Pen Contentment vs. Kaweco Lunar Sport
I was going to write an entry about pen contentment, how I believed I had finally achieved that tranquil state. I’ve been deeply into this fountain pen thing for about 10 years now, so it seemed likely. I recently came across a journal entry that confirmed it started in 2016, by the way. That means one of my earlier posts was inaccurate. This is why I like to write everything down: my memory can be crumbly sometimes.
But—pen contentment. It took no effort. I just settled into it. I was experiencing unmistakable symptoms. The feeling of overwhelm when deciding which pen to ink (and which ink to use) next. The speed with which I scroll through emails from pen merchants—the feeling of immunity to new wares, the need to stifle a yawn. Not that pens bore me. I’m just happy with what I have. And I’ve been at this long enough to be considered an old salt, right? It’s a habit more than an exploration at this point. I’m set in my ways.
I confess I started to feel smug. In July I realized I hadn’t seen a pen release that made me say “I NEED THAT” and immediately order it since November. (Nahvalur Triad, by the way.) That’s a long time for me, November to July! Long enough to make it seem as if the pen fever has finally passed and I had reached some state of mellow maturity.
About two days after this revelation, I caught wind of some new Kaweco pens that were soon to be released.
Kaweco, dammit! You’re always the culprit! Stop doing me in! I’m so sick of succumbing to your temptations. No other pen company is guilty of weakening my will like this repeatedly.
This time it was the Luna Sport Shadow Blue that called to me. Need.
I surrendered.
And now I have.
It is very hard to capture the color with a camera, but you can see some sparkle in this one.
And so the fever was reawakened. For a little while. A mere hiccup. The funny thing is, I thought Kaweco Sports were silly looking for a long time; I had no interest in them at all… until they started to be released in colors I actually liked. Then I decided to give one a try and learned how comfortable and practical and wonderful they are.
The nibs can be hit or miss, unfortunately. I’ve spent a great deal of time doctoring and taming Kaweco nibs. But once they’re civilized, oooooooooh are they lovely. And the especially loverly thing about this new pen (fine nib, by the way—my first Kaweco fine): no doctoring needed, it wrote decently from the get-go. That is a first for me regarding Kaweco pens. What an unexpected win!
Here are all of my Kaweco Sports, from top to bottom: Crown Blue, Iridescent Pearl, Toyama Teal, Sea Spray, and Lunar Shadow Blue. A wintry looking palette of colors, in my opinion.
And the color—I love it. “Shadow Blue” confuses me a little. When I first saw it, it seemed mostly grey. Moody and broody and Byronic—as if a storm cloud were molded into a pen. It’s like the rebellious black-sheep-brother of the Iridescent Pearl. But, in some lightings it’s grey infused with sparkly blue. Sometimes it even looks purple. It’s iridescent… yet foreboding. Quite stimulating and mesmerizing to behold, handy when there’s no other interesting object in the room to look at.
“Hey, bro.”
(Iridescent Pearl & the black sheep Shadow Blue)
Pen contentment is such a cute little thing of mythology, isn’t it? I’ve already accepted that the notebook fever is a chronic affliction for which there is no cure. As for the pen fever, that apparently has its seasons. I suppose this isn’t too bad, as long as the beast takes long rests between flare-ups.
So, with experience, I have developed a decent enough amount of immunity. It’s still an accomplishment. No need to be a perfectionist in this regard. And I’m doing far better than last year. Last year was awful: pricey pens that weren’t even winners, for the most part. Except for three nice ones. I’m exercising far better self control this year.
I am slowing down with age, honest. In more ways than one.
