[Write the Story] Memory Editing Wreaks Havoc
Prompt: Memory Editing Wreaks Havoc
Words: Jupiter, chocolate, domestic, blossom, ladder, steam, extension, pine cone, sunrise, tide
Story
“Just relax. This will take about twenty minutes.â€
Deanna took a deep breath and tried to relax into the synthetic leather couch as the hood lowered over her head. Her scalp prickled as the electrodes took hold. She couldn’t stop the butterflies, but she’d come all the way to Jupiter for this procedure.
“If you’re ready. We’ll begin.â€
“Just tell me again…†Deanna began. “No. Don’t. Forget it. We’ve been through it a dozen times. I’m ready.â€
The next thing Deanna knew she was coming down the loft ladder of her cabin, sunrise casting delicate shadows on the domestic scene. A pine cone fell off the mantle as someone she should know collapsed on the floor.
The scene changed. Steam rose from the tide pools near the mountains. She reached for a single blossom that was no longer there. Then the flashes came faster. Sensory hallucinations like the smell and taste of chocolate. The feel of animal fur. Experiences. Feelings. Flashes. Extensions of her life flashed by and were gone.
Deanna came back to herself and recognized…nothing. A medical professional pressed her palm to a computer pad. She had no idea why.
“Ms. Masterson, how are you feeling.â€
Deanna realized the speaker was talking to her. “I’m sorry. What? Who are you…who am I?â€
“Not again.†The professional checked the pad. “Don’t let anyone know.â€
“Know What?â€
Word Count: 227
Written: 9/5/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Enabler Edition
So, this started out to be a normal “Hey, I got a bunch of new stuff†blog. But as I was saving the file because puppies needed attention, everything went black with a no boot device message. But hey, I can struggle through on the iPad until we can figure it out.
This is not a typical review, it’s the “Yes, there really is such a thing as a pen show†blog with a bonus of having non-biological family in from South Korea who apparently have Office Depots with acres (exaggeration) of pens from Korea and Japan. They know they can bring a random selection.
I have so much new stuff to play with. I’m hoping now I have pretty, pretty tools maybe I can get my concentration back to use them properly to hit some deadlines I have coming up.
The Dallas Pen Show was awesome, if overwhelming. They are outgoing their space. But it always nice to be in a room with the Visconti lines and the other lines like Ryan Krusac that are SO FAR out of my price range that I rarely breathe around the table. Though if you look to the edge of the picture, there’s a Wonder Woman pouch…it’s a pen case made by Ryan Krusac’s daughter. MUST encourage such awesome entrepreneurial spirit.
We also got to meet up with George Fox from My Supply Room So Jimmy could pass along some pencils he collects and they talk about stuff through their blogs. Then we found out Brad Dowdy was there as well. Brad Dowdy runs The Pen Addict blog and Podcast and is the guy behind Nock pen cases. He’s the guy who showed me it was okay to blog about pens. It was so awesome to meet him in person. I fangirled just a little.
But now it’s time to walk the dogs, get some stuff done and enjoy the pens.
[Write the Story] The Main Character Thwarts Traditional Gender Roles
Prompt: The Main Character Thwarts Traditional Gender Roles
Words: woman, bestseller, buttress, goldfish, barnyard, walkway, crop, winter, driveway, steer
Story
Lou crept along the buttress walkway shivering in the frigid winter night air. Somewhere below a steer bawled in a barnyard. No use getting caught now. Soon the crops would be in, and she would be sent away to marry someone twice her age. All for the sake of her family’s honor. She’d soon be no more than a decorative goldfish.
“Psst, Lou! Over here!”
Lou started at the sound but relaxed when she saw the shadow form into the solid bearing of Glenda, the woman who raised her on behalf of her parents. The nurse hunched over and cast furtive glances, afraid to be discovered.
“I brought food, clothes, and a small purse.”
Lou hugged Glenda tight. “Thank you! Only you have ever understood.” She quickly traded her shift and dress for trousers and sturdy boots. She would cut her hair when she had a chance, but for now it padded the wool cap. She hefted the pack and kissed Glenda’s cheek then went over the wall to see her fortune – wherever that led. It was her life now whether as Louise or Louis, it was her choice.
Benjamin hit save after the “the end”, sure this was going to be his bestseller. He had to get to the mailbox at the end of the driveway to meet the mailman. He had to get the contracts out. The next Benita Gamez book would be hitting the shelves soon.
Word Count: 239
Written: 9/4/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Blue Bell Creameries Luxe Rollerball
This week’s pen is one I picked up on our road trip earlier this month, and the closest one to hand following FenCon. It’s a nice rollerball I picked up from the Blue Bell Creameries. Because ice cream and pens. It was made for me.
This is a nicer souvenir pen. The brand on the cap rim says Luxe with the Blue Bell name and logo engraved in white on the cap. The cap and post are chrome with a royal blue lacquer body. The cap posts with some wobble. It’s not the most secure posting, but it does post. It does make the pen long though. The pen is 5.5″ long capped and just over 6.5″ with the cap posted, making it a bit top heavy.
The grip is black and chrome with almost no ergonomics and a serviceable ink refill. The ink is black in a 0.7mm point – probably…maybe a 0.5mm. It’s refillable, so it can last a pretty long time. The ink is serviceable is a little scratchy, but fine. It’s a good diameter and pretty to look at.
It wasn’t even all that expensive. It was $7.50 in the gift shop. The kicker is that you have to go to the Blue Bell Creamery gift shop – either in person or their online gift shop.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 0.5 – It’s fine. The refill isn’t the best in the world and the cap doesn’t post as securely as I would like.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a pretty souvenir pen with a typical and classic grip but without much in the ergonomics.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a good pen. Metal with lacquer accents.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s a good pen that will last a good long time with the ability to be refilled.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s a little on the expensive side at $7.50 and only available in the gift shop or through Blue Bell online. But it is refillable.
That’s 4.0 bronze pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] Adult Friends on Vacation in the Tropics
Prompt: Adult Friends on Vacation in the Tropics
Words: scuba diver, champagne, invasion, archway, hoard, strawberry, penguin, autumnal, cease, mist
Story
Philip stood under the archway to the veranda and inhaled deeply. The morning must would burn off quickly, leaving autumnal warmth behind.
“Are you coming, Phil? The scuba diver boat won’t wait forever.”
Philip took one last deep breath and joined his friends heading to the dock. It never ceased to amaze him how his pack of college buddies had not only come up with this idea to come to the equatorial islands at this particular day, and then followed through. He was more surprised that some of his buddies brought their wives and girlfriends. They treated this like some strawberry champagne vacation. When it was anything but.
Philip stared out across the water through industrial grade binoculars. At first he saw nothing but what he expected Waves. Sharks. Dolphins and whales. It was glorious but disappointing. Then a movement caught his attention. There it was. Black and white specks growing larger and larger.
A herd of penguins flowed in their direction on massive ice floes surprisingly not melting. The penguins were angry. Within minutes the sound of muttering and chattering grew louder and more angry. The party atmosphere on the boat died down as his friends stared at the impending confrontation.
The prophesies were real. The penguin invasion had begun.
Word Count: 211
Written: 9/3/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] ARGGGHHHH FenCon Week
It’s FenCon Week.
That should tell you EVERYTHING. And, alas nothing. I had grand plans to get a blog post done today. Day Job meeting got in the way — and threw everything off. Then the giant TO DO list reared up and some tech stuff is frustrating me… so RERUN week. Whoops.
This is the Pelikan Garnet Edelstein Ink from 2015
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my awesome Conklin Duragraph Fountain Pen from Pen Chalet – which is still awesome. However, what’s not as praiseworthy was the Pelikan Edelstein Ink Cartridges.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the Garnet color. It’s a super deep red – kind of like a blood red that works for a certain element. Since I write a “Death” character, I was enjoying the color – especially when I started critiquing some short stories/novel excerpts for a science fiction convention.
These are, theoretically, an international standard “long” cartridge. I have bought Pelikan long (or giant) cartridges before and love them because of the length of time to enjoy the ink. The first cartridge was fine, maybe a little tight in the Duragraph barrel, but fine… until it was close to time to change the ink. The next cartridge seemed to seat in the nib, but was tighter going in. When I tried to check it, the nib came free and the pierced cartridge stayed stuck in the barrel.
This is a problem. Because I tried to work with this, hoping with the nib back in place, everything would be fine. It was not. The cartridge would never reseat, stayed stuck in the barrel, then leaked around the nib – making it look like I cut the crap out of my finger (I did mention BLOOD RED, right?). I tried my best to seal the cartridge with wax and save it, these are not cheap.
I was away from home, so when I got back, I attempted another pen barrel with the half cartridge of ink that was left. This time I picked my Padrino demonstrator (so I could see the ink levels without removing the ink). The cartridge didn’t fit. There are stops near the bottom of both barrels, this cartridge was a few millimeters too long and a few millimeters to wide to fit comfortably in the barrel.
I looked online for another long/giant manufacturer. Colorado Pens makes a long refill that’s smaller than this one by a hair. A visual inspection (I know it’s not scientific) made the Edelstein look just a touch bigger than even the other Pelikan giant cartridges I have.
Fortunately, I do have a Pelikan barrel that I can use this gorgeous ink in, because I’m not risking it in another pen brand – even though Pelikan hasn’t said their ink is proprietary. This ink is too lovely and too expensive to waste, even if the barrel I have really isn’t worthy of it. It’s a “junior”/Beginner barrel, and this ink deserves the Duragraph, too bad it doesn’t work with the cartridges. Maybe I’ll break down and get a bottle and use the converter, but that’s expensive, too.
Grading:
1. How does it write? – 1 – This is a rich and amazing ink. It looks fantastic on the page and flowed really well through the nib.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – TECHNICALLY this should be “Not Applicable” but there is sometimes a feel to ink – if not a grip – This ink FEELS good you write with it. Even, rich, smooth.
3. Material – 0.5 – Yeah, bleck. The plastic cartridge is a shade too long and wide to fit in traditional barrels, even though it had a standard neck to meet the nib. It should be better.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – Yeah, bleck. The plastic cartridge is a shade too long and wide to fit in traditional barrels, even though it had a standard neck to meet the nib. It should be better.
5. Price Point – 0 – Pelikan is proud of Edelstein. In some ways, it’s worth it (gorgeous, but pricy). The cartridges are $7.95 on JetPens.com – for SIX cartridges. That’s what? $1.25 – $1.50 a cartridge. The bottles? $26.50. These are not for the faint of heart, no matter how gorgeous.
Overall – 3 Bronze Pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] The Early Days of the Zombie Apocalypse
Prompt: The Early Days of the Zombie Apocalypse
Words: motherboard, buffalo, Eiffel Tower, raven, motorcycle, envelope, tulip, moon, reflect, sycamore
Story
Kirk checked the address on the envelope before knocking the kickstand down and securing his motorcycle. He shook the sweat from raven hair as he tucked the helmet under his arm. He took off at a jog, moving from shadow to shadow, trying to remain, at best, unnoticed.
His destination lay across an open space. No cover. He’d be as noticeable as a buffalo at the Eiffel Tower if he weren’t careful. As it was, he risked notice just by being here…
“Oh…MOTHER…board!” Kirk caught himself from curing in the Samuel L. Jackson style. Someone…something moved in the shadows. He ducked behind a sycamore tree to wait. The shadow shambled into the square, dragging something with it.
The moon reflected off the glass building, illuminating the figure. The zombies made it all the way to the center of the city. Kirk had no way of knowing if his intel was still good, but he couldn’t turn back now.
Sickening slurps and crunches punctuated the night. The zombie dragged its dinner to darker shadows, perhaps not to share. Kirk used it to his advantage and dashed across the square. He ducked down the stairs and pounded on a door.
“Password?”
“Tulip.”
Hands dragged him inside and slammed the door.
“I bring medical supplies.”
But Kirk was too late.
Word Count: 217
Written: 8/21/18
Black Cat/White Cat 2 pack Rollerball Pens
This is another purchase from the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya and Daiso in Carrollton. I WANT to call them the “Good Idea/Bad Idea” Cat pens… but being that they’re pens with cats on the cap? There’s probably no “good” idea there. But they do remind me of the cartoon angel/devil on the shoulders. Super adorable.
These are long, stick pens in basic clear plastic with the ink sheathed in black and white plastic halfway down the barrel and plastic crystal beads in the lower half of the barrel. The white cat pen has clear crystal beads. The black cat actually has red crystal beads. These pens are 6.25″ long capped and 6.75″ long with cap posted. The cats are plastic and are draped across the cap. The barrel is slim in diameter and have no grips whatsoever. The tip of the pen is faceted in a cool and unusual star-like pattern to hold the needle point tip.
The inks are gel-based roller ball in 0.5 mm tips – needle tip – both in black ink. The needle points are smooth – and not scratchy – with a good line. The faceted tip can be a challenge and the cats pop off occasionally – as cats do – but for what it is… I find them wonderful.
These were super cheap – like maybe $2 for both – they come in a set. You can get them on the Daiso website in lots of 10 for $16.80. So even with some mark up, they’re super inexpensive. For the price? They’re super cute and highly functional.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works well for what it is. There are no ergonomics and the cats come off.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The only ding is that the barrel is kind of narrow for my comfort and there are no ergonomics. Technically it’s a bit on the long side, but doesn’t feel too ackward.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic stick pen. It’s all plastic. It’s good for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – This set is the both adorable and a bit weird, but in a good way. It’s also surprisingly functional and decent.
5. Price Point – 1 – These are adorable and super cheap. I want to say they’re about $2 for THE SET. A set of 10 2-packs of these lovely pens on Daiso are $16.70.
That’s 4.5 bronze pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] The Main Character has Amnesia
Prompt: The Main Character has Amnesia
Words: antiquarian, satellite, cinnamon, fortune, cookie, harbor, cedar, invitation, soccer, annual, speaker
Story
“Would you, please, stop orbiting me like a freaking satellite?” I demanded of the antiquarian doctor in a white coat. “There’s been no change in my condition.”
“Do you remember your condition?” the idiot asked.
“Only because people keep reminding me.”
“You understand we have to check. We can’t have another scandal…”
“You’re asking me to be a speaker at the annual Safe Harbor Conference. You have to make sure the invitation isn’t going to a fraud. Is that about it?”
The doctor hemmed and hawed but had the good sense to look embarrassed. I was right. “Okay. Look. Yes. All right? We were bamboozled once by a soccer player who theoretically survived multiple lightning strikes. Total horse hockey. Once bitten. Twice shy.”
“Then do your research on me and my case. Call,” I checked a note. “Cedar, my assistant, when you decide. We’ll go from there.”
The doctor poked, prodded, and asked annoying questions for a while longer until I couldn’t stand him, or his cinnamon breath mints another minute. Maybe I didn’t want to do this after all, but I’d already agreed.
Cedar came back with Chinese food for lunch, which I apparently loved. The fortune cookie read, Save your voice. Now is not a good time for speaking a lot.
Word Count:
Written: 8/16/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Hello Old Friends 3-Color Multi-Pen 2 pack
Several weeks ago, we had the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya and Daiso in Carrollton. One of the many purchases was this adorable 2 pack of 3-color ballpoint pens with bears on them waving and saying, “Hello” on one side and “Hello my old friends” on the back – and there is a front and back because the bear has a face on the “hello” side and the back of the bear on the other side. It’s a 2-pack set – black barrel and white barrel.
These are long, bullet-shaped pens in basic plastic with a rubberized grip just below the bears. These pens are 5.75″ long retracted and 6″ long with ink out. The clip is molded plastic to the top of the barrel with some detailing. It’s solid and will take some doing to break. It’s also a good diameter for comfort.
The inks are gel-based ballpoints in 0.7 mm tips – needle tip – in red, blue, and black. The inks have slider plungers and retract by clicking another color. Because the inks are gel-based, they’re dark and rich in color. The needle points are smooth – and not scratchy – with a good line.
These were super cheap – like maybe $3 for both. You can get them on the Daiso website in dozen lots for $20 and change. So even with some mark up, they’re super inexpensive. For the price? They’re super cute, highly functional, and work pretty well.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works well. It feels solid and has good ink in three colors.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – The pen is on the long side by a bit for a typical retractable, but it’s still well-balanced. It’s got a rubberized grip that is a nod to ergonomics – it’s pretty comfortable.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic retractable pen. It’s all plastic. It’s good for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – This set is the most adorable thing ever with the happy, friendly bears saying hi all over the place. It’s also surprisingly functional and decent.
5. Price Point – 1 – These are adorable and super cheap. I want to say they’re about $3 for THE SET. A dozen sets of these lovely pens on Daiso are $20.16.
That’s bronze pencils out of 5.
