Author Archives: DELively

One Out of Three is Bad

Leave a reply

Today was unusual because I met students I’m only going to see three times. I also got mad at students I wish I was only seeing three times.

One of the quirks of scheduling at the school where I work is that during the winter term, different grades finish at different times. We are marking and passing back exams whilst still teaching other classes. There are also long periods of “self-study” when the school is locked down for entrance exams.

This term, my Friday third year junior high school classes get entrance exams and the marathon. (Note: this latter can be cancelled because of weather so four classes is possible.) I’ll see them this week and next week and then a month later for their final class before the exam.

Both of my third year classes were good. The problem was the one I’ll see the most. They are a first year junior high school class that has started to become rowdy. Granted, they can’t help it. They’ve just received a dose of chemicals that has scrambled their brains and will render them unteachable for at lest the next seventeen years (aka puberty).

That said, it is unusual for them to be bad the first day back. One student seemed to think he could sleep and was annoyed when I woke him up. He then served as the ring leader for the problem students.

All this means they will have new seats next class. And homework. Lots of homework.

 

 

 

The Long Day Back

Leave a reply

Today was the first day of actual work after the winter holiday and it was a nasty one.

It all started first period, with one of my worst classes. Luckily, they didn’t turn out to be so bad. Then I had a good class and then a bad class. Somewhere in there a student questioned his grade from last term. I showed him how he earned the score and how he could do better.

Then I had to stay for high school club which involved an interesting discussion, in English, of whether or not English should be the official language of the club. (Long, long story involving the club meeting on different days with different teachers.)

Then it was the mad rush to my evening class where I found myself slowly grinding to a halt. As it turned out, I ground down less slowly than some of my students, which was good, because I ended the class by giving them some pretty rough homework, and that required some extra time be spent explaining/justifying it.

Then, to top it all off, the train home was delayed.

 

My Current Sinclair Seven (Plus One)

2 Replies

Rather than do a top five pens of the year or Greatest of All Time (GOAT) post, I thought that today I’d update my Sinclair Seven. The main news is that my Karas Kustoms Ink fountain pen has been relegated and that there is now a Plus One. (More on that in a minute.)

For those who didn’t read the earlier post–which is, when you round up, 100% of the population of the planet–my plan was to focus on the seven pens I would keep whilst keeping  the three that were on the bubble in a separate case.

Well, things have gotten slightly complicated. (Translation: I am weak.)

My Sinclair Seven (Plus One)

Bottom Row, From the Left:

Pilot Custom 823 (Amber Barrel)
This pen is a relatively new (used) acquisition and it may be on its way to being my new work horse pen. I love the ink capacity and the smooth nib. I also enjoy shooting ink across the room at my enemies with the pump filler. (Oddly, this does not win their hearts or their minds.) I’m torn about having to unscrew the top to use it during a long writing session, but more on that in a future review. It’s currently filled with Writing Lab Vintage Denim ink. (Note: in the picture above you can see the finial brown, not black.)

Nakaya Cigar Portable Akatamenuri
I have a “love it with all my heart” / “love it but not in that way” relationship with this pen. I bought it used, which is the only way I could afford it, but the nib needs some work. For some reason, every Japanese made nib is thinner than advertised except the broad nibs. I may replace the nib at one of this year’s pen shows or send it to someone for some modifications. It’s currently filled with Aurora Black ink.

Shawn Newton Moody
This should be a workhorse as it feels great in my hand but I’ve been using it too much to play with inks. As it doesn’t like every ink I’ve put in it, that’s made me reach for it less than I could. The red/blue swirl ebonite has grown on me and I like the gold M nib. It’s currently filled with Diamine Majestic Purple. As I said in the review, I’m still tempted to send it in for a silver plated clip.

Second Row, From the Left:

TWSBI Diamond 580 Rose Gold
Still the workhorse of the collection, although lately I’ve been reaching for it less and less. It has a smooth nib and I like the ink capacity. It’s a comfortable pen to use. It’s always inked with Fountain Pen Hospital‘s exclusive Noodler’s Old Manhattan “Bulletproof” Black ink.

Edison Glenmont 2014 LE
Currently has a 1.1 mm stub nib which, lately, has become fun to play with not much fun to write with. As such, I’m tempted to switch back to the steel M nib it originally came with so that it has a chance to become a workhorse. Currently filled with KyoIro Stone Road of Gion ink, which is a terrific looking, but surprisingly dry ink, even with the 1.1 mm stub.

Pilot Custom Heritage 92
One of the smoothest nibs I own and one of my favorite writers even though it’s right at the edge of too small. I love the piston-filling mechanism and the ink capacity. Hate trying to clean it. Currently full of KyoIro Soft Snow of Ohara ink which is kind of between a purple and a blue.

Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue (Rhodium Coating)
One of my best looking pens. Even pen skeptics have looked at it and their eyes have gotten wide and they’ve said “It’s beautiful.” It has a smooth Platinum nib with that love it and hate it platinum feedback. Currently filled with Maruzen Athena Eternal Blue ink.

Top Center–The Plus One:

Lamy 2000
This is my newest acquisition. I got it because it was used and relatively cheap because the cap has issues.  I liked it as soon as I wrote with it and that means it’s forced its way into the Sinclair. I’m not yet sure about how I’ll like it after I’ve put it through a marathon writing session, but I love the looks and the F nib. It’s currently filled with Kingdom Note Kabutomushi (Rhinoceros Beetle) ink, which is quickly becoming my favorite brown ink.

At this point, the Custom Heritage 92 and the Platinum 3776 risk relegation to the Lookout. That said, maybe, because I have a notebook in internal pocket, I might be able to make it a Sinclair Seven (Plus Two).

 

 

 

 

A Pleasant Day, with Pain

Leave a reply

By all accounts, it was a perfect day, then it wasn’t, but it wasn’t that bad.

First I got a proper eight hours of sleep and woke up do gorgeous weather. (The Tokyo area, in general, has the Season of Static this time of year, but it’s still pretty awesome.)

Then, I met up with a friend I haven’t seen in two years and we immediately fell into old habits as if he hadn’t been away. Then I went down to Tokyo for my evening class and had a coffee before heading to the school.

On the way to the school I bought supper. Something didn’t feel right but I figured it was because I hadn’t had my traditional Train Nap (more on that in another post). Then, right as I say down to eat I got my migraine spot.

I popped a couple extra-strength something-or-other (the medicine’s scientific name) and drank more coffee. After pondering a short nap, I started class and as the medicine set in things went well. I was pleased to see my two shyest students rock their speeches, but that may have been a migraine medicine induced hallucination.

Luckily I caught the faster train home. Now it’s time for bed.

2017 Pen and Stationery Resolutions

2 Replies

Along with my recent confessions, I thought it might be fun to include some pen and stationery resolutions for the coming year.

Pens:
One–Refine the collection. Focus more on quality rather than rapid and random acquisition. Get rid of what doesn’t set your soul on fire.

Two–To help accomplish One, stay the hell away from the nightly Kingdom Note pen sales. (For example.)

Three–Actually use your so-called “work horse” pens at work.

Four–Sell the pens that have been in storage for a long time.

Ink:
One–Sell the large stockpile of Kingdom Note inks once the weather warms, and/or find pen addicts who live in the tropics.

Two–Limit the ink rotation. Use up the inks you like, sell off the rest. Match pens with ink and make a system out of them.

Three–No more new inks (after you’ve acquired a couple you have your eye on.)

Four–Formalize the ink business or run away.

Paper:
One–Stop collecting scraps to bundle into notebooks.  Remember that you can’t spell “scrap” without “crap”. (“It’s crap” said quickly and repeatedly eventually sounds like “Scrap”. I think “scrap” actually derives from the Elizabethan English pronunciation “S’crap.” Look it up, forsooth.)

Two–Do one push up on the floor in the store for each 100 yen of price before buying a new notebook you suddenly can’t live without. (Don’t forget to wash hands after doing this.) Also, consider doing this for pen and ink purchases: Cheapest Montblanc Hemingway = 1,763 push ups (followed by spending the pen money on hospital bills and physical therapy.)

Three–Scan, scan, and scan old notebooks and then retire the moldering hard copies.

Four–Retire the last of the handmade writing tablets. Keep only the ones currently in use at work.

Five–Use up as many notebooks as you can before you get better at push-ups.

Other:
One–Take pictures of stuff.

Two–Review stuff.

Three–Just say “NO” to Massdrop and Kickstarter.

Four–Listen to the Pen Addict podcast, but do not check out the show notes. If you do check out the show notes, do NOT click on any interesting links.

 

 

 

Pen and Stationery Confessions

1 Reply

In a recent episode of the Pen Addict podcast, the great Brad Dowdy and Myke Hurley confessed their stationery related sins. I thought it might be fun to do the same.

(Note: Yes, there really is a podcast about pens and stationery.)

Confession the First: I believe that refilling a fountain pen with the same ink counts as cleaning the pen as long as  you draw ink through the nib.

Confession the Second: I’m not liking my Nakaya as much as I hoped I would.

Confession the Third: I think LAMY Safari fountain pens, in all their variations, are ugly and I will never own one.

Confession the Fourth: Despite all the fountain pens I own, my “going out” pocket pen (meaning I’m not carrying a bag) is a County Comm Embassy Pen, not a fountain pen.

Confession the Fifth: Despite all the fountain pens I own, my everyday work pen is a ballpoint pen, not a fountain pen.

Confession the Sixth: I think modern Palomino Blackwing Pencils are an expensive con and I regret buying a couple. (I like the eraser, though.)

Confession the Seventh: I think the large format Traveler’s Notebooks are overrated and I hate that tall, narrow shape.

Confession the Eighth: I still like using large Moleskine notebooks and think the hatred against them is “I’m so cool” virtue signalling.

Confession the Ninth: Despite Confession the Second, I’d like to acquire another Nakaya.

Confession the Tenth: I think the adult coloring “movement” is silly.

That’s all for now. Eventually I’ll publish some pen and stationery resolutions. Until then, thanks for reading this far.

 

Papa’s Got a Brand New Mixed Bag

Leave a reply

Every now and then I couldn’t come up with a single coherent topic and I would instead resort to random aphorisms, observations and questions. — Your Humble Blatherer in Editorials and Litigious Leisure

Random bits today as lots of random stuff happened.

–Spent the morning watching a student write a make-up exam. The exam was three writing questions that, if done perfectly, would force him to write over 600 words. In the end, he only wrote 300 words, but by colossal coincidence, that equals the lengths of the two speeches he didn’t write or do last term. This, of course, means the test worked perfectly.

–While my student was working, I was doing my daily 10 Ideas, which has now been relegated to a smaller notebook, and then wrote extra ideas, and then switched notebooks where I wrote out notes for some upcoming posts on this site. They included my Sinclair Seven (now modified and including a plus one); my stationery  confessions; my Top Five pens (of various sorts) and my 2017 pen and stationery related resolutions. (More on all these, of course, in upcoming posts.)

–The afternoon was spent marking paragraphs from different students and deciding appropriate punishments for our oldest. (Long story involving grandparents, concerts, skipping school, bullet trains and Osaka.) The big fight was saved until after supper.

–Some where in there I took some pictures for future blog posts and sorted through a bunch of crap as part of some belated soot brushing. I have camera gear to trade and ink to sell. I also have a bunch of notebooks to dispose of somehow, someway. My long unused karate gear is still mocking me, even though I’ve somehow taught myself not to see it as little more than a ghost in the corners of my eyes.

–I also have work to worry about and more marking to do. I also have a grounded teenager to deal with, especially as I think she’s about to make the mistake of calling my bluff. (More on that in a future book…)

Breaking the Log But Maybe Not the Habit

Leave a reply

It was a good idea, I suspect, at the time, but now, I suspect, it’s not and have decided to stop.

Two years ago, in a fit of something-or-other (a technical term) I decided to keep daily log in which I tracked, at various points during the day, where I was, what I was doing, and how I was feeling. I drew pictures of key events as if I was looking over my own shoulder and also tracked the weather and, eventually, my meals by drawing pictures of them. It was an excuse to use up notebooks and ink and test pens.

The first year, I carried the log around with me which, quite frankly, is exactly the point of the log. Stopping to record what I was doing was fun, but it was a lot of dead weight. The second year I changed notebooks but left it at home, turning it into more of a diary.

The second year, I would fill out the morning weather and offer a summary of how I was feeling in the morning. When I got home after my day job I would summarize the day at that point and then record my lunch and the weather. Later, reasonably close to bed, I would summarize the evening and the day and, as I had in the first year, draw a few key events as if I was looking over my own shoulder.

After a couple weeks, I started adding color to the events and, a few days later, to the food and started keeping track of what I was wearing. Sort of.

The first color picture in the log.

A couple weeks later, I wore my Kansas State University sweatshirt and was still adding color to the events. Note: those are beans flying at my head, not bullets. Also, those are costume ogre horns, not my natural, undisguised appearance.

Although I kept up the daily habit of keeping up the log, I missed the immediacy of having it with me. I also felt as if my entire system had a lot of moving parts, even if one of those parts stayed on my desk. By the end of the year, the log felt more like the annoying paperwork in a job than a fun activity.

As such, I’ve started carrying a different kind of planner and, knowing me, will probably turn it into a portable mini-log. I did find it was interesting to see what I was wearing from day to day, especially on work days. A friend of mine used to plan out his entire wardrobe for the semester based on the theory that students change their opinion of you if they see you wearing the same outfit.

I’ll also probably keep track of the weather and maybe my wardrobe, but I’m more interested in recording what I accomplish during the day versus what I planned.

This will probably be ugly, though. Interesting, but ugly (more on all this in a future post).

Hobonichi Techo Cousin Planner–End of Book Review

2 Replies

The size of the Hobonichi Techo Cousin didn’t put me off as I only intended to use it as a desktop item but the color did. Unfortunately, for reasons involving expensive covers that are sold separately, the Hobonichi Cousin comes only in Caucasian flesh tone beige.

The Cousin is an A5 sized planner with 544 pages of Tomoe River paper. The pages include daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planners with several black pages at the end for notes. Each day has a quote (in Japanese, though) that is supposed to serve as a source of wisdom, inspiration, contemplation.

The Cousin filled the role of my daily log and it was nice to replace the average paper of the MUJI notebook I’d used before, with the terrific and fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper in the Cousin. I ended up using the monthly planner to keep track of days I actually wrote and the daily pages to write my log entries. I also used the blank pages as a scrapbook for random stickers and labels.

The paper was terrific, with only a few pens and inks bleeding through. My Noodler’s Ahab flex nib scored the paper and caused lots of bleedthrough and Noodler’s Apache Sunset ink is oily enough that it tends to soak through. Wancher Matcha, as good as it looks, laughs at pages made of any paper and makes them cry.

Noodler’s Apache Sunset bleed through.

Noodler’s Apache Sunset from the above bleed through staining a third page.

Wancher Matcha laughs at Tomoe River, even from a smooth M nib.

My biggest problems with the Cousin was that it simply was trying to do too much. Out of the 544 pages, I left about 100 pages unused. This isn’t so much the fault of the planner as much as it is a testament to the way I used it. However, I don’t see why it needs monthly, weekly and daily planners under one cover.

As for the cover, despite being on my desk, it showed a surprising amount of wear and tear. It is glossy card stock, but a year of being pulled in and out of a slot next to my PC wore both sides of the cover, including the side that wasn’t against the metal. A fellow Cousin user has dubbed this as “Hobonichi Cousin patina”.

The “patina” (aka scuff marks) on the Caucasian flesh tone beige cover.

I also noticed that the end tape started to peel and that the cover that was against the warm computer began to separate from its backing paper.

Another example of the “patina” spots and of the peeling end tape.

It is a good planner though, and most of my problems with it are a matter of personal preference. It has a lot of space for recording events and even writing follow up, which is nice. I find the daily quotes to be useless, though. After a while, I didn’t even notice them, except when I wished they weren’t taking up so much writing space.

I would recommend the Cousin, especially if you’re willing to splurge for a cover, or just make one yourself from some construction paper. (Alas, gone are the days of making book covers from paper grocery bags.) Even if you’re ballpoint pen user, you’ll like the paper.

However, as I’ve written before, sort of, this year I’ve decided to pare down some of what I’m using by combining my planner with my log. I’m also not going to keep the log in the same way. (But that’s fodder for a future post.)

 

 

Getting Home Eventually in Time

Leave a reply

We got home, but our bullet train was a lot slower than I was expecting. Somehow, though, we didn’t have a lot of time.

Because it was part of the bi-annual U-turn rush here in Japan, we ended up with some odd trains and little time to catch them, which meant we didn’t have time to buy snacks and drinks–which meant my girls stopped to buy snacks and drinks–but we made our one connection.

Unfortunately our bullet train was a “slow” one that stopped at every stop, including several at places that don’t seem to actually exist, and then lingered several minutes at each stop so the actual bullet trains could pass.

Then we exited the station at the wrong exit which meant we couldn’t find the treats we were looking for. (Note: one side of Omiya Station is awesome. The other side sucks.)

Then we got home and enjoyed the biannual tradition of She Who Must Be Obeyed being horrified by the state of the apartment. (Note: she does this even when we travel together.) (Note the Second: The bear wasn’t my fault.)

Now, we’re settling back into our normal patterns, for better and for worse, but at least we’re home.