Observing... Pens

Observing...
Pens

Today we will be looking into the world of pens. Pens are, along with pencils, one of the two chiefly used writing implements in our modern society. Unlike pencils, pens use ink, which is a thick, dark coloured liquid which stains paper and skin very well. This ink is often contained in a thin plastic tube in the center of the pen. Sometimes, however, it is contained separately, and a special type of pen, called a fountain pen, is dipped into the ink before it can be used to write with.
A pen with an exposed tip is not something you want to carry around in your pocket with you, as it will stain the inside of the pocket. Luckily, pen manufacturers have thought of this, and devised two ways to prevent such unfortunate things from happening. The first way is by placing a cap on top of the pen. This cap is, if you will imagine the pen personified for a moment, like a long hat which fits snugly over the pen's head and across its face. The second method is to design the tip to be retractable. What this means is that by pressing a button on the bottom of the pen, the tip can be pulled inside the main body of the pen out of harm's way, much like a turtle pulls its head into its shell to avoid the wrathful talons of a voracious desert hawk. One has just to press the button once more and the turtle's head pops right back out. A third method was conceived by other office supply manufacturers which was astoundingly successful. It was called the pocket protector, a leather insert for your pocket which would then protect the fabric from becoming stained. It was a resounding success. Simple, portable, and fashionable.
Pens come in all shapes, sizes and colors. In this article I will analyze one particular type of pen. If you are well versed in the subject you may know of the pen which I am about to describe. It is a pen produced by the office supply company called Paper Mate, in their Write Bros. line of pens. By appearance it is a rather plain blue cap pen. As much as I prefer to remain unbiased in my views of writing tools, I must say that I appreciate this particular variety very much. I will now proceed to detail the reasons for my appreciation.
The name of this pen is absolutely delightful. Write Bros. The name is filled with such whimsy and charm that it makes me want to jump out of a window and tell someone all about it. It is, of course, a pun, and a good one at that. The word "Write" suggests the activity of using the pen to scratch words onto a page, but it, along with the word "Bros." also suggests the early experiments of the technology of flight by the famous brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Some might tell you that puns are the lowest form of humor, but quite the contrary is true. The human mind relishes the sound of a pun. It is exciting and stimulating for the brain to hear phrases with multiple meanings and try to sort them out. Recent studies conducted at the Ohio Institute of Jokes and Wisecracks have produced results showing that mice, when exposed to puns for a long period of time, are able to find their way through a maze much more quickly than those who were exposed to other kinds of jokes, namely knock knock jokes.
Secondly I would like to write about my observations of the consistency and color of the pen's ink. It is a most intriguing fact that this type of pen shows signs of age. When you first buy the pen and begin to write with it, you will notice that the lines it produces are relatively faint, but quite legible. You may not realize it at first, but over the period of time that you use the pen, the ink gradually becomes darker. After a few months of use, the ink may start coming out faster than it had before, often forming globs on the tip of the pen and making large smears on your paper. If one of these globs is left on the pen when the pen is set aside for later use, the pen may not write at first when you pick it up again. Do not be discouraged! Your pen has not run out of ink! The glob of ink has simply dried on the tip, preventing the ball point from rolling, which is, of course, the mechanism by which the ink travels from the center of the pen to your paper. There is a simple fix: Furiously scribble in one spot on your paper with the pen, while simultaneously twisting the pen around so that each side of the tip gets rubbed against the paper. Eventually the dried ink will all come off and the fresh ink will flow anew. When the pen does run out of ink you must buy a new one. This type of pen has a remarkable longevity. One has lasted me for at least an entire 6 months of use.
Finally, I would like to address the structure of the pen. That is, the shape, size, and weight of the pen as a whole. The pen is light, easy to hold, and the cap stays in place very well. It is an absolute delight to flip it into the air and catch it on its way down. With a little practice, one can flip it nearly two feet into the air and still be able to catch it! Something quite relaxing to do with the pen is to twirl it between the index finger and thumb. The more slender bottom end of the pen feels natural and pleasant when handled in this way. The integrity of the thin plastic clip protruding from the bottom of the cap, which is used to attach the pen to a piece of paper, is a bit questionable, but it will be perfectly fine as long as one doesn't step on it or try to twist it with a pair of scissors.
You have now peered into a tiny portion of the wide world of pens. Have your opinions on pens changed? What preconceptions did you have about pens that you now know are wrong? Do you regret not having delved into the minutia of pens until now? What do you still want to know? Go learn! Join me next time as we take a look into the world of cups and glasses.