Scratched out words. Lines of text overlapping one another. Page grid optional. Squiggles that barely resemble letter shapes.

Messy notes are where I do my best thinking. Jottings and scratchings and cross outs are how I get from rough ideas to clever. Messy notes are the medium. They’re my work-in-progress.

A pen friend — who shall remain anonymous — joked with me this week about my penchant for grey over true black inks. “Isn’t grey just wannabe black?” Pshaw.

Woe is me. Fie and bah and humbug. The pastel light of my pen case has dimmed. The nib collar of my pastel green Delike New Moon cracked.

The pen, all-told, survived three inkings. The New Moon was a fun writing option while it lasted.

This year’s DC Pen Show was an absolute blast. I spent most of the week enjoying my purchases from the show.

New pens and ink eased getting back into reading and prepping orientations for the coming school year. I was quite productive this week, all told.