Writing Utensils...A Grayapedia Take

Call me crazy, but I am extremely particular about what kind of writing utensil I use. I prefer for it to be a click pen that has extra fine ink. Usually a gel writer. Write now I am sporting this sexy new pen that is as sharp as a needle. It is called the PILOT EXPLORER. And boy have I enjoyed the exploration of this pen. It clicks (with me), is extra Fine (both in hotness and sharpness), and has these nice curves at the grip point.

History

I think the obsession with writing utensils started in elementary school. Kind of around that point that kids in class started changing from the pencils you have to sharpen to mechanical pencils. It's amazing how you could obtain overnight celebrity status in the classroom at the click of a pencil. Kids flocked to you to borrow a pencil when they heard the clicks of the utensil. The first ones I encountered were the Bic pencils with the colored clip. There were two drawbacks to this model. The lead (commonly mistaken with graphite in elementary school) inside squeaked all the time. It had a higher pitch that nails on the chalkboard. The second drawback with this model was the lead size. This was a one size fits all lead that was of the .07 family. The advantages of this model were the durability and the affordability of these pencils. They also have good erasers. The next model to hit the market was the "twist" mechanical pencils. These were introduced to the market around 5th grade or 1993ish. These pencils had the color of regular pencils, but needed no sharpener. Almost a faux blind type effect. The advantages to this pencil was that it looked like a real pencil so if the teacher said no mechanical pencils, you could still break it out. Also, these created a quick ability to twist and get on with your work. It didn't make any sound when you wanted to lengthen the lead, therefore no distraction to the classroom. Drawbacks of the twist model included only one size lead (.07), and the erasers were not high quality like the smooth white ones. The final model that came out was the pencils that clicked by the grip. These were the rolls royce of mechancial pencils. I imagine that someone from the Ford family created this one (maybe Henry). It was the first mechanical pencil that you could change out the eraser when it was worn. Another great thing about this model was the ability to buy it in many different lead sizes (.05, .07 even .09). This helped make most everyone happy. Some of the drawbacks of this item were affordability, and the pencils durability near the lead extraction sight. If this was bent...you were doomed b/c you were never able to bend it back straight to get the lead to come out.

Pen history...that is another day's post

Famous People's Utensils

Bob Dole was all about the old wood pencils. Glad to know that his old school values trickled down to his writing utensils as well.

John McCain holding a Sharpie. Many people feel that he writes with these due to his ageing eyesight, but a top advisor for the McCain campaign says that McCain uses them b/c they are "Mavericky"

Steele

As many of you know, this Sunday would have been Mark Steele's 27th birthday. We will never forget that charming smile and passionate friendship that we all envied. Mark fought the good fight, finished the race, and most importantly kept the Faith. We miss you!

The Rebirth of the Pete Yorn CD

It's amazing what you will find when you sift through the items that have accumulated in your car. I cleaned, or better yet, shuffled the items out of my car into the house. Not sure if Sarah appreciated this because we are trying to get the house in order and this just added to the clutter. After I took all the items into the house I found a plethora of items. These items included:

1. A random coat that is blue and yellow - if you are missing one let me know

2. 3 framed pictures - one of Sarah and I at a wedding (tried to sneak that one out, but Sarah caught me) and two turkey hunting pictures that now sit proudly at the front entrance of the house

3. Highlighters

4. An old lease document that never went through at work

5. My old CD's - that sounds so old to say CD's. I still rock these though so don't make fun.

As I browsed through my old collection of CD's, I was quite proud of my taste. I felt kind of hip, or trendy, perhaps, and even felt a little "Emo" as Alex would say. I found the Stones, Black Crowes, Frat Magee (that goes way back), Ryan Adams (Heartbreaker that is), and Pete Yorn's Music for the Morning After. So on my way to work today, I decide to ditch sports talk radio b/c the Cubs are out of the Pennant race and I've already heard all the analysis on this weekends college football games. I grab Pete Yorn and decide I am going to give it a go. And boy did I give it a go. When I hear the first song, a flood of memories hit me. The nostalgia was overwhelming. I crank my sweet Toyota stereo system up to 41 (that is loud for all you Toyota owners), and begin to pound out lyrics like I am at the actual concert. I was feeling so good that I rolled the windows down despite it being 48 degrees outside and just cruised. At one point I pulled up to a stop light and I was hitting a high note, or getting close to hitting the high note, and looked to my right and this lady just started laughing at me. I turned away in embarrassment, but then looked back right before the light changed and played the air guitar for her. Then I pulled up to the parking lot of my building, and all the despondent brokers from Merrill Lynch were walking in and it was like deer that were surprised by a gunshot. They all turned their heads, and looked at me in fear that I was so in the zone that I would miss my parking spot and hit them. Wow! It was an incredible morning with Pete riding shotgun. Has anyone else out there discovered old discs and just rocked out like you never parted ways with it? Or am I just that weird? Well hopefully I have inspired everyone search the depths of their CD collections and rekindles a relationship with an artist. I highly recommend this.

Bird Feeder - Day 5 and Counting...But 5 hour energy on the other hand...

Well it doesn't look hopeful for the birds today. It is nice and rainy here in Memphis and if the birds feel anything like me, they aren't going to go out seeking food. They may however seek out some 5 Hour Energy drink. After all the 5 Hour Energy website says this

"After Lunch: Research shows that over 70 percent of us hit the wall after lunch. Now you can get over that wall with 5-Hour Energy. One quick drink can help you leave grogginess behind and sail through your day."

Does anyone out there drink this stuff? Does it really work? Any of you nurses, doctors, dietitians out there have any insight on this? Does too much B vitamins cause you to go crazy? I know... lots of questions, but I do want to find out if this stuff works. It does say to not worry if you turn red right after you drink it, but if it continues to worsen seek help. So at what shade of red should I seek help? When I turn that purplish red? Well i just popped one of these and I should be "sailing through my day" in a nice florid color. Results to be posted in 5 hours...that is if I have the energy to post.

Bird Feeder Bet- Day 4 and Counting

Well Sarah's family came in town this weekend to visit us in Graceland, USA. We had a splendid time celebrating Sally's birthday and we even surprised her with Elizabeth coming in town from Chicago. Since her parents came on Thurs. night, and we had to work the next day, they had the whole day to themselves on Friday. Walt, Sarah's dad, decided to do some yard work for us in the back yard. Let me give you an idea of what our yard is like in the back. It's a tree short of being like the Amazon rain forest. It is probably one of the most diverse ecological systems in the US. We have every plant, weed, species known to man back there. One species we have in particular is birds. You would think that you are on the Mississippi Flyway during peak duck season when you are back there. The zoo ain't got %#&$ on us. If the cardinals, or sparrows ever go on the endangered species list, they need to come to our house and get some to breed. We have plenty. Well Walt decided we need to feed these birds, instead of letting them live off the land. I agreed because I am afraid that the birds are going to get sick b/c they are eating the over poisoned roaches in the back. Yes...I sprayed enough chemicals on the house and inside to rival Los Alamos, NM nuclear reactivity. Sarah and Walt take the trip down to the hardware store and come back with a fancy squirrel proof bird feeder. They fasten it up to the tree and we begin to watch for birds. Well this is the reason I blog today...We are still watching and we are on day 4. The birds have no clue what it is. They fly around this thing like it is a land mine. I am officially starting the count of how many days it takes until a bird eats out of this thing. Sarah will be the judge since she works from home. I will keep you posted through the blog. I have bets that it takes 20 days until the first bird eats out of the feeder. Anyone else want to place bets? Winner gets $10 from me...publish a comment to place your bets.