Once again November is here, meaning the madness has begun once again.  Amidst all the exams and essays, I also have a 50k word novel to write for NaNoWriMo.  This year, I've decided to go with the (relatively) sane idea of writing the diary of a fountain pen.  Yes, that is somewhat out of whack but consider the entries from previous years.  2006 was a 50k word rant about everything under the sun loosely tacked onto a vague (and for the most part, non-existent) autobiography.  2007 was a 50k choose-your-own-adventure featuring a vampire slaying attorney which worked backwards through the storyline and ended/started with death no matter which adventure was chosen.  2008 was a warped interpretation of T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' into a 50k novel about a cross-dressing serial killer.  So comparatively, the diary of a fountain pen is an entirely sane idea.  Anyway, here's what I'm more or less using as the preface/author's note to the novel:

I am a pen.  And I don’t mean that in any metaphorical or spiritual sense.  I am literally a pen, a device whose intended purpose in life is to transcribe the ideas of humans, either in words or in pictures.  But I am not one of those lowly Bic pens that you can simply pick up from your local supermarket.  No.  I am far more refined an instrument than that.  I am a fountain pen, one who belongs to the renowned Waterman family of southern France.  What you are about to read, dear reader, are some thoughts and dreams from the year 2009.  Unfortunately, not all the thoughts are my own.  As a pen, when in the hand of a person, their thoughts and their words become my own.  So please excuse any random adolescent emo outbursts and philosophical rambling.  Consider yourself warned.

 

Kind regards,

 

M. Preface Waterman

In other news, I'm bored out of my skull right now and sick of dealing with car insurance people.  Oh, and here's a meme:

01. Who was your last text from?
winea replying to a 'happy birthday' text

02. Where was your default picture taken?
Nowhere.  But since this is stolen from FB, my FB profile pic was taken at Nan Tien temple.

03. Your relationship status?
Single.

04. Have you ever lost a close friend?
If I've lost them, they can't have been that close.  Barring death, of course.

05. What is your current mood?
Bored shitless.  Hence the meme.

06. How many siblings do you have?
Just one.

07. Whats your brother(s)/sister(s) names?
Tony a.k.a. the smelly one

08. Where do you wish you were right now?
Back in bed or somewhere sunny.

09. Have a crazy side?
I dance (very poorly) to ABBA while I mop and vacuum.  Crazy enough?

10. Ever had a near death experience?
How near does it have to be to count?  I've almost been run over by cars plenty of times.

11. Something you do a lot?
Procrastinate, get distracted, make sarcastic/cynical remarks.

12. Angry at anyone?
Insurance people are presently on top of my 'to kill' list.

13. What's stopping you from going for the person you like?
I suppose non-existence would be a good reason.

14. When was the last time you cried?
When I plucked out a nose hair.  That shit stings.

15. Is there anyone you would do anything for?
I'm not dying for anyone.

16. What you think about when you are falling asleep?
"I get the feeling i forgot something import... zzzzzzz"

17. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Some incompetent insurance lady.

18. What is your favorite song?
Songs fall in and out of favour all the time but 'First Love' by Utada Hikaru is something I never get sick of.

19. What are you doing right now?
Browsing FPN, cyberstalking on FB and Twitter, watching Castle, wondering why I went for instant coffee instead of espresso

20. Who do you trust right now?
Nobody.  They're out to get me.

21. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?
Sefton High School.  Currently wearing my P.E. polo =)

23. Who is your friend that lives closest to you?
Kirsten.

24. Describe your life in one word?
Chaotic.

25. Who are you thinking of right now?
Det. Kate Beckett.

26. What should you be doing right now?
Working on that philosophy essay due tomorrow.

27. What are you listening to?
Some wisecrack from Richard Castle.

28. Who was the last person who gave you a hug?
Jasmine (I think).

29. Who was the last person who yelled at you?
Dad.

30. Do you act differently around the person you like?
I act differently around everyone.  I'm only 'me' when I'm by myself.

31. What is your natural hair color?
Black.

32. Who was the last person to make you laugh?
mesmerising with a SG fanfic featuring a gate made of donuts.

33. Who was the last person to make you sad?
Hard to pin down.  The world is a depressing place.

34. What do you hear?
Some idiot drag racing down the street.

35. Is your hair curly or straight?
Not really curly but not really straight either.  My hair usually makes me look totally frazzled.

36. Has anyone ever called you "scrumptious" before?
XD. No.

Going about day to day life, I've come to the realisation that the majority of people in this world are immensely self-centred and give me the shits.  But every now and again, someone comes along and restores my faith in human kind, reminding me that there is some goodness left in the world.

Every year in October, there is a Pen Show held in Melbourne.  I had been planning to go this year and meet up with some fellow FPNers but unfortunately there's a tragically inconvenient assessment schedule and I'm a bit tight on cash at the moment (ironically, because of some rather pricey pen purchases) and so had to put off the trip until (hopefully) next year.  I posted a notice in one of the threads relaying my absence from the Pen Show and a few hours later received a personal message from an FPN member (whom I've never met in person and shall remain unnamed) offering to transfer $250 into my account to sponsor my trip because I "give a lot to the FPN, so [I] deserve for something to be given to [me]".  I was touched by her generousity but simply could not, in good conscience, accept her offer.

Knowing that I will be missing the company of such wonderful people makes missing the Pen Show all the more painful, but at least I can be happy with the pleasant reminder that such people exist =).

I was in need of a pen wrap but didn't want to spend too much on one nor wait for delivery so I decided to try to make one myself. I do, after all, have far too much spare time on my hands so I may as well put it to good use. I popped into Lincraft and after spending almost an hour umm-ing and uhhh-ing over which material to use, I finally opted for some lime green corduroy. I also though it'd be a good idea to have some padding so I bought a piece of felt for that purpose. It took me about half an hour to mark out the material and about another hour and a half to sew it all up. I hadn't touched a sewing machine in nigh on 8 years so some of the stitching is a bit wonky (as seen in the following photos) but for the most part, it turned out better than expected.

Some things I need to remember next time are to make the flap a bit longer so it stays in place when the wrap is tied up, make the pockets a tiny bit wider (to accomodate for fatter pens) and a tiny bit shorter (so my smaller pens don't disappear into the void), and to make the wrap around cord a bit longer. I've also yet to find an ornament I like to put on the end of the cord, so for the time being, it's just a series of knots.

Conclusion: $6 AUD of materials + 2 hours of work = pen wrap! =D

Found this video via a thread on FPN.  It's footage from the television show 'Ukraine's Got Talent' and shows Kseniya Simonova doing some amazing things with sand.  It's hard to put into words, so you'll just have to watch it for yourself.