Saturday, August 26, 2006

THESE PENS, Chris. These pens!


This, my friends, is the Pilot Precise Grip Extra Fine Black.

It is the finest writing instrument that can be purchased, at any price, anywhere in the world.

I discovered this pen at the beginning of last school year. Walmart sold them, in packages of 3 for $4.63. These pens saw me safely through Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Theory of Probability, Combinatorics [may its name and memory be erased], Complex Analysis, and Stochastic Processes.

These pens were true friends throughout the long nights of homework. They have a comfortable grip, a sharp point, a smooth ink flow, and ink that doesn't smear or puddle. Professors learned to dare not question my habit of doing HW and exams (!!) in pen. On the rare occasions I showed up in class without one, I had to go back to my office to get the spare. Last year I purchased 11 in black, one red, one green, one blue, one light blue, one pink, and one purple. (There was one 5-pack in there).

Then the day came earlier this summer when I went to Walmart, and lo, the pens were not there. And I went again later, and they were still not there. And then I went to a much larger Walmart, and they were not there either.

Then I officially Lost It and told Nate, "I WILL drop out of graduate school if I can not purchase these pens before school starts."

And I searched Ebay, and they were not there. And there was great Weeping.

And finally, they came up on Ebay, and for a great price too- $9.99 for a dozen!!! (Plus $4.10 for shipping.) And lo, there was much Rejoicing. They arrived today. :-D

If I, you know, happen to DIE this semester could someone at the funeral slip a few in my coffin for me? Thanks awfully,

Neb :-)

PS Why are you all staring at me like that??? Isn't $14.09 worth it for some peace of mind? A girl NEEDS something comforting once in a while, and this beats crack cocaine.

PPS I can't resist. Here are some more pictures. Pardon me if I drool a little:


Those are some mighty fine looking pens, aren't they?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do they not have Office Depots or Staples or Office Maxi up in your inbred region of the country? Surely, driving from Walmart to Walmart, you would have passed a store with pens in stock.

Neb said...

My comments appear to be broken. This is a test comment. Hello? Hello?

Anonymous said...

Actually, possibly not. WalMart has a homgeneity in their inventory by region.

Many office supply stores have the pens in blue, and the seldom seen multi-color pack, but not in black.

Blue Bellied Yank said...

Looks like a nice pen. If I did alot of Math stuff I would need a sturdy #2 pencil with eraser to fix all my mistakes!

Crystal said...

That is a fantastic post. Laura Wells referred me to your site because of my shared passion for pens. Indeed, this very kind of pen, only I've only bought the normal non-grip ones in the past. Recently I bought some Pentel Ener-Gel Needle Tip pens because I love to try new things, and they are very good pens, but I feel slightly treasonous, having defected from the camp of The Only Pen Really Worth Having.

Anonymous said...

Dear Peter,

I had the luxury of touching the pens and they were wonderful pens. However, it is not my fault that Nancy Elizabeth decides to travel from Walmart to Walmart because she is thrifty. We do indeed have Office Max and Staples and Office Depot, and no, we are NOT all "inbreds." We in Pennsylvania believe the inbreds are south of Maryland.

Anonymous said...

oh, good. crystal was here. neb, you would like her (and her pens) a lot. lw

Anonymous said...

I'm relieved to find that I'm not the only one obsessed with pens. This, I think, is a common side effect of being left-handed (one spends so much time with the side of one's left hand coated in ink) -- but y'all aren't all left-handed, are you?

I have friends! Here, let me snuggle down here *squirm, wiggle*. I had also heard tell (plug your ears/close your eyes, Neb, heresy cometh!) of a gel pen by ... dang it, who was it? Going to have to find out. I witnessed its writing capabilities, and was so impressed I asked the customer for the name. I'm sure I'll remember when I see it in person. More to follow! In the meantime, I'm looking up Neb's pens!

Anonymous said...

Also, if you can't find them again, they're apparently at my neighborhood Target. I send care packages to students :).