[Pen/Pencil Review] The Carpe Diem Comics Promotional Stylus Pen
This past weekend my friends, Lys and Shado Wiley, realized a dream. They opened a comic book shop in McKinney, Texas – Carpe Diem Comics*. While they were building, and now that the shop is open, they did an inexpensive gimme pen for promotional purposes. They are smart people who take note of what others have done before them and picked a promotional pen with a stylus for people to use on their (and other) screens. It’s a smart move.
This is a typical promotional pen. Inexpensive, plastic, retractable. They picked an orange and white theme with a black stylus and black rubber insets on the orange grip. There’s a wave pattern to the pen to give a bit of ergonomics. It’s a typical 5.5″ length.
The pen has a clicking retractable mechanism. The pen is a ballpoint that’s probably a 1.0mm – the default any more. The ink is black and dark with limited glopping or smearing. On shiny paper there will be some smearing until it dries. But it is perfectly serviceable as a pen in any kind of situation.
The stylus actually does work with an iPhone and iPad. It does require pushing and smushing the stylus tip, but it does work. Which is rather surprising for the price of the pen which was free for me (but not expensive for them – probably one of the lower end because investments in the early stage of building a business). I still don’t use styluses on a regular basis, but there is something to have one or two in the bag in case of germy screens everywhere.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? – 1 – It’s better than I expected for a ballpoint. It’s decent ink and flow. It’s a decent promotional pen.
2. Look and feel – 0.5 – It’s a typical length with a nod to ergonomics with a grip that has some comfort to it..
3. Material – 0.5 It’s plastic. It’s got a soft rubber stylus. I’m not sure what the life span is on this one. For the price, the materials aren’t stellar.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It’s a good pen. The stylus could be more responsive. I have two of these and one works better than the other. So it’s a hit/miss on the stylus.
5. Price Point – 1 – It was a free (for me) promotional thing. You can check out the Carpe Diem store or find them at a show, they might have some left. Tell them you saw it here and check out the books.
4 out of 5 bronze pencils.
[Write the Story] Picking Up a Hitchhiker
Prompt: Picking up a Hitchhiker
Words: hospital, defer, interface, experiment, beaker, visualize, mattress, skyline, interpret, zap
Story
All I wanted to do was drop onto my mattress and sleep. I’d had the day from the pits at the hospital and just needed peace and quiet. But no, I had to be the idiot who ruined an experiment by dropping a beaker. And now…here I am, staring at the skyline.
The interface.
I tried to resist, but the longer I hesitated the stronger the zap to my nervous system. It felt weird – not really pain but definitely not fun. I didn’t have anyway to interpret the feeling.
Visualize the interface and it will stop.
“Can’t I sleep first? I’ll be much more accurate in the morning. Don’t you sleep?”
I defer to your judgement. You are the host.
Great, first I get an uninvited hitchhiker of unknown origin. But it turns out to be a wildly unpredictable one. That was my last thought before losing consciousness. I came to on the floor eight hours later.
“Okay, not cool whatever you are. Don’t do that again.”
You have slept. Now the interface.
“I am your interface, right?” Understanding dawning bright. “Then we need to come to an agreement about some boundaries or this interface business could get really unpleasant.”
What is unpleasant?
Things were about to get…educational.
Word Count: 208
Written: 3/27/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Pop! Bombshell Wonder Woman Novelty Ballpoint Pen
I don’t always go for the useful pens. Sometimes (when I’m wandering a comic book store) I go for pens that are just fun/silly/etc. Let’s face it, that’s most of the time. This one was an impulse buy at Ground Zero Comics in Tyler. It’s a pen from Pop! And it’s a tiny Bombshell Wonder Woman on a pen. Now I don’t go for the Bombshell series… but tiny Wonder Woman on pen.
This is a novelty pen, so the expectations are not high with pens like this. This one is a bit top heavy, obviously, because The adorable, 1940s style Wonder Woman stands on top. It’s just over 6.5†long. The cap can’t post, and it’s a regular plastic barrel – blue with the red and yellow Wonder Woman logo. It’s not a pen for long-term writing unless you have a small hand or just need the extra inspiration.
The surprising part is the smoothness of the black ballpoint ink. The conical tip is smooth. There’s some ink glopping but not bad. It’s probably close to a 1.0mm, but it’s hard to tell. The barrel tapers well down onto the point – there’s no getting the ink out and trying to refill it from another ballpoint pen.
The selling point is the Wonder Woman figure. Because, come on. Wonder Woman. I will always remember turning my Barbies into Diana Prince – when my Diana Prince was Linda Carter. I have the Gal Gadot Wonder Woman 11.5†“Action Figure†that is in its box next to the Uhura Barbie. She was the first and – to my non-comic book mind (I wasn’t that person, deal) – ONLY female superhero.
So I HAD to have this pen. I love this pen. It’s adorable. It was, I believe maybe $3.99 which isn’t bad for something enjoyable. I just have to remember to keep track of the cap…which I may have already lost…oh, wait, there it is on the floor under my desk..
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s works fine, solid ink flow and a decent tip. The cute/identifying aspects are just a bonus.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – There’s not even a nod to ergonomics, but it’s long and tried to be somewhat balanced.
3. Material – 1 It’s a cheesy plastic novelty pen. You get what you pay for.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – The cap doesn’t post – in fact the cap is probably superfluous. It’s long, oddly balanced, but so much fun you can’t quite NOT use it.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s not outrageous. It’s $4 ish at Ground Zero Comics. Not bad for a fun little novelty that brings joy.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A Shooting in a Public Place
Prompt: A Shooting in a Public Place
Words: shipwreck, pummel, nurse, structure, home, offset, cabin, puppy, knot, tide
Story
“Do you think this is safe? I’m not sure…â€
“It’s a public place, Ruth, if anything goes wrong there’s bound to be a nurse around.â€
Ruth curled her lip. “Keep that up, and I will pummel you. I can’t believe…â€
“I’m heading to the shipwreck now. You can stay home if you want.â€
“You are not leaving me alone in that…structure you call a cabin, Corey. Someone has to be the tide of reason.â€
Corey and Ruth shouldered nylon bags and slipped through the knots of people in the courtyard around the ship on display. They tried to give off the air of puppy-like innocence as they meandered their way closer to the ropes and guards. Their demeanor slipped into the suspicious category.
“If we separate we can maybe offset…â€
Suddenly they were swarmed by uniformed officers holding weapons. “Put down the bags and raise your hands slowly.â€
Corey and Ruth did as instructed. Ruth nearly vomited from fear. “What’s this all about?â€
“We’ll ask the questions. On your knees. Why are you here?â€
“To shoot the ship…†Corey began but his words were drowned out by officers raising weapons and crying orders.
“Photographs!†Ruth shouted desperately. “Cameras! We’re photographers!â€
“Did you see the ‘no photography’ sign?â€
Word Count: 207
Written: 3/21/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Ancient Bog Oak Wood Skull Pen
So, let’s make a hard turn on pens. The last couple of weeks, I’ve done inexpensive novelty stuff. This is the other end (not as far as I COULD go, but still)… This past Saturday, Jimmy and I attended Art on the Greene by the Ballpark in Arlington (Globe Life Park – whatever) to visit with Gary Williamson and Brad Foster. We strolled about, met people – including Joel Lockridge from BurbonPens.com and BogOakPens.com.
Lockridge hand turns pens from bourbon barrel wood, ancient bog wood, and a variety of other woods and materials. And though I didn’t NEED another hand-turned pen, I got one anyway out of my quest for the perfect leather purse fund. This one is dark, 5,000 year-old bog oak with skeleton hardware with red crystal accents and a Parker-style refill in a medium point.
The skeleton hardware is carved nickel with amazing detail. The “grip†narrows more than I expected and if you grip way down toward the point, it’s got an interesting feel to the bone carvings. The wood barrel is an “espresso†color – black with brownish tones and imperfections. But the wood has character and is warm where the metal is cool (yay for being obvious). The barrel width is slightly wide but not uncomfortable. The clip feels solid. The metal skull head doesn’t over-balance the pen – which has a pretty decent heft.
I’m not sure what basic, Parker-style refills come with the pen, but it writes smoothly and well. Joel and I spoke some about those – and for a change of ink, he suggests Schmidt Easy Flow. I will change this out to a rollerball very soon. This and my skull Sherpa will likely be my signing pens from now on. It’s also heavy enough that if needed (which please, God, never), it also makes a good blunt-force weapon.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It works wonderfully. It strikes a great balance between slim and wide with a good hand feel and decent ink.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s well-balanced for the hardware and wood. If you choke up, the wood grip is warm but wide. If you choke down, it’s slimmer but has carvings that might tire your hand. They’re good dimensions for me for whatever I want to do.
3. Material – 1 It’s 5,000 year old, hand-turned bog oak and brushed nickle. Its’ AMAZING.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s an amazing one-of-a-kind piece of usable art. Even though the hardware is part of kits and such, the wood elements are what make these beautifully unique. Just amazing and stunning and well-crafted.
5. Price Point – 0.4 – Hand-crafted. One-of-a-Kind. Ancient wood with a certificate of authenticity. All these things add up to NOT CHEAP, but also not super expensive. He charged $85, which is COMPLETELY reasonable for this pen. However, that’s still quite a bit of money to the average person. He has more affordable styles, but this is the one that spoke to me. And I would do it again.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A Teenager Whose Parents Have Unwelcome News
Prompt: A Teenager Whose Parents Have Unwelcome News
Words: comic book, battery, crumbly, apartment, angelic, breach, shooter, soda, engineer, substantiate
Story
“Honey, we need to talk.” The words buzzed but didn’t register in Mallory’s ears. She was in her happy place until one of her parents plucked the comic book from her hands. Suddenly she was wrenched from her angelic comic world back to grim reality.
“To what do I owe this breach of reading etiquette?”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Oh, are you trying to substantiate the theory you’ve actually been studying for your SATs or just being pompous?”
Mallory snorted, soda nearly shooting out her nose. “You should’ve been a lawyer instead of an engineer. What’s going on, Mom?”
“We’re moving.”
Mallory bolted upright, teenage indolence forgotten in a flash. “What? Where? How? Why? When?”
“Good to know your journalism class taught you the five basic questions.” Mallory’s mom glanced around the crumbly apartment. “But…one, it’s time we’re of this old battery factory building. Two, new opportunity.”
“I like this building. It has character.”
“But there was always the threat of toxic chemicals doing something to us. Which leads to the opportunity.”
“We’re not sick or something are we?” Worry crept into Mallory’s voice, hovering just off the surface.
“Not sick. Superpowered.” Mom focused a fire ball on her palm.
That’s when Mallory realized the weightless, hovering feeling was more than worry. She was floating off the ground. “Great. Now I have to be responsible.”
Word Count: 226
Written: 3/12 and 3/14/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Minion Multipoint Mechanical Pencil
This is another Dollar Tree find that makes me happier than it should – and something I haven’t used since I was kid. The other attractive quality (besides price – $1) is the fact this is a four-pack of multi-point Minion pencils. The package came with four pencils with different Minon themes and colors.
These pencils are about 5.75†long capped and 5.5″ with a new point. The cap does NOT post. The erasers are part of the cap with a fairly solid transparent cap of their own. The points are 0.75″ long when new and are changed by inserting them into the rear of the barrel to push a new point forward. They can be tricky to get a good grip on to pull out of the barrel. There are about 7 points per pencil in a #2 graphite.
These are not my favorite style of pencils just because I prefer to either sharpen or replace lead. These are limited to the lead you get. When they’re broken or worn down, that’s it. With the inability to post the cap, and the secondary cap on the eraser, that just makes for more parts that can get lost. The erasers do work well. The upside? It was $1 at and there were 4 in the package at Dollar Tree. But you don’t buy this for practical. You buy them for the fun. It’s a small investment for the entertainment value.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 Considering it’s a dollar store novelty and a pencil, it works pretty well.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s light and plastic. The points are sometimes to get out of the barrel to change out for the next one. Feels a bit short.
3. Material – 1 It’s cheap plastic. It’s fun but cheap.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It is what it is. Inexpensive and plastic. The cap pieces can be easily lost.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s a DOLLAR ($1) at DOLLAR Tree. For the sheer joy it gives in the Minon stuff and some practicality– it’s worth the dollar. The fact that it works at all? Bonus points.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A Missionary in a Remote Village
Prompt: A Missionary in a Remote Village
Words: orchestra, finch, aim, development, ex, bold, old-fashioned, gut, brassy, sharp
Story
All Nora wanted to do was see a koala, but she wouldn’t be getting to Australia for the missionary conference this year. Her organization was sending a short-term work team to her village on the finch-infested island nation. She loved the work of bringing Christ to groups through heart language stories and music, but something in her gut felt off about this group.
Her fears were realized when her ex stepped out of a ragged van with a half-dozen college-aged young people with “Orchestras Do It With Brass” shirts. Yeah, this was going to go well. She took a sharp, deep breath and plastered a smile on her face as she welcomed the group and sent them to their homes for the next two weeks, praying their bold First World ways wouldn’t drive away any of the development she’d made.
“What the aim here, Nora?”
Nora blinked at her ex. She couldn’t fathom the question. “Excuse me?”
“Did you plan this?”
“Wow. We haven’t seen each other in years – or talked or anything…ever and you ask that before anything else? Wow.”
“Seriously? Of all the places we could’ve been sent?”
“Of all the islands or countries in the world, yes, I found out you were putting together a mission trip and arranged to have you sent here. Right. Because I’m old-fashioned and can only exist with a man, and you’re the only one ever. Do you hear the sarcasm?” Nora headed off. “This is my workplace and my people now. Don’t screw it up. Now are you here to work or be a jerk – because I only have room for one of those things.”
Word Count: 274
Written: 2/21/18
Rainbow Pom Pom Novelty Ballpoint Pen
Last week I put a photo on Facebook that got a lot of hits, but I haven’t done a review on it. It’s a Dollar Tree find that makes me happier than it should – it’s a furry, rainbow pom pom ballpoint pen. It’s totally ridiculous – which is what makes it wonderful.
This pen is about 7.5†long with the pom pom. The pom pom is kinda solid (like a ping pong ball is solid) but not just fluff. I think the fluffy is actually a ribbon wrapped around a basic Bic style stick pen – at least that’s what the ink insert looks like. The fluff adds to the diameter but comfortably so because it’s soft. The fluff doesn’t add much to the weight – so it’s relatively well-balanced for having a ball stuck to the end of it.
The ink is basic stick ballpoint pen black ink – 1.0mm but you can pull it out and put in a fine point if you have one – which I do somewhere, so I need to find one. Maybe in a color other than black or blue for the NONE PRIMARY colors all over the pen.
The drawback? The pom ball at the top. Makes it difficult to get into a pen case. That thing takes up space. There is a cap, but it’s sitting on my desk and no where near the pen, since it would be impossible to post it anywhere. The upside? It was $1 near the cash register at Dollar Tree.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 Considering it’s a dollar store novelty based on a cheap pen, it works pretty well.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s light and fluffy, better balanced than it should be – but there’s some quibbles. The pom pom makes it a teensy bit top heavy and the fluff is a ribbon, so there are some lumpies.
3. Material – 1 It’s cheap plastic and art ribbon. It’s fun but cheap.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – The pom pom makes it a difficult transport to a degree. The cap is easily lost.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s a DOLLAR ($1) at DOLLAR Tree. For the sheer joy it gives in petting and pretty – it’s worth the dollar. The fact that it works at all? Bonus points.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] Mash Up Two Classic Fairy Tales into One Story
Prompt: Mash Up Two Classic Fairy Tales into One Story
Words: fireplace, sword, grove, stoke, underbrush, mourn, seven, friendship, cardboard, giver
Story
“Who thought living with seven dwarves was a great idea?†Snow grumbled as she swept the fireplace free of ash. “Would three have been enough?â€
“Now, sweetie, that wouldn’t put you where need to be, now would it?â€
Snow jumped at the unexpected voice at the window. She held out the hearth brush like a sword as she whirled around. Her breath whooshed out as she recognized the man at the window. “Phillip! I almost didn’t recognize you with that underbrush on your face. Won’t Aurora wonder where you are?â€
“Briar Rose is helping Flora and Fauna clear winter leaves from the sacred grove.â€
Snow White nodded. “She’s a giver that one.â€
“You ready? There’s a lot at stake today.â€
Snow dropped the brush and gathered her cloak from a cardboard form. “The things I do for friendship. Let’s go.â€
Phillip and Snow White stalked through the woods and across the river. A wolf spooked, but they had a job to do. Before long they made their way into a castle enchanted to open for them. They were led into the trial chamber where Malificient stood in the defendant’s stand, glaring daggers at the room. Snow stiffened, but Phillip steadied her. “No one will mourn her. Justice will prevail. She poisoned your mother, warped your stepmother, and cursed Aurora. All we have to do is tell the truth.â€
Snow squared her shoulders, squeezed his hand. “Thank you. You’re the best brother ever.â€
Word Count: 242
Written: 2/20/18
Note: One of my favorites so far – because I’ve done this sort of thing before with my Reality Ending Fairy Tale chapbook. There is a plan to do more of these – and maybe expand this one out.