Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil

Let me backtrack. This is the item that initiated all of the recent writing instrument madness. I'm certain that there are better, more expensive, and higher quality mechanical pencils out there. That said, this thing is all kinds of awesome compared to the disposable crap that I've been using for countless years. I find it a little odd that I never acquired one of these sick ass pencils before, because I grew up around mechanical pencils and drafting equipment (thanks to the great man that raised me), and I'm told that the Sharp Kerry has been around forever.

I love the design of this pencil. First of all, it's capped to protect the tip, the lead, and your person. The lead can be advanced when the cap is off by pressing the tail button you see in the first picture. When the cap is posted, however, a button at the end of the cap engages the tail button so that the lead can still be advanced. Nice touch. The typical useless tiny Pentel eraser is located under the button on the cap, and the button on the body itself can be removed to refill the lead. The Sharp Kerry comes in a variety of colors and is widely available on the Internet and elsewhere.

I noticed one slight imperfection that is making my anal retentiveness go to eleven. As I was taking these pictures I noticed that the color of the cap doesn't quite match the color of the body. I blamed Amazon and returned it for a replacement item, but the same barely-detectable color shift is there. So perhaps the cap and the body are made from a different material that is causing the color variation. I'll just have to get over it and/or buy a different colorway!

The Process (Continued)

I already explained the overall acquisition process here, but wanted to supplement the process a little. The original flow chart does not adequately illustrate the fact that I tend to become somewhat knowledgeable in a number of typically meaningless or strange areas, but fall very short of becoming an expert or power user in any one of those areas. I will devote a lot of time and effort to get up to speed and familiar with some random and (to most people) ridiculous topic, such that I can truthfully say that I'm "interested" in the subject. I might become more involved with something to the point where it elevates to "hobby" status, but that doesn't occur very often. I suppose my goal is to discover interesting things (whether they are cool, trendy, geeky, or obscure) and get fairly educated about them to the point where I can spend a little bit of money on something that might brighten the usual day-to-day mundane work week. I guess I'm cheap and want to get the most bang for my buck. So, I'll develop at least a baseline understanding of a topic such that I can BUY and enjoy something without getting too obsessed or ridiculously committed.

This behavior often results in loss of interest and boredom with a subject, sometimes followed by renewed interest, and so on. This explains why most of my posts thus far relate to pens. Really? Pens? Well, yeah, because pens are the current hot topic here at The Daily Acquisition. I'll get over the pen phase soon enough and will turn to something else.

Valet Tray

This is a perfect example of the acquisition snowball effect. I've recently become slightly interested in the EDC concept, which basically means that you ought to carry as much usually-needless crap on your person to be prepared for those unusual situations where you actually need that crap. So, instead of merely carrying a wallet, keys, a few coins, and a phone on a daily basis, my EDC haul now includes an assortment of gear. I used to stash EVERYTHING on a little keychain shelf in the hallway. Life was simple back then (OK, just a few months ago, but whatever). Simple. Well, I outgrew that little shelf and didn't like seeing all of my EDC items randomly strewn on the counter top, my dresser, my nightstand, etc.  Problem solved with a quick visit to Amazon (have I mentioned that Amazon Prime is the Devil?), where I found this here "Ryan 10" Valet Tray" for a more than reasonable $17.95.

This is Ryan

OK, "valet tray" is just a manly way of saying <cough cough> "jewelry box" for man gear; I get it. Note that I was actually about to pull the trigger on a more ridiculous tray that was closer to $50.00, but in a moment of strength and power overcame my usual compulsive purchasing behavior and "settled" for the less expensive and more practical item you see in the picture.

As you can see, my friend Ryan has a few stash pockets, one larger pocket with a lid, and a coin compartment that looks like a micro skateboarding halfpipe. The curved profile makes it easier to swipe your coins outta there - brilliant! Now everyone is happy, and each EDC item has its own little home away from me.

Matcha

Our friends at U.S. Customs and Border Protection were nice enough to release a Japanese origin package addressed to me. What could it be? Jeans? Razor blades? Headphones? A new batch of pens? Erasers that resemble ramen? No. The package came from Ippodo Tea. Their brochure says that "Ippodo Tea Co. is a Kyoto-based purveyor of premium Japanese green tea - matcha, gyokuro, sencha, and bancha - cultivated in the lush fields of Kyoto. It was founded almost three centuries ago by a merchant named Ihei Watanabe who moved from Omi province (now Shiga prefecture) to Kyoto and opened a shop called Omiya on Teramachi Street in 1717. In 1846, Prince Yamashina bestowed upon the shop the name Ippodo, literally meaning "establishment that preserves one (tea)," in the hope that the high quality of the shop's tea would always be maintained." Well well well, a little full of themselves are they?

Anyhow, I bought two 20-gram cans of matcha: Wakamatsu-no-mukashi (extra-premium quality); and Horai-no-mukashi (premium quality). I recently got into matcha as a natural progression of my interest in green tea, which will be the topic of a future post for sure. It took me a long time to gather the "courage" to try matcha because my research (lots of it) led me to believe that matcha is too expensive, a real hassle to prepare, and foul tasting. I was wrong. You see, part of matcha's allure lies in its natural vibrant green color and characteristic aroma and umami. In the middle of the Edo period, Uji tea masters developed the modern method of producing sencha, which is characterized by its clear, golden yellow color, refined mellow fragrance and refreshing flavor. In the latter half of the Edo period, they devised a method for producing gyokuro, known for its characteristic fragrance and umami. These techniques, all of which were developed in Uji, have been passed down to the present day, and now form the basis and tradition of virtually all modern-day Japanese green tea production methods. (OK, I plagiarized the last four sentences from Ippodo's brochure. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?)

It should be mentioned that I am an absolute matcha noob. I've only had two other cans of matcha before these two. I'm still experimenting and trying to find the sweet spot of quality versus cost. Based on price alone, both of these should be "better" than the previous two I've tried. We'll see.

Keyboard Facelift

Before

I managed to find some time to install the keycaps mentioned here. I had to close my office door to muffle the sound of the clattering keycaps and to keep my geekdom secure. I won't bore you with the details or provide any "how to" tips. Rather, I'll let you see for yourself. The standard Filco Tenkeyless keyboard with Cherry blue switches is great, although the basic black keycaps are a little drab. Every now and then I'll get all worked up and deem myself ready for a big change in life . . .

For example, I might decide to swap out the stock escape key for something with a little more flair:

Boom! Add a fancy escape key and reinvigorate your life! I usually keep that skull on the keyboard for only a few days before I remove it, polish it with a new microfiber cloth, and return it to a safe deposit box. Swapping out the escape key now and then is no big deal. Installing an entire set of keycaps, however, can take awhile. So I took a half-day off, rolled up my sleeves, and tackled this immense project the other day. Step one: remove the stock keycaps.

Step one is actually 87 little steps. Step two: install 87 new keycaps, step back, and feast your eyes on THIS:

I really like this look, but will probably change it after I grow tired of it or when another colorway grabs my attention.

Pen Lineup: Part 2

I recently acquired another batch of pens, and will be test writing with them over the next week or three. This has developed into a bad habit/sickness, like a lingering cough that won't go away. Anyway, this quick post is just a sneak peek to show off the package of goodness that came from JetPens.

From left to right: Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in blue); Pentel Hybrid Technica gel pen (0.5 mm in red); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in blue); Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle Point gel pen (0.35 mm in red); Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Two-Color multipen body (with 0.5 mm blue and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); Pentel Sliccies Two-Color multipen body (with 0.4 mm blue-black and 0.5 mm red refills next to it); and Platinum Preppy fountain pen!

This is just a teaser post. I'll get to these instruments soon enough. I'm REALLY interested in trying out the multipens and the fountain pen.

PS - have I mentioned that the Japanese simply rule the world of pens?

Key Caps

I just received these in the mail today, so they are literally the acquisition of the day. These are doubleshot OEM profile Cherry MX switch compatible ABS key caps with reverse colored modifiers. If you understood the last sentence, then congratulations (I think) for being a mechanical keyboard geek! Good job. For the remaining 99.78% of the population, you may consider these key caps to be just another feather in my XXL size cap of ridiculousness.

Computer keyboards. Everyone has one these days: on a laptop; at work; on a phone; on a video game device; and so on. Computer staring desk monkeys often type on a computer keyboard all day long and think nothing of it. While doing just that one day, I stumbled across a blog or message board thread topic related to "what's the best keyboard" and was surprised to discover that mechanical keyboards are still made and collected with vigor (by the way, mechanical keyboards use "mechanical" switches or actuators to register the keystrokes, in contrast to the technologies that are used in many common, mass-produced, OEM keyboards).

The thread that caught my eye mentioned unfamiliar terminology such as "Cherry switches" and "clicky blues" and "Filco" . . . huh wut? After spending a few dozen hours reading up on the topic, I realized that one of my first (and best) computer keyboards was indeed mechanical: an IBM model M. This got me interested in a modern mechanical keyboard, which in turn resulted in more research and discovery of websites like Geek Hack and Deskthority, both of which concentrate on mechanical keyboards. Who would have known? Blue versus brown versus red switches? Filco versus Ducky versus Das brands? Full size versus tenkeyless versus compact layouts? Replacement key caps with customized colorways? Click Clack skull key caps that sell on the geek market for a hundred dollars? For ONE key cap! Amazing.

My mechanical keyboard trajectory went like this: (1) acquired a full sized keyboard from WASD Keyboards, with Cherry brown switches and a fully customized key cap layout and color scheme (which is the major selling point of WASD Keyboards); (2) bought additional key caps from WASD Keyboards because my first layout looked like ass; (3) continued buying novelty and other replacement key caps for grins and giggles; (4) went to Fry's Electronics to check out other mechanical keyboards having different switches (Cherry black, Cherry red, Cherry blue, Alps); (5) "borrowed" a Razer Blackwidow keyboard from Fry's to see whether or not I could live with Cherry blue clicky switches; (6) decided YES, I could live with blue switches; (7) got a full set of white side-printed replacement key caps for my WASD keyboard; (8) decided to acquire a tenkeyless keyboard (i.e., one that does not have the ten-key number pad cluster on the right side) with Cherry blue switches; (9) finally got a Filco tenkeyless with blues after waiting for Amazon to be restocked; (10) sold my WASD keyboard to a keyboard noob; and (11) just received the red and white set of awesomeness shown in the picture.

Yes, the above-described trajectory was rather expensive. Why would anyone spend more than ten bucks on a computer keyboard? Who cares about KEYBOARDS? Those are good questions, and every mechanical keyboard user will have his or her own set of valid, silly, and misunderstood answers. Personally, I wanted something that would be enjoyable to use and nice to look at because I use the computer all day when I'm in the office. The fact that my typing speed and accuracy have improved is a nice bonus. I mean, if you are going to do something or use a device for 40+ hours a week, why not try to get the most out of that activity and/or try to eek out a little pleasure and enjoyment while suffering through the day to day banality of your job? OK, OK, I admit that there is also some "cool factor" and "geek appeal" at play here, but really, mechanical keyboards just work better than the crap that most people fiddle with on a daily basis. Try one.

EDC = Every Day Carry

I may need a guest writer for this entry because I am an absolute EDC novice. Most people have at least one EDC item on their person: car keys; a wallet; a phone; a prophylactic device (kids, don't ask); etc. I'm here to tell you that one item is not enough. According to well established EDC principles, you must keep on your person as much as humanly possible. Every. Day. To demonstrate, the picture over there to the right is exactly what my keychain looked like back in October 2011. I didn't carry anything else other than my wallet and phone. In fact, my theory at that time was "less is more." These days, "more is more."

October 2011 is when I acquired a decent keychain flashlight: the Photon X-Light Micro. At the time, I didn't even know what the acronym "EDC" stood for (what, "Electronic Direct Current"?). Nor did I care . . . I just needed a damn light to find keyholes and avoid walking into scooters, basketballs, rocks, Beyblades, and skateboards on the way to my car. The little light also proved to be very useful for certain situations, i.e., scenarios where one might say something like "I need some light." This light remains on my keychain to this day, as shown in my loadout picture.

Let me be clear that carrying a boad load of crap is a 180 degree paradigm shift for me because until very recently I liked the streamlined feel that empty pockets provide. In fact, my EDC gear is still fairly minimalist in comparison to the stuff carried by real EDC junkies such as the nice folks over at EDC Forums or the people who show off their gear on Everyday-Carry.Com. Honestly, my stuff is realistic and reasonably practical for MY needs.  I'm not a mechanic, I don't work outdoors, and I'm not in law enforcement. I don't need a pry bar or a pistol. I don't climb mountains and, therefore, don't need a rope cinching device. Sometimes I wish I was a border patrol car mechanic by day slash search and rescue volunteer by night so that I could rationalize more EDC gear, but "computer staring desk monkey" is reality. That reality doesn't call for much in the EDC department.

In the second picture, from left to right: keychain with Photon X-Light Micro and an HP USB drive; Moleskine softcover pocket notebook; Benchmade Mini-Griptilian knife; Zebra SL-F1 ballpoint pen; and FourSevens Preon P1 flashlight. Not shown are my wallet and phone (which I'm embarrassed to show because it's lame). I tend to unload my keychain when I'm at work or at home, which is why I always carry the Preon P1 flashlight in my pocket. I have other knives that I switch out from week to week, but I always try to keep at least one on me at all times, because that is the tool that gets the most use. For example, that knife was used to open the Amazon boxes for the USB drive, the Preon, and the Moleskine.

So that's a quick summary of how the EDC concept has invaded my life. Are there any essential items that I'm missing?

The Acquisition Process Flow

The theme of this blog relates to my thought process for getting interested in stuff. I thought that a self-explanatory flow chart would make sense. When I preview this post, however, the image of the flow chart is blurry. It might be readable if you click on it; I'm not sure. So this might be a failed experiment.

Even though I said the flow chart is self-explanatory, let me explain. The process begins with a seed of curiosity, which may come from a friend, a news article, a real world experience, a TV commercial, another blog, an Internet forum, etc. For instance, my interest in Japanese denim jeans came from a post I read on Head-Fi of all places. The seed germinates into a round of preliminary research that determines whether or not I remain at least somewhat interested in the topic. If not, I'll just spend more time on Head-Fi, no worries. If so, the initial research becomes a whole lotta research, which typically makes me want to acquire one or more items (pens, ridiculously spendy jeans, headphones, whatever).

A normal person would just pull the trigger and buy something, especially if it's inexpensive like, say, a PEN that costs a buck fifty. Not me. I tend to get stuck in a loop of analysis paralysis during which additional research is performed before ultimately making a purchase. My theory is that informed consuming is the only way to go to prevent buyer's remorse and to ensure that you are getting the best possible product for whatever your budget might be. This sounds great in theory. In practice, however, it can become difficult for me to follow the "No" branch of the analysis paralysis decision box. Because I'm cheap. And because I know that I spend too much money on things that most people find stupid, compulsive, and/or excessive.

So there you have it. This is my process.

Update (about two hours after making this post): I am currently in the "Perform In-Depth Research" step regarding shaved ice machines. LOL, there goes my morning.

Headphones & IEMs

I was going to continue writing about pens, but that might get boring for my loyal reader (hi Mom). Rather than write about one topic at a time, I've decided to introduce other ridiculous things that interest me and/or things that I've spent too much time and money on, such as headphones. Headphone acquisition disorder hit me early and hard, but I got it out of my system awhile ago. Or so I thought. I was feeling pretty good with my rig at the office, my two sets of headphones, and my one set of IEMs (in-ear monitors) until a couple of weeks ago when I convinced myself that I NEEDED another set of IEMs for use at the gym. Of course, analysis paralysis immediately set in, and I spent more than a few hours reading online reviews and recommendations for something ideal. I ultimately decided on the MEElectronics M21 you see in this picture. This isn't intended to be a review of the M21. Besides, I haven't listened to them enough because I'm still in the process of burning them in (headphone geeks will know what that means). Instead, I'll use this as an opportunity to explain the headphone thing.

What: Headphones and related audio gear.

When: I've had junk headphones since I was a kid, and I've had all of the junk headphones and earbuds that come with music players (yes, I'm old enough to remember Sony Walkman cassette players and the junk audio transducers that came with them). As a grown-up, I've had some better-than-junk headphones, but none of that garbage really counts. I believe my headphone journey started about five or six years ago, and it hasn't stopped.

Why: This is easy. Music enjoyment. I love listening to music, I love the sonic experience, and I love hearing as much detail as possible. I don't consider myself an audiophile, nor am I an audio equipment snob. I simply wanted a "good" set of IEMs to replace the stock ones that came with my portable music player. Eventually, I set up a decent audio rig at my desk and wanted a good set of headphones for the office (I listen to music almost constantly while working). Why all of this hassle? To maximize enjoyment and to hear as much detail as possible.

How: I am pretty sure that Head-Fi was around way back when. I don't know how I found that site, but I spent countless hours reading about headphones and IEMs, making a wish list, and scanning through the different review and comment threads about the different products on my list (this may have been the onset of analysis paralysis; I ought to be more spontaneous and just make impulsive buys). After reading a 200+ page thread about them, I finally decided to buy the Atrio earphones by Future Sonics. One thing led to another, I discovered some headphone-specific retail sites, learned about headphone amps, DACs, and digital music technologies, and I was off and running.

After acquiring the Atrios, which I still have and use all the time, the headphone upgrade-buy-sell path went kinda like this: Grado SR-80 headphones; Grado SR-225 headphones; Etymotic MC5 earphones; Beyerdynamic DT-880 (600 Ohm version); Sony MDR-ZX700 headphones; Sennheiser HD650 headphones; and last but not least, the MEElectronics M21 earphones shown in the picture. I eventually sold the two Grados, but I really miss the SR-225 set. I returned the Ety MC5 earphones immediately because I didn't like their sound profile. I sold the DT-880 headphones, too. I kept the MDR-ZX700 headphones for use at home because they are closed headphones, which is nice to help muffle the screaming kids, video games, and annoying neighbors. The HD650 headphones are featured in my office rig, and I have no immediate plans to move them just yet.

Holy crap I have a problem. That said, I haven't gone down the path of super-expensive headphones (e.g., Sennheiser HD800, Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, or Audeze LCD-3) because I do have my limits and a realistic budget. This is a key consideration . . . you can get extremely good sound these days without breaking the bank, and the super high end headphones typically require super high end source equipment to make them shine, which only adds to the monetary pain. Note that the MEElectronics M21 earphones were less than $20.00, and by all reports they are well worth the cost.

PS - I have a pro tip for anyone who is sick of tangled earphone cables. After you are done listening, wrap them up in a figure eight pattern (see picture to the right) before stashing them in their case, your pocket, your bra, or wherever. When you whip them out again, the cable will self-deploy quickly and easily without getting tangled or caught on itself. Try it.

Pen Lineup: Part 1

I thought that at least one person would like to know a little more about the pens in the pile-up shown in the previous post. I extracted a group of exemplary models from the pile for this lineup:

From left to right: Uni-Ball Micro rollerball 0.5 mm (the offending standard issue office pen); Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7 mm; Pilot EnerGel Needle Tip Retractable 0.5 mm; Uni-Ball 207 Signo RT 0.7 mm; Zebra F-301 ballpoint; Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.5 mm; Pilot Hi-Tec-C with Grip 0.4 mm; Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 mm; Pentel Slicci 0.4 mm; Zebra Sarasa Stick 0.4 mm; Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 mm; Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38 mm; Pilot G-2 0.7 mm; and Pilot G-Knock 0.38 mm.

As mentioned before, I'm retiring the Uni-Ball Micro rollerball from the stable. It just plain sucks. The Uni-Ball Jetstream uses ink that is somewhat like a ballpoint pen and somewhat like a rollerball pen. Basically, somewhat ballpoint + somewhat rollerball = somewhat sucks. I don't like this hybrid ink style; it's too much like a ballpoint with the ink blobs and smearing. Next we have the awesome-writing Pilot EnerGel. The needle tip is great, and the 0.5 size is ideal for me. The only downside to this pen is that the grip portion of the barrel is a little fat for my liking. The Uni-Ball 207 retractable pen is way too blobby at 0.7 mm, resulting in long drying times and ink smears.  Meh.

This leads to the Zebra F-301 ballpoint. Now, I generally despise ballpoint pens and I prefer to use pencils and rollerballs. My anti-ballpoint stance developed over many years of suffering with leaky tips, ink stains, and otherwise poor writing from el cheapo stick pens, giveaway pens, and the like.  Just awful.  For home use, however, nothing beats an inexpensive retractable ballpoint for everyday use, especially when spouses and kids tend to lose pen caps.  Although the F-301 is far from perfect, it seems to be one of the better retractable ballpoint pens that can be found virtually anywhere (drug stores, office supply stores, hardware stores) for a very reasonable price.  This will be my go-to ballpoint pen for general use.

Next in the lineup are two versions of what I feel are the best gel pens that I have tried thus far.  Yup, these are the very well regarded Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens from Japan.  The Japanese just do it right.  Look at the simple yet eye-pleasing design!  Look at the color coordination!  Needle tipped configuration!  Did I mention that these pens come in a billion different tip sizes and colors?  These Hi-Tec-C pens exhibit no blobbing, smooth writing, and quick drying times.  The 0.4 mm size is very good, but it can get a little scratchy on the paper and a little skippy depending on how fast I'm writing and how I'm holding the pen.  The standard Hi-Tec-C has texturing in the barrel near the grip area, and the "with grip" version includes a rubber grip (color coordinated to match the ink color), which I prefer.  So I'm currently leaning toward the 0.5 mm gripped version as a reference standard.

Several Hi-Tec-C competitors appear next in the lineup:  Uni-Ball Signo DX; Pentel Slicci; and Zebra Sarasa Stick.  I like the Hi-Tec-C better than the Signo DX, the Slicci is too thin and tiny for me, and I haven't used the Sarasa Stick enough to form an opinion.  I do like the design and appearance of the Slicci and Sarasa Stick pens.  A few retractable gel pens finish the lineup:  Zebra Sarasa Clip; Uni-Ball Signo RT; the very well-known Pilot G-2; and the G-2's close cousin, the Pilot G-Knock.  I haven't used any of these very much except for the G-2, and in my opinion the 0.7 mm size is just too large.  I bought the G-Knock in 0.5 mm and 0.38 mm sizes for comparison to the 0.7 mm G-2 pen, so stay tuned.  By the way, why does the American market flood us with 0.7 mm pens?  Do Americans really prefer these fat, imprecise, leaky, ink blob creators?  Lame.

Pens!

What: A ridiculous amount of pens (and a token mechanical pencil).

When: Purchased and collected during the last few weeks.

Why: LOL, this might take some time to explain.

The seed of this irrational interest in pens can be traced to a discussion I had with a friend regarding EDC (Every Day Carry) items. He mentioned that he always carries a writing instrument on his person, you know, "just in case." His weapon of choice these days is the Pentel Sharp Kerry mechanical pencil. He showed it to me, and I was immediately sucked in. Long story short, I bought one for use at the office to replace the disposable, and pretty much worthless, mechanical pencil that I had been using. Long story long, this got me thinking about "upgrading" the standard issue pens that my office provides (Uni-Ball Micro Rollerball pens). I had long grown tired of their inconsistent performance, random wet/dry ink scenarios, and ink blobs on my papers, but never thought twice about them. I decided to take the red pill so to speak, and took a trip to Staples to check out their pen selection.

How: Until a few weeks ago I was totally and utterly clueless about pen ink and pen technology. For example, I thought that "gel" in the context of a pen meant that the pen had a squishy jelly-like finger grip on the barrel. Seriously.  Staples set me straight. I now realize that "gel" is a type of ink, along the lines of ballpoint ink versus liquid rollerball ink versus gel ink versus fountain pen ink. Anyhow, I picked up a small assortment of pens at Staples, including some ballpoints, some gels, and some "hybrid" ink pens (Uni-Ball Jetstream pens). After test driving this first batch, I entered the deep dark world of Internet pen blogs/forums (see, e.g., The Pen Addict) to read reviews in an attempt to find the best pen for daily use at the office. Down the slippery slope we go to discover more and more blogs (Office Supply Geek) and even some e-commerce sites that are DEVOTED to pens (JetPens and Tokyo Pen Shop), and here we are.  The aforementioned sites are full of descriptions, pictures, and reviews of various pens, pencils, and writing instruments.  I don't intend to do the same, but might provide some thoughts and comments soon, because I'm still in the process of testing pens, finding new ones to buy, etc. I haven't even started down the fountain pen path, which I know will just consume my life eventually.

Welcome to The Daily Acquisition

In accordance with proper social media etiquette, I'll begin this here blog with a quick explanation of what, why, etc.  "The Daily Acquisition" refers to my bad habit of getting sucked into the vortex of consumerism, hobbyism, and product purchasing, which has become far too easy these days, especially with the abundance of information available on the Internet.  You can call it OCD, anal retentiveness, Acquisition Disorder, Possession Obsession, Disturbing, or whatever.

Take, for example, headphones, earbuds, and earphones.  Most people are content with whatever earbuds are given for free with, say, an iPod.  Good for them.  Unfortunately for me, I want good headphones even though I listen to crappy music at times.  This leads down the rabbit hole of online research related to headphones:  reading Amazon reviews; reading other blogs that discuss audio gear and headphones; and reading "headphone enthusiast" websites and forums (umm, like Head-Fi) for hours on end.  This in turn, leads to analysis paralysis and, ultimately, a purchase.  Which then initiates the downward spiral into headphone hell, all in an attempt to find the best possible headphones that satisfy all of my needs (including budgetary needs).

How does this end?  It doesn't.  It leads to more time wasted on the Internet, visiting stores, buying stuff, selling stuff, re-buying stuff, re-selling stuff, and collecting stuff.

More details to come.