Pen Posse: Join Us!

In 2008, a fountain pen enthusiast from Australia was visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, and Ethernautrix, ever the charismatic one, started and named the Pen Posse.

Initially, we were all on Fountain Pen Network, but as the field diversified into different boards, it got complicated coordinating meetings.

Eventually, I started a Facebook group for Pen Posse, which made it much easier for people to get notified of meetings. We don’t have a formal leadership, though AltecGreen (Ricky Chau) starts most of the meeting requests.

Some of us use fountain pens to write with. Some are more into drawing. Or calligraphy. Some just like them. Whatever. It doesn’t matter why you like them.

Some only use old pens. Some only use new pens.

Some only like off-brand cheapie vintage pens they can repair. Some like the uber slick expensive pens.

We welcome all.

Sometimes we do fun things like visit SF MOMA. Or go out to restaurants. Or visit wineries. Or do karaoke. Or comedy clubs.

We’ll still love you if you use a ballpoint most of the time. Or a rollerball.

You don’t even have to be on Facebook, but it’s much easier if you are.

Oh, and if you don’t live in the bay area, but you’re coming to visit? We’d love to meet you. We even meet conveniently close to SFO most of the time. Heck, I’ve gotten off a plane only to drive straight to Pen Posse. More than once.

We’ve had visitors from: Philippines, Australia, Singapore — and other places, too.

You know where we are. Join us.

Note: there’s also a local group that meets quarterly, the Pan Pacific Pen Club. Pen Posse meets far more frequently (and far more irregularly).

Originally published at deirdre.net. You can comment here or there.

Just So You Think It’s Not All Glory

1. Rebooked airline reservations for different date.
2. Dug into why a cruise reservation was borked. Oops.
3. Refactored some jQuery stuff. Not yet done.
4. Used a bunch of graphics tools, finishing with Photoshop, for a site revamp I’m working on. Why is it I want to enhance detail on a photo I’m going to blur into oblivion? Contrary design goals.
5. Worked on logo design for same.
6. Wrote someone for graphics permissions.
7. Finally got the back-and-forth convo that needed to happen about some money stuff. Ugh.
8. Had a great idea for something I should have done at Thanksgiving. Anyone have a time machine handy?
9. Made a note about #8 for next Thanksgiving. Go, me. (I always feel extra virtuous scheduling things this far in advance.)
10. #1 made one item on my ToDo list moot, so I got to cross it off without spending the time to do it. Go, me!
11. Finished another half-dozen outstanding items on my ToDo list.
12. Wrote some Python code.
13. Wrote some Ruby code.
14. Wrote on three of my four active book projects. Before noon.
15. Looked at ISBN prices. Closed tab. Ugh. (Every indie publisher will understand this one.)
16. Made hotel reservations for Loncon3.
17. Made sure I had iMovie on my iPad for a workshop I’m going to next week.
18. Made appointment for portrait photography. Author photos, y’know.
19. Got my T-Mobile iPad account set up to have international data. I hope. FYI, they can convert the account if yours is set up wrong. It just requires someone with root privileges (practically).
20. Discovered that, by changing flight dates in #1, that my hotel’s no longer available. ::bangs head on desk::
21. Found a new hotel.. It has no stairs.
22. …and the reservation wouldn’t attach to my hotels.com account…
23. Banged on more Ruby code while on hold listening to the GoGos. Their choice, not mine.
24. Turns out the reservation did attach. Bueno.
25. Went to Draeger’s (aka “Two Whole Paychecks”) for some groceries. We bought some of their amazingly wonderful mashed potatoes, aka “crack.”
26. Dropped the mashed potatoes in the parking lot. Sigh. Yes, onto the asphalt.

Originally published at deirdre.net. You can comment here or there.