It’s census night tonight! I’m torn between wanting the convenience of doing it all online, and wanting to enjoy the experience of doing it on paper.
I think I’ve written about this before. I love gadgets that allow me to record stuff electronically, but then I feel bereft because using a PDA or tablet, I miss the sensation of writing in real ink. Styluses (stylii?) just don’t do it for me. They are too light, too thin, too plastic…
This is a pathetic picture which doesn’t really capture the distinct difference (for me) between using a fountain pen and a stylus. And the keyboard? Well, it doesn’t even come close! How does one depict a feeling or experience perfectly in pictures? It does let you can see the difference in dimensions and appearance.
But really, no stylus beats the experience of writing with the fine semi-flexible 14ct nib of a 1943 made in Canada Parker Deb Vacumatic in Blue Pearl with Rolled Gold Trim… The sleek makrolon body of the Lamy 2000. The wonderfully smooth nib of the Pelikan M200. The sensation of the ink flowing onto the paper. The feel of the flexible nib (yes, that’s the flexnib in this blog’s URL) as it touches the surface. The writing experience that differs depending on the paper and the type of ink – Quink vs Skrip vs Waterman vs Noodlers – and no I’m not just talking colours here…
No doubt you’re glad I have to go and get ready for work now, and spare you still more pen (I was going to write penile.. urk.. penous… okay, moving right along) fantasies.
And I still haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to do the census online or on paper.
Edit 6:29am 9 August: Ended up doing the census online. I was swayed by comments: Michelle’s about how this was the first time it’s available to complete online, and by Sirexkat’s comment on the cleverness of the online form. And at 11pm last night (we had dinner at M’s parents’ place) I didn’t feel like taking pains over a paper form…
Categories: Census2006, obsession, fountainpens
10 Comments
Name: CW
Occupation: Librarian
Preoccupation: Fountain Pens
I will be doing mine with my fountain pen.
I will be doing mine online, just because its the first time, also to see what it will be like and finally just because I can!
Online in our house. I’m a hopeless net junkie – I’ll do it online, describe it on my blog, publish the form on Flickr, put a video of me doing it on YouTube…
Fountain pens are, like, sooo 1847.
Sirexkat: YES! 😛
jl: ooo what pen are you using these days? (You just knew I was going to ask that, didn’t you?)
Michelle: I think you’ve sold me on that… it is the first time it’s available to complete online, isn’t it!
Tom: Actually I don’t thinkfountain pens were even around in 1847… 😛
Reminds me, I need to email you about something. Don’t worry it’s not pen related! 😉
The same old Cross; i may be completely indecisive about bags and shoes and have to have loads and loads of those, but with the pen, the Cross is all i need for dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
Came home and Co-Pilot had done most of the census online and just wanted to ask me a few personal questions to finish it.
I like the way it worked out that Mr3 wasn’t around 5 years ago, so didn’t ask where he lived…unlike the paper form.
Just to open a can of worms….do you do your tax online too? Or do you use a flexnib there as well? We seem to be the only people we know who actually DO our own tax, let alone do it online.
jl: ah, the cross!
Sirexkat: last year was the first year we didn’t do our tax ourselves. This year we’re going to an accountant as well… But when we did do our own tax we did it online. If we did our tax ourselves I wouldn’t do it any other way!
Hi CW,
JB did the census with a biro…the man has no soul. lol.
We do our own tax every year and we do it online. TB-)
No soul – nah I wouldn’t be that harsh, actually 😛 I think lying on the census form is worse! Someone I know told me they make stuff up everytime they fill it in – I was mortified!