A fancy new pen shop has opened up in the center of Brighton. I have previously mentioned in passing that I’m a stationery fetishist, so when I spotted the shop yesterday, I was inside in a nanosecond, my face pressed up against the cases of very fine - and very expensive - writing instruments.

I’ve never been one to pass up a new pen or pencil. From clear plastic Bics to my beloved German pens (Rotring, Lamy, Pelikan), I’ve got ‘em all. Scattered around my desk right this instant, I have a fat, clear turquoise blue Bic gel pen (which was coveted by my classmates last semester); a deep greenish/blueish/greyish Papermate ballpoint with a black rubber grip; a silvery pencil from WH Smith; a tiny, heavy silver Pierre Cardin mechanical pencil with a translucent white rubber grip; and a brilliant, flourescent orange floaty pen that Jeremy bought for me at the British Museum (the floaty bit is a little sarcophagus, and when you tilt the pen, the lid of the sarcophagus slides off to reveal a mummy - cool! It’s a nice companion to my floaty pen from the Tate Gallery which has the Lady of Shalott in her little boat). Then, of course, there’s the mug full of various pens, pencils, markers and highlighters on the desk, and there’s my box of stationery supplies with more of the same. I suppose it seems kind of silly to have so many pens when I type on the computer all day and the most I generally ever have to write by hand is a shopping list - but this does not deter me from continuing to acquire all manner of writing implements.

Anyway, the pen shop is so new that they were still stocking the shelves and cases as I wandered around yesterday. I was tempted by just about everything in there, but I think I managed to show great restraint. In celebration of handing in my term paper and thus officially completing the first year of my master’s degree, I treated myself to a pretty and practical Waterman pen, along with a nice black case to put it in, and a nifty little blank journal.

And maybe next year, after I’ve handed in my dissertation and become the proud owner of a shiny new magister artium, I will treat myself to one of these.