After a year or so of doing pen and ink reviews, I decided that I needed to establish a set of reference inks - those inks that I would use to evaluate others against. Once I picked out the colors, I then decided that it would be nice to have pens that I could keep inked wit these reference colors that, presumably, I would be using all of the time. Enter the Platinum Preppy.

Last time on Sacred Geometry: Part 4 | Part 5 “So what’s the plan?” asked Ben as he joined Scarlett in at the window. “Plan?” Scarlett stared at him. “You don’t have a plan?” “Stay the fuck away from any cows. Scare the kids off. That’s about all I got.” Ben frowned. “Do you think they’re dangerous? I could grab the shotgun.” Scarlett winced. If there was one thing she liked less than cows, it was guns.

Peter stood outside the dingy, two-story colonial that was covered in mildewed siding and topped by a rotting roof and wondered what the hell he’d agreed to. The house had been Abby’s idea from the beginning; an hour’s drive from the city, nestled on ten wooded acres, it was a handyman’s special. “Remember, I grew up in the country,” she had said when they sat in their downtown loft and discussed the idea.

The three parts are designed to be recited simultaneously. Voice 1 starts, and then each subsequent voice joins after the previous one has repeated once. Voice 3 repeats once, then drops out. Voice 2 drops out after two additional repetitions. Voice one ends with two final repetitions of the verse. Voice 1: Wake up Go to sleep Wake up Go to sleep Wake up Coffee coffee Wake up Go to sleep

I have noticed that, whenever I am away from the site for an extended period of time, my traffic seems to go up. It’s an odd behavior that I can’t quite explain, but I’m not complaining too much. Well, hello to all of my new visitors - feel free to look around. I’ve got lots of ink reviews, poetry, and fiction lying about. To all of my existing readers - I’m still here - I’ve just been busy and experiencing a bit of a creative drought.

I’ve received a few requests for recommendations recently, and thought I’d share them with everyone here on Seize the Dave. First, Nestor asks (via email): Would you kindly suggest some inks that will not harm my nib or pen, and that will not smear on Moleskines? Hi Nestor! I’d be happy to. First, I presume that by “not smear” you mean “fully waterproof.” There are a great many inks that are smudgeproof, but few that are truly waterproof.

It is uncharacteristically hot outside across most of the US at the moment, which means that it’s time for a tasty, tasty rum drink. Ingredients 1/2 oz Applejack 1/2 oz apricot brandy 1 oz light (silver) rum Directions Combine all ingredients and shake with plenty of ice. Serve over ice. Relax. Repeat.

To find your way to the Shadowlands, the twilight realm where the Night Things dwell, you must first pay homage to the Raven Queen. The customary offering is a bushel of dates, left under under an oak tree at midnight on the eve of the new moon. She is most hungry when the air is cool and there are more leaves on the ground than in the trees, but some have reported reported rare success when the world is still vibrant and green.

The June installment of the Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper is up at Note Booker, Esq - a pen blog that’s one of my favorites. Be sure to stop by and tell Booker hi!