Grey Thursday Rambly Bits

[gnomi]

-- Didn't we earn a Get Out of Rain Free card in May? So what's this stuff that's been falling from the sky, huh?

-- Today is Harvard's commencement. If you don't need to be in Harvard Square, you might be happier staying away.

-- As others have reported, the cows are here. This amuses me mightily, for I have a ridiculous love for cows (add them to the list that includes moose and penguins for animals that I adore for no particular reason)

-- Television crossovers I'd love to see: Jack (Bauer) replaces Jack (O'Neill) or vice versa. Charlie Eppes competes on "Deal or No Deal."

-- I edit manuscripts on actual paper with an actual pen. And I have a specific type of actual pen that I prefer to use. I have discovered, much to my dismay, that the particular pen that I prefer to use (the Papermate Expresso Medium felt-tip/roller-ball pen in purple) has been discontinued. I'm now questing a new Medium-point felt-tip/roller-ball pen in purple for the task. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

-- Eric Partridge remains my go-to guy for etymology and history of slang. Just so's you know. :-)

Comments

[madfilkentist]

Unfortunately, I need to be in Harvard Square, or at least somewhere near it, but I won't attempt to find a place to eat around here.

Later I'll check if Pandemonium actually manages to open today.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

We had been all set to attend Pandemonium's re-opening at 6 PM yesterday evening.... We found out just in time that Tyler had called it off.

[530nm330hz.livejournal.com]

I'm extremely partial to Uniball Vision pens, in green or purple, for editing and for crosswords. (The color contrast with the page is great for both uses, and it never catches on the paper.) They're gel ink roller-balls.
I believe you can buy single-color boxes of 12 from the manufacturer; Staples only has single-color boxes for blue and black but they have assortments as well.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks! I'm familiar with the Vision, but I didn't know they came in purple. I'll have to take a look.

[xochitl42.livejournal.com]

I second that to the nth power. I adore Uniball Vision Elites. ADORE. And it does indeed come in purple. I tend to favor the thicker line (lighter pen color), but both are just great.

I write a great deal of my work in longhand, and this pen lives up to the challenge.

[tinnean.livejournal.com]

Nomi, would you suggest buying this book? I can get a very nice used copy, 1970 edition, for $30, plus S&H. I generally don't like spending that much for any book, but I'll confess, I'm very intrigued.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

The Partridge I linked to? It's definitely a book I'd buy if I found it at a reasonable price. But I'd say take a look at it first, if you can.

I took it from our library (I can't recall which edition, however) for checking vocabulary in byrne's Victorian manuscript. It's an excellent book from which I learned all sorts of things about the ages of various vulgarities (which, I promise, was completely business-legitimate ::wink, grin::).

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

Pilot Precise rollerballs come in purple, or at least they used to. Their G2 definitely still comes in purple, both in pens and in refills, but G2 is neither rollerball nor marker it's gel.

Don't forget to check levenger.com.

In the "for crying out loud" department: purple is gaining more popularity because there are school districts out there mandating teachers use purple instead of red. seems getting papers back splashed all over with red is "traumatic" for the students.

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

levengers pens are indeed wonderful, but I find them far too pricey for everyday use.

I wonder if I can blame all my particularly dysfunctions on the copious amounts of red ink my teachers and professors have spilled on my behalf over the years. Or is the effect mitigated by the earlier application of shiny star stickers and smily face stamps applied by over-enthusiastic kindergarten teachers?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I think we should lock the red pens and the smiley-face/shiny-star stickers in a room together and watch them fight it out. Battle of the Classroom Supplies!

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

You know, this might be happening. I seem to remember teachers grumbling about how supplies always seem to just
*disappear*

Maybe that wasn't all red ink, after all....

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

oh! i meant to check levenger for things like G2 refills (which they sell fer cheep), which seem to be getting scarce in the office supply stores despite the ready stock of the pens themselves. oh and the "disposable" G2s are refillable, in case you didn't already know. refillable in disguise so as not to tempt theft/loss!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

That's good to know, about the refills (and the fact that they're refillable; I wouldn't have guessed).

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

ohyeah. they unscrew at the top of the rubber grip. :)

[xochitl42.livejournal.com]

I think this coddling trend is vomitous. Preventing real trauma? Very worthwhile. Cushioning children from every pitfall conceivable? Absurd, and very destructive for the children.

Christopher Titus, a very good stand-up, talks about his "functional" friends (he himself is from a dysfunctional family). He's thankful he went through some tought times as a kid, because "Tommy," his functional friend, is completely destroyed by a toilet backing up (where he then throws his head back and curls his fisted arms and cries, "Why, G-d?! Why?!" in imitation of Tommy beset by the recalcitrant bathroom appliance).

Okay, so a lot of that is oversimplification, but...

Whee! Tangent!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Tangents are always good.

Cosines and sines, less so. :-)

(OK, can you tell that the current character who is in my head/in whose head I'm living is a math geek?)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

And I agree with you about the coddling trend.

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

It's true tho -- the more things are done for you/protecting you from trauma/boosting the self esteem the less impetus (cannot spell today to save my life!) you have to actually develop skills to do things on your own or learn how to overcome failure/adversity/faulty plumbing.

To the point where the Today show has a segment about the legions of parents who call their college age children to wake them up for class in the morning!

I don't wake my seven year old up for second grade -- I figure she knows how to use the alarm clock. WHat a bad mommy am I!

Oops, another tangent. Am going back to work now. Even though I don't have a purple pen.

*Pouts*

[xochitl42.livejournal.com]

To the point where the Today show has a segment about the legions of parents who call their college age children to wake them up for class in the morning!

[blinkblink]

I'm gonna go smack my head against a wall repeatedly. Be back in a bit.

coddling

[magid.livejournal.com]

Word.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I've heard about the pen-color-mandate thing.

I'm partial to purple for editing because it's obvious to me. I see it against the black toner and the white paper very well for when I'm transfering my marks into the electronic file.

I should check out the Pilot Precise while I'm going pen looking. Thanks for the recommendation!

And Levenger's is a dangerous place for Nomis and their budgets. :-)

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

i'm partial to purple just in general. clothes, pens/ink, notebooks. just look at my LJ icon collection. :)

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

can't help with the pens, will however squee about the cows. moooo.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Mooooooooooo! :-)

mabfan and I are plotting a Cow Expotition some time this summer. We'll post when we have more detailed plans.

[eal.livejournal.com]

Of course, I didn't realize that you were actually soliciting opinions and at this point my opinion won't matter because you are currently stalking a pen. That said, I use a gelly roll fine point. I get 'em at JoAnns (yes, that JoAnns).

I like the ink and I like that it's got staying power and dries pretty fast and I don't smear it. The only thing I don't like is that they're really skinny. But I'll sacrifice for the other good qualities.

P has a complete set or Rotring's in silver from levenger :) The ones you can run over with a truck? Yes. But then, you know what he does for a living.

M

[tiptoe39.livejournal.com]

Charlie Epps is t3h hawt.