Monday, May 05, 2014

Forgive Me

Forgive me, pen snobs and pencil fans, for I have slummed.

In my defense, the Internet has been conspiring against me. First Rhodia Drive got me feeling all nostalgic, then it felt like I kept running across these on Instagram and Twitter all week. I had to pick up laundry detergent today, and these were there...begging. And I was feeling down today, and when I'm feeling down, I have no resistance to begging pens.

OK, they're skinny. They take some pressure to move. The ink is less than perfectly black. They certainly aren't the best pens in the universe. But I can still stick a piece of paper with my name on it inside the clear barrel so they don't walk away. And they make me think of scribbling at the kitchen table as a kid. And, above all, they were CHEAP.

So there.

13 comments:

Joe V said...

The thing about these kinds of pens is that, should someone succeed in stealing one, it's no great loss. I do like your idea about an internal label for your name. My eldest brother still writes with these, despite my prolonged insistence that he take up something fancy like a fountain pen. Perhaps it's the comforting simplicity of an object that is very inexpensive and does its job okay.

Elizabeth H. said...

I also remember Mom using these a lot. She wrote me it must have been hundreds of letters when I was overseas in the service, whether I was able to find time to write back or not: page after page, pretty much all written in black or blue ballpoint in her beautiful handwriting.

All lost along the way. What I wouldn't give for just one of those letters now!

teeritz said...

I bought a box of fine point blue ones about a year ago. There's a reason why they're still in production after all these years. They're classics. And nothing brings up memories of my Dad writing letters to relatives in Italy faster than a humble Bic ballpoint.
Whenever I meet a wristwatch snob who goes on and on about expensive watches in their collections, I always say ; "They don't all have to be Quarterbacks."
Sometimes, an inexpensive item is just as good as a pricier one.

Johnny @ Pencil Revolution said...

You're going to hate me for this, as a pencil lover.

But Bic's updated these to use the Easy Glide ink. I found black ones at Target and blue ones on Amazon. Everything you like about a Bic Cristal, with smoother ink.

And now I am going to sharpen some pencils. :)

Elizabeth H. said...

Ack! One-upped! By a pencil guy, no less!

On the bright side...I'm now in the position to do a direct comparison, should I stumble across some of these new-fangled Easy Glide Cristals.

Johnny @ Pencil Revolution said...

Wait -- what? Who's that posting as me? I would never use INK!! :D

Seriously, I love me a Bic Cristal. (Don't tell anyone.)

Elizabeth H. said...

Your secret's safe here. Just me and the entire Internet watching....

I work kind of across from a Target. May go for a walk thataway in the next week or so and just see what's doin'.

Bill M said...

At one time in my life I loved these pens. They are hard to beat for the price. Since the advent of gel rollers though if I do not use a fountain pen I do buy the gel rollers at the back to school sales, generally a dozen for a dollar.

Elizabeth H. said...

As much as we (meaning I) romanticize fountain and dip pens and all, I wonder sometimes how someone like, say, Jane Austen would feel if someone was to show up with a handful of modern ballpoint and gel pens. Pens that include their own ink source, that can be stuffed in a pocket, that write in almost any kind of weather, and can write for pages and pages and pages without a pause or drip. We're crazy spoiled, we really are.

Johnny @ Pencil Revolution said...

I think you're write (!), E. A box of pencils or pack of Bics, and you're set.

And I have to reiterate: This Easy GLide is pretty awesome. :)

Elizabeth H. said...

And at Wal-mart, they were conveniently in the aisle right beside the aisle where I stopped to pick up dog shampoo. I like 'em! Thanks for the tip.

Interestingly, they had "Xtra Smooth" AND "Writes Longer!" Bics side by side. I'm not sure if that means they're marketing both varieties concurrently, or if the changeover just isn't complete.

Johnny @ Pencil Revolution said...

I assume the latter. I've seen the 40% longer ones for two years or so, but the Easy Glide only recently. Dang, that new blue is NICE! :)

Duffy Moon said...

I'm a fan of the Bic Cristals from way back. They're my #1 choice in disposable pens.