The Good Stuff

Fountain pens and great headphones

We Hear It Is Mightier…

Have you ever used a fountain pen? My college roommate used a fountain pen – cheap, leaky, impractical. But it gave expressiveness to his handwriting. I received a fountain pen as a gift about 20 years ago and have used them with pleasure ever since. A good fountain pen (impractical for many purposes, but not cheap or leaky) feels like an extension of your hand as you write, and it adds distinction to otherwise undistinguished handwriting.

In a world that tends to reduce everything to its simplest elements, I like having an instrument I use for the pleasure of it.

My favorite fountain pen brand is Pelikan. There are more expensive brands, but none write more smoothly. You can check out a wide range of pen brands at Fahrney’s, perhaps the best pen catalog. Their flagship retail store is in Washington, just a few blocks from the White House.

- Jack Jr.

Headcase

I really like a good pair of headphones. This is going to be a pretty short post, because I’m just going to straightaway tell you the best pair of headphones I’ve had, and you can do with that information what you will. Well, tell you what - I’ll give you two recommendations.

First, for running (which I do almost everyday) the Powerbeats Pro by Beats is exceptional. I’d been hesitant to switch to them because in general I don’t like the over-the-ear clip on most other sets. But these feel incredible. They don’t move around when I run but don’t get uncomfortable after 30 minutes like a lot of similar earbuds I’ve worn. And the sound is fantastic.

Bos QuietComfort headphones

For sitting and reading or working, the Bose QuietComfort headphones are just the best. The noise cancelling option is exceptionally good and really helps me lock in to whatever I happen to be working on. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

- Jack III