I won't claim that I'm good at writing, but it's pretty much my favorite thing to do. This is the third year I've managed to pay the bills by throwing words together, so I think it might be safe to say that I'm a writer now. <div><br /></div><div>Ew. I just read aloud what's after that last comma, and it still gives me that feeling that I've cussed in church. Reckon I'll try again next year. </div><div><br /></div><div>At any rate, I love to put a pen to paper. But, like my other love in life (<a href="http://mylifeastoldbyfood.blogspot.com/">food</a>), there are pens and paper (canned ravioli by Chef Boyardee), and there are <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">pens and paper (your Italian grandmother's homemade spinach ravioli in bechamel sauce)</span>. Just as one who has never known the labor of love that is a stock from scratch and the vast difference between the taste and feel of the homemade stuff and Swanson's, a writer hasn't really written until he has scrawled a note on <a href="http://www.crane.com/">Crane's paper</a> with a fountain pen boasting an 18-karat gold nib. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxMrLnfK8I/AAAAAAAAAmA/OHPJJ3E1qYA/s1600-h/DSC03578.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxMrLnfK8I/AAAAAAAAAmA/OHPJJ3E1qYA/s400/DSC03578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299695166244727746" border="0" /></a></div><div>Let me tell you: It's like buttah. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pengaro's, on the west end of <a href="http://uticasquare.com/">Utica Square</a> behind the new location of <a href="http://www.kokoachocolatier.com/">KoKoa Chocolatier</a>, is my supplier of all fine writing stuff, above pictured pen included. For my birthday the year I landed my first job as a newspaper reporter, Aaron bought me this pen - the <a href="http://www.waterman.com/en/style/pens/product/charleston">Waterman Charleston</a>, a retro fountain pen inspired by art deco design. I'd had a few of those jobs for which it's a lot easier to be grateful for the experience than to love going to work everyday, so the pen was to commemorate my arrival in my a career field I could be excited about. </div><div><br /></div><div>I loved it because I'd always wanted a real fountain pen. Plus, it looks like <a href="http://www.tulsapreservationcommission.org/artdeco/buildings/">a building in downtown Tulsa</a>. What's not to love about that?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxM2ga-qYI/AAAAAAAAAmI/Yws2fhjThdI/s1600-h/DSC03574.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxM2ga-qYI/AAAAAAAAAmI/Yws2fhjThdI/s400/DSC03574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299695360807971202" border="0" /></a></div><div>I've returned to Pengaro's many times since I became a fountain pen owner. Today I stopped by to grab a Valentine's Day card for my husband, the man who opened up for me the world of Waterman pens and <a href="http://www.noodlersink.com/">Noodler's Ink</a> (which I think is still stocked by Gadget Company, once in Utica Square near Pengaro's and now at 18th and Boston). </div><div><br /></div><div>Pengaro's has quite a collection of quality greeting cards. This is just the Valentine's Day stock: </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxNC-GVOII/AAAAAAAAAmQ/YccRZVnH0-Q/s1600-h/DSC03570.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxNC-GVOII/AAAAAAAAAmQ/YccRZVnH0-Q/s400/DSC03570.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299695574932863106" border="0" /></a></div><div>Despite that I was wrestling with a tired and hungry baby-child, I managed to find the perfect one (by Wild Indigo Design):<br /><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxNRlD6uSI/AAAAAAAAAmY/DgyF8ZmQlNo/s1600-h/card0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tZVufRlMtzM/SYxNRlD6uSI/AAAAAAAAAmY/DgyF8ZmQlNo/s400/card0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299695825909889314" border="0" /></a></div><div>The inside says, "Thanks for always holding on!" </div><div><br /></div><div>As with food shopping, buying from local vendors has its benefits. While you might not have your choice of 250 cards that play love songs by your favorite hair band, you get quality, attention to detail and service with a personal touch from a card vendor like Pengaro's. </div><div><br /></div><div>Plus, Pengaro's sells really beautiful, heirloom pens. Did I mention that already? Try to find that at the Wal-Marts. </div>