Contributor Biographies #15

 

Candace Myers

Hello everyone! My name is Candace Myers and I am from Grove City (a.k.a. GroveTucky), Ohio. I will turn the "Big 3-0" in August, an event that depresses me as my parents are still thirty in my mind . I live with my D.H., a 3 year old daughter, an 8 year old son, a pug, an elderly and neurotic cat, and two step-daughters (part-time) ages 12 and 10. I graduated from Capital University in 1996 with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing after deciding I didn't want to wait tables forever (little did I know that I would still clean houses and cook at work LOL). Yes, I did go by Candy for ages, but I figured the ponytail, little white jumper, and the fact that I looked 16 were too much in nursing clinicals ("Hi! My name is Candy and I'll be your student nurse today!" Add the perky lilt to your voice and you'll see what I mean). For some reason, I decided to specialize in psychiatric nursing-- when my family objected, I told them it was a good way to expand my dating pool. When I did meet my DH at work (no, he wasn't a patient), they took delight in informing everyone that we met at the mental health center.

My first fountain pen was a Conklin Crescent filler. I had read my great-grandma's diaries from 1917-1919 and adored her penmanship. I went off to find a pen that would give my writing charachter (having been a pen fanatic since middle-school). I now own several pens, Parker, Retro-51, Waterman, Pelikan, Namiki,Cross, and two lifetimes. Most are vintage. My latest pen (thank you Uncle Sam) is an Aiken Lambert with a flex nib. I rotate pens frequently (with 50-70 pages of documentation a week, I can rotate lots LOL), my only gripe is having to use black ink ALL THE TIME!! I adore the Blue Suede Private Reserve ink, but seldom get to use color-- maybe now I can! Hopefully, between baseball, toilet-training, paperwork, and general duties, I can write some letters!

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Wil Lau

It has been a couple of week since my initial visit to Pentrace and I think it’s about time for me to submit my bio, especially after joining the snailmail list. This is, my formal "hello" to all of the great people here @ Pentrace.
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I am a 25 year old living in Toronto. A large part of my time is devoted to being a Project Manager at an internet marketing / ebusiness company. For the past couple of years, my career requirements involved a hectic and busy life with exposure to the latest in technology. I needed a break from it all and thus, I turned to fountain writing instruments.

It all started with a combination of a Dunhill Chinese lacquer fountain gift from a friend as well as cashing on the whole Mont Blanc marketing scheme.

A quote from their Boheme Noir service manual:

“In a world where the pace of life is becoming ever faster, we need things to remind us of what life is really all about. To remind us of the meaning of friendship, of the uniqueness of each individual.

We need something to give us back our time. Time to reflect. Time to read. Time to write letters. Time to travel. Or simply to look at a picture, at the scenery, at a child. Time for beauty, for feelings. Time for the things which really matter.”

That was me, for years of education with the latest in technology, e-busines, software, coding techniques, and the list goes on. It feels like I have forgotten myself and lost my human touch. For years now, my fiancée has complained to me about the lack of communication, the lack of quality time and how I would spend all of my time in front of my in-animate significant other, my monitor…

I was surprised by the overwhelming effect when I pulled out my Dunhill at work. It seemed as though I had hit a pause button. The requirements of writing slowly with the Dunhill gave me an opportunity to think and to reflect… about ideas, values, and many other important things in life which I regretfully have forgotten.

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Aside from work, I find the occasion moment to curl up with a decent book, sit back with a nice Montecristo #4. At the same time, I find the time to release the inner child within myself. I either pop on my scooter (Xootr) or rollerblades, other times, I might just play a few games on the Playstation, browse around online. However, more and more, I devote my spare time with my fiancée, talking away about things that matter most. When I am away from her, only if words can describe how much I appreciate picking up my favourite fountain writing instrument to manifest my thoughts… in other words, I am hooked and glad to be.

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I currently have a small collection: a Dunhill Chinese lacquer (not familiar with year and name), a Montblanc Boheme Noir and two Stipula Duettos in cognac and seaweed green. I have my eyes on a number of other items out there. But in the meantime, I will definitly keep myself busy with my mini collection . Just trying hard to stay away from any cute little stubby, thick, and complex finished fountain writing instruments out there...

Links:

My techie related homepage
http://www.xootr.com

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Paul H. Guillotte, Jr. (aka Judge Blackhawk)

It all started on January 21, 1963 on a cold icy night deep in the heart of Cajun Country Louisiana. Around midnight on the 20th of January, my mother being nine months pregnant felt the stings of contractions. As luck would have it, my father was working at one of the oil refineries in Lake Charles and my mother had to be whisked to the hospital by her mother (my grandmother). My father was contacted and he immediately set a course for the hospital. In Louisiana at that time there were no delivery rooms, emergency rooms or anything more that a two room country hospital with a general practice doctor and a nurse.

After hours of intense labor, my entry into was sort of anti-climatic. I was a regular baby boy with no great gifts or talents. However, upon reaching three years of age, my parents discovered to their horror, that I had this uncanny ability to break the bones in my legs. This caused them great amounts of stress, because the doctors could not find out why my legs kept suffering from fractures. It was not until I was five years old that a good old country doctor, discovered why my legs kept breaking. He discovered I had a rare bone disease called Osteo Genesis Imperfecta or OI for short. Little was known about the disease and even today the knowledge base is not quite up to par with other more glamorous media darling diseases. But that is okay.

Because as I became older and suffered through about seventy-eight (78) broken bones, I leaned that my problem was not as much as a problem for me as for most other people. The 78 broken bones were mostly in my legs, but others were my arms, from falling out of trees and into ditches, while I was hunting or fishing. I never slowed down as a child and my parents never made any excuses for me or allowed me to feel sorrow for myself.

When I reached twenty, I sat my parents down and told them that I had enough of dealing with my two useless legs. That all the surgeries to save them were failures. That I was tired of spending all my time in casts and braces. I had decided after careful and total consideration, to have my two legs amputated. That way the problem of OI would be removed and I could get on with my life. After I picked my parents jaws up from the floor, and reattached them to their faces, they both began to cry uncontrollably, then through the tears they both agreed that I was my own man, and I could make my own decisions. So the surgery for my right leg was scheduled and it was removed. I loved my wooden leg and my parents and doctor agreed that removing the left leg would be a major plus, not only to my physical but more important to my mental being.

As my graduation from highschool drew near, I decided that I would go to become a lawyer. My father wanted me to become a doctor, but I had enough of hospitals and the entire healing business. I wanted to become a Lawyer to that I could make some money. Lets face it, I could say I wanted to become a lawyer to change the world and make it a better place to live, but that line has been worn out and the horse is dead on that note. People become lawyers to make money, lots of money. Then the baby lawyers get the shock of there lives. There are a zillion lawyers out there and damn few of them are making lots of money. There are few jobs available for lawyers without any experience. Most are getting by and making a living but are not in any danger of becoming wealthy.

So, I decided if I could not become wealthy as a lawyer and I needed some experience, I would prosecute criminals and represent the State of Texas. At least that way my job would be fun, exciting and always changing. And I could gain experience along the way. I had small stints a prosecutor in Hays and Coryell County, Texas. But for reasons that will never be known in this lifetime, I wanted a change of pace.

So after prosecuting for a few years, the grass seeming to be a bit greener on the defense side of the bar, I resigned as a States Prosecuting Attorney and hung my shingle as one of the multitude of struggling lawyers. That law office was one of life's little eye opening experiences. I had no idea that running a business was such a nightmare. There were income taxes, self employment taxes, property taxes, equipment taxes, and of course employees to pay. Not counting utilities, water and an unknown amount of other little nick picky dang awful little bills, expenses and outflows to destroy any profits. This was even before I had the wonderful pleasure of dealing with clients, their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers and of course concerned family friends and clergy.

For eight long years of hell and lots of high water, I plugged along, struggling to make the grass even grow much less be green. My wife and children endured this macabre adventure into the depths of private law practice. Finally, reaching the ends of what rope I had left, my wife suggested that I get back into prosecuting. But I whined, I am my own boss, I am making money, I am working to be wealthy. She smartly countered, as wives sometimes do, that she could see I was miserable, that I made her miserable, the my children were miserable. That being my own boss was killing me and destroying my family. So in a desperate attempt to save my life and my family, I again hit the resume' trail.

I discovered that all my experience both in State and Federal Courts, all of my jury trials, all of my not guilty verdicts, and all of my successful appeals overturning criminal cases, did not count for much in the job market. Because during my time at trying to be a businessman lawyer, the law schools were churning out zillions and zillions of more baby lawyers that would work for half what I needed just to pay the bills.

I landed a job as a Special Prosecutor for Texas and life is good.

What does this have to do with writing or loving a fountain pen. Not much, but it is my bio. As for fountain pens, I love them all. I do not have a collection, nor am I a collector. However, my wife would argue with that point because I have several pens. She is not one to appreciate the beauty or passion that writing with a fountain pen brings. But my wife is a complete other story that would take precious space. Lets leave it at this, she is content with a BIC Clicker. You make your own conclusions.

I have written with fountain pens for as long as I can remember. I went through college and law school using an A.T. Cross chrome fountain pen and a Cross Chrome ball point. I acquired several different pens when I was attending Loyola School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. But never really got interested in fountain pens until quite recently.

I have always used fountain pens of one make or other, so I never thought much of collecting them, since they were my daily tools. I find that writing with a fountain pen is much more pleasurable and more satisfying that using a ball point or roller ball.

I have discovered several web sites related to fountain pens, and I am planning to attend the Houston Pen Show in June at the Marriott by the Galleria.

My family and I live in Deep East Texas in what is known as the Piney Woods of East Texas. We are closer to the grand parents on my side who live in Houston and on my wife's side who live in New Orleans, Louisiana. This makes things nice, because our children love to go to grandma's house.

My favorite pen, at the moment is my Platinum Stainless Armor. This is quite a nice writer and lays down a good flow of ink. I own several Cross fountain pens, a Rotring Initial, a Parker Stainless (made in France). I also have a larger number of fine ball point pens that have found there way to my roll top desk. I am in the process of locating several new and old vintage pens. But it is the search and hunting that is fun in the never ending quest to find the next great writing fountain pen.

I love to read and write. My favorite authors (at this time) are Elmer Kelton from San Angelo, Texas and Doug Bowman. Both write wonderful stories with a western flare. I read everything from the Birth of Christianity to Goose bumps. My tastes in literature is as varied as my tastes in pens. My all time favorite author has to be Edgar Allen Poe. He was my first literature love and the first author to stir my immortal soul. He forever and always holds a most honored and special place in my heart.

As you can see, if you have made it this far down my bio, I love to write and I am long winded. But I guess that is the lawyer in me.

Happy Inking

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Joel Anderson

Greetings. I clocked-in on this site the moment Pentrace opened its doors and haven't gotten around to doing a bio until now. Actually, I have just finally realized that I can't copy the bio I did at "that other board" and so have to write another one.
I'll keep it short so that there is something to write in the snails...

I was born, raised and will die in Missouri (yes, I am one of those really way cool voters who elected to the Senate a deceased candidate!) I am not quite 42 (!) --- you know, I actually had to stop a second and verify that. Whatever. Anyway, I am a trial lawyer with a 16 year old son who is a really good drummer directly above my study. Actually, it isn't as bad as it sounds. It is just the two of us (well--three cats), and if the drums get too loud--well, I have a 100-watt Peavey guitar amp that can raise a fuss of its own. So as you can see, I am 41 except those times when I am 17.

Before I was a lawyer I was a counselor and taught psychology for a bit. For fun, I play guitar (blues, some jazz, some classical) and I'm an amateur photogrpher (no, darkrooms and fountain pens don't mix too well).

I like to read classics, though I manage to read something written by a living writer on occasion. I usually keep several books going at once. If you'd find it helpful, my current queue includes "Through Another Lens," a biography of Edward Weston; a biography of Diane Arbus, "Anna Karenina," and "Still Life" by A.S. Byatt which I have LOST (she is so thick that if you get to far away from her you end up starting over).

I'm not a true pen collector--just an avid user and always have been. I didn't really focus on this fact until I retired a pen I used for over 10 years and decided to go vintage. Well, since then, a few more have creeped in through the floor boards and wall cracks--and there you have it. I don't really do the pen rotation thing. I have a main writer that I use when I have to write a lot--a 1945 Vac with good old trusty Quink Blue/Black. Wet. Effortless. Smooth. Next to it is usually a Parker 51 filled with my favorite ink--Quink Turquoise which I cannot buy anywhere but which a very kind and generous Pentracer shared with me!!

Enough. Methinks my prior bio was more interesting, but even this one is more interesting that I really am! Anyway, here's to pens!

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Sandi Hughes

I really don't want to do this. Jimmie Cockburn talked me into this. After reading all the others I feel intimidated. I don't have a college education. I don't have a fancy job. I do have a wonderful husband and 3 lovely (in my eyes) children. I don't spell well and my grammar isn't the best either. But I do love fountain pens. I do love to write letters.

In grammar school we had to use fountain pens. No choice there. I remember flinging the ink on the backs of the white uniform shirts of the people that I did not like at the time. Good thing we used washable blue ink. The pens were shaeffer. See through ones too. That started me on the long road of fountain pens. Oh I did go the way of the ball point, the porus point, gel pen, all the others. But I have always had my fountain pens. Even if they were stuck in the back of the drawer. I never did believe that so many people were in love with the flow of the fountain pen. I thought that I was the wierd one. Keep it a secret. My best friend is the only one that I know of that has keep up with me in the fountain pen area. I am so glad that I found pen trace. All the people here are wonderful. I have been snailing several months now. Some of you may even have seen my name once in awhile on this message board. Now often though. I am a shy one. Oh. I am a custodian for a middle school and work the swing shift. Now a glamorous job for sure. but it pays the bills and lets me get a pen now and then. Especially when we get a tax refund!!!

Enough of me. I hope that I have not gone on too long. I hope to here from a lot of you. I will always write back.

 

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