LET'S CARRY PENS AGAIN

I remember when I was in the customs queue in France, a pen was needed to sign a few things. Given that it was COVID times, I brought my Bullet Fisher Space pen with me since I figured there wouldn't be a pen available for germ-spreading reasons. It did end up coming in handy, and it came in handy for a lot of other situations throughout my Paris trip. That got me thinking: what would my trip been like had I not been carrying a pen? Do people carry pens anymore?!

As our digital age makes physical writing utensils close to obsolete, rarely anyone carries a pen nowadays. However, there are such random situations that we still come across where a pen is actually useful to have on hand. As such, I think we should carry pens, especially metal pens, again! We should gift them to each other again, admire them again, make use of them more!

I was watching West Side Story (1961) last night and could not get over how beautiful the pens looked inside Glad Hand's chest pocket. Pens, like a lot stationary, are works of art! In fact, the Fisher Space Pen I mention is part of the permanent collection of the New York Modern Museum of Modern Art.

As demonstrated by Glad Hand above during the gym dance-off scene, metal pens are also very chic. There's something so opulent about clipping it on your pocket, and even better, writing with it, especially among the sea of today's plastic pens. As of late, my small collection consists of a Cross Edge Titanium Gell Rollerball Pen I stole from my dad, a Stainless Steel GT Parker Jotter Gel Pen (gifted), and my aforementioned Bullet Fisher Space Pen. 

However, I must be honest and mention that pen cartridges are no joke-- they cost approximately the same amount as a 12-pack of plastic Bic pens. However, did you know their aluminum bodies make them more environmentally friendly than a plastic pen? If you're going to start carrying a pen, please make it a metal cartridge pen.