be a tiny minority. I've occasionally offended a stranger by refusing to lend even a ballpoint, but I'm not a source of writing instruments for the general public. And by the way, I'm especially annoyed by those who "ask" for a pen by making writing motions in the air.

I don't know. I have very little patience with people who can predict that they'll need to write something, but leave the actual writing instruments to chance and the generosity of strangers. Even for those who seldom make a handwritten note, how hard is it to keep a ballpoint or mechanical pencil in a pants pocket, and a little loose paper in a wallet?

Okay, I just wanted to vent a little. I'll go back to my corner now.

 

[Beerhunter]

When "can I use your pen" moments arise I have several junk or almost dead pens. No one ever returns a pen and I aim to keep
my good ones

 

[syngent]

I'm lucky everyone here pretty much carries a pen

 

[Wil]

I always keep a throw-away pen for requests like this. Made that mistake once too many years ago (nearly twenty now) and was faced with my fountain pen in pieces for their clumsiness. Seems like writing with a FP caused them to spasm and drop my pen- still have not replaced it- probably to remind me never to lend one out.

 

[roscotanna]

I always keep a throw-away pen for requests like this. Made that mistake once too many years ago (nearly twenty now) and was faced with my fountain pen in pieces for their clumsiness. Seems like writing with a FP caused them to spasm and drop my pen- still have not replaced it- probably to remind me never to lend one out.

I get funny looks at work when I fill forms in and require the customers signature.. I'll fill it in with a nice pen- not really an expensive one, but nice nonetheless- then hand them the form with a BIC Biro if they don't have a pen... they stare at me as though its their right to use my nice pen!.. if they have a problem with the BIC they should bring their own god damn pen! Haha

 

[purerockfury]

Working on countless delivery jobs or warehouse jobs I ran into this problem a lot. I never had good pens but I had pens I liked to use and did not want them walking away. I can not count the times a delivery driver came to me and asked for a pen. Their job is to carry a pen to write returns or cash receipts, why do they not have one? Now that I will be carrying an fp I definitely will not lend it out.

 

[Bob L.]

My middle school students are always asking to borrow a fountain pen. If they want to try one, that is experience writing with a fountain pen, we set a time and if they show up they get some instruction and some writing time.

When they ask to borrow a pen I let them know they can earn one by doing a special writing assignment extremely well. Some of them really work hard to earn a pen. When they get one they treasure it.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

You ought to be in the car business with me...let a salesperson not have a pen on them and business cards and let me get excited....they should be prepared to work when they get there....pick up your pen and put it in your pocket! Period....

These are the same people that run around in circles all day...you will have to forgive my ranting, I am at the age that when I get up, its going to count....


(that last statement will be used against me in the mod forum....OMG)

 

[rickcharles606]

if someone asks to borrow a pen, I always pull my pen out, unscrew the cap and show them the pen. Many times they say, "anyone have a regular pen" and move on, but sometimes they reach for the pen and before I give it to them...I give some quick instructions. If they damage my pen, the people I work around, would replace it...no matter the cost. I've actually turned several people on to fountain pens by doing this.

 

[red zeppelin]

Many funny anecdotes here. I agree, I usually have another pen at my desk other than the FP, albeit a nicer rollerball. I don't have an issue letting someone try the FP if they want, I don't have anything very expensive so its not a cost issue for me. Many people at work stop by to see the color of ink I have for that week (I like to change a lot), so that creates some conversations.

I am with Mark though, people should be prepared to do their job, whatever that means. I never go to a meeting without a pad of some sort and a pen. My office is open so there tend to be a lot of impromptu, quick 'meetings' and I still try to always have a pen and paper for them. Business cards are usually a must as well, especially if I am offsite or at a conference. I used to work with people from China and they are very big on business cards, so I got used to keeping them on me.

 

[syngent]

Being at the dealership without a pen is like being a roofer without a hammer... no one needs to and thus leaves my pens alone... my stapler and calculator on the other hand....


Mark you a geezer?

You ought to be in the car business with me...let a salesperson not have a pen on them and business cards and let me get excited....they should be prepared to work when they get there....pick up your pen and put it in your pocket! Period....

These are the same people that run around in circles all day...you will have to forgive my ranting, I am at the age that when I get up, its going to count....


(that last statement will be used against me in the mod forum....OMG)

 

[andrew98]

True story:

A college student and an engineer from a major firm meet at a professional conference, and as they're talking, the engineer sees some promise in the student. On his way to catch an elevator, the engineer says, "Write down my name and phone number, and I'll see that you get an internship with us this summer." The student fumbles around for a pen and paper but doesn't have one on him. The elevator doors open, the engineer gets in the elevator, and says, "That's too bad. It would have been a fantastic opportunity." Then the elevator doors close.

That college student learned a hard lesson, and I've rarely gone anywhere without a pen and paper on me ever since I heard about that.

-Andy

 

[Toothpick]

I've spent the past 14 years in retail, back before debit cards became popular i'd always get asked for a pen to write a check with. It puzzled me at first, why someone that knows they will be writing a check does not have a pen in their checkbook. Countless pens were "borrowed" and never returned. I simply got used to it and saw it as an opportunity.

I always carried the Uni-Bal Signo 207 and i'd loan it out for check writing and folks would never fail to compliment how nice the pen wrote. Finally i just started giving them to the customer if they made a compliment about the pen. "well go ahead and keep it, we also sell them here available in several different colors". That extra something as they were walking out was enough to remember us and get them to come back, and if I added a couple packs of pens to the sale win-win. I still do it to this day, although I don't spend nearly as much time on the register.

 

[Aristeros]

Military types tend to carry pens on them all the time, though there are a few exceptions. The attrition rate is VERY high due to conditions (moving around a lot, vehicles, field training). Anything beyond the generic Skillcraft ballpoints is highly prized, but I am not certain I would even carry around a pen too dear to lose.

I had a cool Magnus Executive when in a position of relative authority, but it did not survive deployment. Now I have no authority, but a more sedentary job, so I think I will get and hoard a budget fountain pen or two.

 

[jzuzphreek]

I'm lucky everyone here pretty much carries a pen

What, is it in the Canadian Bill of Rights or something?

My middle school students are always asking to borrow a fountain pen. If they want to try one, that is experience writing with a fountain pen, we set a time and if they show up they get some instruction and some writing time.

When they ask to borrow a pen I let them know they can earn one by doing a special writing assignment extremely well. Some of them really work hard to earn a pen. When they get one they treasure it.

I wish I woulda had a cool teacher like you when I was a kid. What kind of pen do they have the ability to earn?

 

[BigWill]

After a ball point exploded on my boss' shirt yesterday, I gave him one of my FPs to use and told him, "If this one explodes, at least the ink will wash out of your shirt." I may have another FP convert. We'll see. My daughter's boyfriend is a FP convert (and a wetshaving convert).

 

[Eeyore]

The only guy who ruined one of my pens (a Sheaffer TD) was an American

He literally yanked the cap off, (without even asking me if he could use my pen), stripping the threads. And he did not understand why I was mad at him!

I know most Americans are not like that lol ... but he certainly did make a bad impression

However, usually when people ask me to lend a pen, they are aware that it's a fountain pen (many used a fountain pen in primary school). If they are unsure, they often ask if I also have another pen around. If they lend it, they always know how to handle a FP. Never a problem, and I got several compliments on my pens

Actually, one colleague liked my Aurora Style so much that he bought it from me, there and then!

 

[cody6766]

Military types tend to carry pens on them all the time, though there are a few exceptions. The attrition rate is VERY high due to conditions (moving around a lot, vehicles, field training). Anything beyond the generic Skillcraft ballpoints is highly prized, but I am not certain I would even carry around a pen too dear to lose.

Yup, the pockets are even built into our uniforms. Hell, the Air Force ABUs have FOUR pen slots. You can tell where Big Blue expects most of her members to be. Gotta love tactical office wear. I know very few fliers that don't have a pen and pencil on their shoulder. It's a must for us. I remember not having a pen in ROTC while in uniform. I had to ask an instructor for one and they jokingly commented "A good officer never forgets a pen. You have to be prepared." It was just a joke, but it made sense and stuck with me.

Until about a year ago, it was AF policy to wear our dress blues on Mondays (Blues Monday). For those not in the know, it's basically slacks and a button up shirt. Business in the squadron was always way less efficient on Mondays during this time. It wasn't because we were not in our pajamas and uncomfortable, it's because there are no damn pen holders in the blues, haha. Nobody could ever find a pencil, a pen was like a little gold bar and for some reason the desks were always bare. Monday was pretty much the only day you ever heard, "Anyone have a pen?" It was definitely the only day you could get a collective "no" out of a whole office.

 

[Shave_Rat]

The other week while I was at one of my camping events, one of the guys came around, was talking, and wanted to write down contact info for later use once he was at a computer. he asked around to borrow a pen, no one else had anything, so I handed him the 78g I always have as a back up/loaner pen. I open it for him and hand it over. He's like only 20 yo, if that. He grabs it, looks at it confused, and says "Uh, what do I do with this?". My reply, and only a little snarky, was "It's a pen, you write with it.". I've had a co-worker or two come to my desk, need to jot something, and ask to borrow a pen, then ask for a different one when I hand them the Pilot. lol

 

[andrew98]

You can tell the folks in the nib have an altered perspective regarding pens, in that our loaner pens only cost $15, rather than $0.15.

-Andy