From Dragonfly: A New Pen

I've always liked a good writing pen. Sometimes a ballpoint pen will draw my attention, other times it is a gel pen or a pen of a specific color. Here, all we can purchase is a black pen. They are the basic pens that don't write especially good or bad. They have the kind of cap that you always lose well before the pen is out of ink. It does not write well when you are laying in bed writing sideways or up. It works. I'm grateful to have a pen.

Working in education has given me access to other ink pens. At first, it was a red ink pen - identical to the standard black pen - but I could grade and write in red. This is a big deal, and I must carry the pen with me anytime I walk away from my tutor desk. Otherwise, it would be stolen by someone. I guess it's worth "bank" on the underground market. Education realizes this and will only do a 1-for-1 exchange (meaning, if you want to get a new red pen, you must turn in your old red pen). I would never sell my pen anyways, I need it to do my job and I cherish the ability to have a pen other than black ink.

Then, a week or so ago, I was able to get a blue pen from the teacher I really respect in education. He gave one to each of the tutors around me, after I inquired about it. We were all so happy with our blue pens. Now, when I ask students to correct their work, I can regrade in a new color and they can see what they did right/wrong the second time around. This blue pen is just like the red and black pens, but it is a pretty color blue! I now carry around my black, red, and blue pens in my shirt pocket to and from work each day. The true nerd in me. If only they gave away or sold pocket protectors - hah!!!

My roommate, Bandana, saw my blue pen the other day and tried to hustle it away from me. Her current girlfriend wants a blue pen. She was trying everything, like telling me to change the ink to black and just give her the blue ink. I said, "absolutely not." It's hard saying "no" to Bandana. It's not an answer she accepts. She kept trying and trying. Finally, I just locked my pen in my locker and walked out of the room. Sometimes, that is the only way to get out of these kinds of conversations. I like my blue pen and need it for work.

Yesterday, the same teacher was feeling generous - as the holidays had just occurred, and he offered me a new black pen. This one is a GEL PEN!!! It even clicks open and closed (no caps to lose!). You would think I was given a hundred dollars with the excitement I felt having this new pen. I proudly added this to my left shirt pocket and it drew the attention of others who wanted to see my new pen. Lola was incredibly jealous, but then again, I was jealous of a pen she was given from her job just a week ago. We laughed at how such a stupid thing, a new pen, can get us so excited. Talk about appreciating the little things in life!!! And, "no," I will not get hustled out of this pen either. I will use it at work and cherish it in my pocket.

I've always loved pens. At school last year, I had a bunch of fun color gel pens. In my pedagogy course, I would share my pens with my colleagues who admired them. Sometimes I would select my green one, sometimes the purple one. It didn't really matter if I lost a pen or someone didn't give theirs back, I could always get more. Such is not the case while I am here. A good pen is a true gift, and it may never be able to be replaced!

Just as a side note, my nerd pocket also contains my tutor calculator (a calculator lent to me by the education department for grading and tutoring purposes). It says, "Tutor," large across the lid of it and is the kind of calculator where the lid slides off and then slides on to the back. It is not an advanced Texas Instruments calculator, like I use for statistics, but it does allow me to do square roots, exponents, percentages, fractions, and other handy calculations. If I lose this calculator, I will not receive another one. While the pens may go home with me, the calculator was lent to me and I am responsible that it not get stolen. So, this calculator also sits in the pocket, with the three pens in front of it, and my name badge clipped to the same pocket. I think I would fit well in an episode of "Big Bang Theory!"