Happy Fountain Pen Day!

Yes, you read that right. It’s Fountain Pen Day! And guess which writing utensil I haven’t used today? That’s right… a fountain pen. Actually, I haven’t used any writing utensil today. I haven’t even opened my planner, which I should probably remedy before the day gets away from me.

If you’re wondering (and you probably aren’t, but I’m going to tell you anyway), I currently own ten fountain pens. Yes, ten. And honestly, I don’t think that’s an unreasonable number. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself!

My very first fountain pen was a Kaweco Sport, which I bought when I was living in Germany. And yes, I still have it. There’s something special about your first fountain pen. It holds a little bit of history, and it’s one of those things you just don’t get rid of. I got mine while visiting Frankfurt.

That’s one of the things I love about fountain pens. They’re not necessarily disposable writing instruments. They’re meant to be kept for years. Some can be quite pricey, but there are also plenty of affordable options for anyone curious about getting started. You definitely don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy writing with one. I also have seven bottles of fountain pen ink that I’ve had for what feels like forever. I really should make more of an effort to rotate through them instead of letting them sit there looking pretty.

Happy Fountain Pen Day to all my fellow fountain pen enthusiasts! And to those who haven’t tried one yet, you might just discover a new obsession.

Alex and Jay are smoking ribs. With my limited knowledge, I’ve had to show them how to use the smoker. Turn it on, adjust the temperature. It’s working, so I hope I did well. I get nervous because that smoker belongs to Tommy. It seems pretty straightforward in its usage. Alex said it is a little stressful to smoke ribs. I think it is because it is his first time doing so.

I started reading Dungeon Crawler Carl last night, and so far, I’m enjoying it. Of course, I’m only about 10% into the book, so it’s still too early to say whether it will keep my attention all the way through. But I’m definitely intrigued by the story so far.

I haven’t read any reviews, looked up information about the book, or come across any spoilers, so I’m going into it completely blind. From what I’ve gathered so far, something has taken over the planet, and the destruction has been catastrophic. Buildings and cars have essentially been flattened, and anyone unfortunate enough to be inside when it happened didn’t survive. Somehow, the only people who made it through were those who happened to be outside.

And that’s where things get even stranger. The aliens, or whoever is really behind all of this, have apparently turned the aftermath into some kind of massive dungeon with 18 levels. The survivors are now expected to enter this dungeon and fight their way through it if they want to stay alive.

I’ve only read up to the point where the main character is standing at the entrance to the dungeon, so I have no idea what to expect next. I’m curious to see how this whole situation unfolds, what kind of challenges await him, and just how crazy things are going to get. So far, it’s an interesting and unusual premise.

This weekend, we’re having a Lord of the Rings-themed weekend. We’re heading over to a friend’s house to play the Lord of the Rings board game and enjoy some good food. I want to make sure I enjoy myself without going overboard with the food. My goal is to be mindful of my portions, eat slowly, and enjoy the things I really want rather than feeling like I need to try everything or eat more than I’m hungry for.

I also need to get my packing done before tomorrow, so I’m not rushing around trying to get everything together in the morning. If I take care of the packing now, I can use that as motivation to put away the clothes that are still sitting out from the laundry. I completely forgot to put them away earlier this morning, so this would be a good opportunity to get that chore finished, too.

My plan is to tackle the laundry first, then get my clothes and other essentials packed and ready to go. That way, I’ll have one less thing to worry about tomorrow morning and can start the weekend feeling organized and relaxed.