The end of last month was hectic, and March looks to be as well. This month I gave myself extra permission to rest when given the chance.
I’ve been inspired by others in the stationery community to just doodle. Put pen to paper and make whatever lines I feel like. I get to relax for a bit, and use up more of my ink samples.
Ink
Pens
Last month’s order from Galen Leather has been put to use. The six slot Magnum Opus has housed my main inked pens.
Platinum #3776 Century Black Diamond (F). Diamine Honey Burst. Nearly full. Refilled this month to use up the sample. Used to make the doodle up top, along with an ink syringe for some splatter. Also used for notes in the planner.
Pilot Custom 823 Amber (M). Pilot Blue. Feed. Still enamored with this pen. The size and weight is excellent. The nib smooth and ever so slightly cushioned. Still gives me joy just to pick it up and journal with.
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Mini Puf Brown (MF). Sailor Ink Studio 673. Nearly full mini-converter. Ink Studio 673 is a nice brown that goes well with the pen. It was mostly left in the Galen Leather case this month, instead of in my work carry. I need to fix that next month. Used for weekly review in my planner.
Sailor Profit Casual Red (Zoom). Sailor Shikiori Yozakura. Nearly full. Refilled at the beginning of the month, again with Yozakura. Next refill should see the sample vial empty. Used for headings in my journal, planner and work bujo.
Sailor Pro Gear Black (M). Sailor Black. Half full. Still the original first cartridge. Used for journaling, but faces strong competition from the 823. The Sailor is slightly smaller and lighter, and with a very different feedback from the nib. Brings variety to the writing experience.
Pilot Custom 74 Black (FM). Sailor Manyo Fuji. Nearly full. Inked up for the first time in a good while. The FM nib size is terrific. The #5 Pilot nib is smooth and comfortable. I think I’ve become used to its larger siblings – the grip feels a bit too narrow for longer writing sessions. Mostly used for quick notes.
Notebooks
Work bujo. The first week of the month was a blur. Pen did not meet paper until Thursday afternoon. After that I was mostly back to the regular routine. Daily rapid logs and a weekly retrospective.
Journal. I kept up with my 5-year techo, but skipped a few days in the undated A5 journal. Mostly because of a few late nights. I didn’t feel like “catching up”, other than a sentence or two in the 5-year. Again, giving myself a break.
Collection
Arrived or incoming. I had the best intentions this month, and then the Saffron TWSBI ECO-T was announced 🙈 It’s on the way from Stilo & Stile.
In the same order I added a Sailor Hocoro with a Fude nib, and a Kaweco Sport Fox with a Fine nib.
I’m excited to add both a 1.1 Stub and a Fude nib to my collection.
Before the ECO-T incident, I paid a visit to a local stationery store. I was there to pick up a Midori MD paper notebook cover, but right next to it was a display of Pilot Parallels…
The Parallell is a lot of fun! Flip the nib on its side and it’s a passable experience for quick notes or narrow lines.
Emptied. The quest to use up ink samples continues. Two empty vials this month:
- Sailor Manyo Fuji.
- Diamine Honey Burst.
Code
I released some of the work done in January on my VS Code extension. Some slight improvements to previews in code completions and hover info.
I also ended up doing some bugfixes for features I introduced to Fountain Pen Companion last moth, mostly related to dark mode. The devil’s in the details. As a new feature, I implemented a settings dropdown so you can configure what columns to show in the inks table.
Currently reading and listening
Reading. Finished Odin’s Child, a norse-inspired fantasy. It’s listed as young adult, but I’m still a fan!
The protagonist is an outsider who sets in motion big changes in this world, often against her will, just by nature of who she is. There’s «magic» (for lack of a better word – not the wizardy kind), religion, politics, war, love, and loss.
After a bit of world-building, the chapters flew by, and I had trouble putting the book away at night. It’s part one of three, so the rest of the series is up next.
For non-fiction, I’ve read Kissa by kissa, by Craig Mod. It’s part love-letter to kissaten, Japanese coffee houses from around the 1960-80s, and their pizza toast; part travel book about walking a historic route from Tokyo to Kyoto, and the people met along the way. It’s a lovely book, both in the physical sense and otherwise.
Listening. A lot of lofi and ambient this month. Chillhop Radio and Devin Townsend’s different Guitar Improvisations were played the most. Excellent background music for when you just want to zone out.