Environmental-chic pens
Has anyone noticed the range of recycled pilot pens at the big-box stores lately? I was a little hesitant. Oh, I recycle about 80% of my garbage, and I try to eat low on the food chain, so I'm down with the granola, but pens? I mean, seriously, how much trash can pens create?

Well, a lot, it seems. Back in the day we didn't use disposable pens (yeah, I do actually remember my dad's fountain pen). Then Bic brought us disposable plastic everything...including razors and pens. Now you use a pen and throw it away (with, in my case, a lovely feeling of satisfaction). But Pilot is aiming to do something about the waste that all this throwing-away creates with their Be Green line. A full line including markers and needle point gel pens, these pens are made from recycled materials, and are also refillable. So I can feel retro and environmental at the same time, I guess, to help make up for the lack of satisfying "swoosh" as the used pen goes into the trash can. They're available at every boxy store around. I bought some at Target, and while I was nervous that they'd be somehow crunchy or pulpy (like some of the recycled paper they sell at Whole Foods) I was happily surprised. No pulp in sight, and smooth ink. If you have a spare 30 seconds you can watch their UK tv commercial.

I should say that I'm not entirely impartial - pilot has, and will always be, my favorite pen company. Not because I love their pens (though I do) but because of all the happy memories and associations I have with them. Like stocking up on the various European kinds that we don't get over here on trips, and when living in London. Or writing in my Magic Journal (in 2000, the year that a bunch of really weird magical stuff happened to me and I was convinced it was because I was journalling it into existence). Or when a coworker I really liked popped her head over my cubicle when I was 22 and said "I just found this great new pen" and it was a pilot g2 gel roller.

So try them out if you have a spare $4 to try on pens and tell me what you think of them, or if I'm just in love with anything pilot puts out because I have a pen-crush on pilot...
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In other news, I haven't blogged for a while because I was traveling. I was at a conference in Denver where I had the opportunity to pick up many more swag-pens, but opted against it. Not only because in this recession the giveaway pens just aren't as good (the companies with money were giving away 1 gig flash drives - I woulda been happy with a nice needle point gel pen). But also because I'm trying to live more by the quality-not-quanitity philsophy and limit the amount of cheap pens I pick up. And cheap everything, but since this blog is about pens, I am limiting my discussion to cheap pens.