Have I done a bad thing?

[Heidi]

:shrug: Last week, I bought my beloved little brother an absolutely beautiful, Swiss-made Caran d'Ache fountain pen for Christmas. Like me, he has a fetish for fine writing instruments. When I bought this exquisite pen, I made sure to have the merchant gift-wrap it, so that I wouldn't be tempted to keep it for myself instead of sending it to the states.



Well, it sat in its beautiful gift-wrapped box, on the desk, waiting for me finish filling my box of gifts to Post to my family. After about the second day, I sensed that the Caran d'Ache Ecridor pen was some how calling to me, wanting to be -- oh, I dunno -- freed from the ribbon and gift wrap, and admired.

So I did it. I unwrapped my brother's Christmas gift, filled it black ink, and wrote my Christmas cards. I'll go back to the shop on Monday and buy the same pen (again) for my brother.

Still, I think I've done a bad thing. :cry: The pen writes beautifully, by the way, and I'm very much enjoying it. :evilgrin:

[RetroLounge]

1. Wanna send me one too?

That is truly beautiful!

RL

[Heidi]

2. Ahhhhh, but you didn't answer the question, RL.

You have not absolved me of my guilt. :rofl:

It's not only beautiful, but it has a sort of meaningful heft in the hand, and writes soooooo smoothly. And not at all expensive in comparison to other "nice" fountain pens. You should treat yourself to one of these, RL.

http://www.carandache.ch/products/writing/index.lbl

[RetroLounge]

48. absolved me of your guilt?

Is there a Cheesey Rev in the house??? We need some absolution...

:shrug:

In my opinion, you did the right thing. Had to be sure the quality was high enough before you bought me one...

:D

RL

[Heidi]

53. I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.

:rofl:

Yes, quality control is _everything_. Agreed. Totally. :rofl:

[Wapsie B]

3. Oh Heidi no!

:cry:

Dear god why? :cry:


























ps. let me know how to get one of those. ;-)

[Heidi]

6. Here's the link, honey.

I bought "mine" (it's mine NOW) at Cartoleria Mazzoni across the lake from us, but there are many dealers in the US.

I checked and there's no dealer in Iowa, but you can go to this link and search by state for a dealer: http://www.carandache.ch/cda/contacts/worldwide.lbl

[Wapsie B]

23. Thank you baby.

I'll see if I can find one.

:)

[In_The_Wind]

4. You were only testing the merchandise.

[Heidi]

9. True, although

I had already tested a "demo" model in the shop before purchasing. :rofl:

[In_The_Wind]

29. Silly ...

You still needed to run the endurance test ...

You wouldn't want the new toy to fizzle out ...

[Heidi]

30. Exactamundo!

You've got on your thinkin' cap, dontcha, gf? :thumbsup:

:hug: :*SMOOCH:*

[southlandshari]

5. Hell, anyone who has sent out Christmas cards already...

gets a free pass on a little gift-coveting behavior!

;)

If you are buying him the same pen next week, I say no harm, no foul!

:hi:

[Heidi]

8. Oh, yes, of course I'll buy him the same pen on Monday.

I felt a bit, um, juvenile while coveting the pen in its gift-wrapped box, though. But I felt, for a fleeting moment, much better after I had "freed" it from its tinsely prison. :rofl:

[southlandshari]

11. LOL!

Before I forget, did you see my PM about our mutual friend in Georgia? I know her very well!

Small world, huh?

:D

[Heidi]

12. See, now that's another bad thing I've done:

neglecting my "inbox." I get so few PMs that I forget to check on whether I have any. :rofl:

I have a fun story to tell you about our mutual friend. Check your PMs later today, gf.

:hug: :loveya:

[southlandshari]

25. I'll let you off the hook on that one...

Seeing as how you let me flirt with your husband around here and you laugh at my jokes about running off with you and those boots!

:rofl:

Or ARE they jokes?

:evilgrin:



:D

[Heidi]

28. The minute Call Me Wesley leaves me for Matcom

I'll come runnin' straight into your arms, dah-link. No joke. :evilgrin:

[southlandshari]

31. In that case...

I'm sending matcom a PM right NOW and asking him to step up his efforts to seduce your man!

:rofl:

[Heidi]

33. Does Matcom play requests?

On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised. :rofl:

[southlandshari]

36. He might for some - but he never does anything I tell him to do

So maybe I shouldn't send that PM after all. Or send him one telling him to stay far away from Call Me Wesley. That will almost insure redoubled efforts on his part to steal him away from you!

:rofl:

[Heidi]

37. All too true, gf.

Matcom impresses strikes me as the "uncoachable" sort. :rofl:

[southlandshari]

38. He is incorrigible.

Half of the images in my photobucket account were added to keep up with him (or to lock his threads!).

:evilgrin:


I've even had to wear a special uniform when I come to work a mod shift when matcom is around. Look!






I can't help but noticing that your boots would go nicely with this, btw!

:loveya:

[Heidi]

39. Check your PMs!

I'm trying to take your mind off of my future boots (which should be here Wednesday or Thursday, by the way.)

:loveya: :hug:

[southlandshari]

40. I just did!

:rofl:



:loveya:

[Heidi]

41. Heh!

You have to ask her once about the time she was behind a guy on an escalator or stairs in DC, and didn't even notice that he was wearing butt-less chaps until he commented on the cold weather. :rofl:

[Swamp Rat]

7. Naw! You done good by your bro!

We say in New Orleans: "C'est la vie! Le bon temps roule!" ... in your case "Le bon stylo roule!" :D

[Heidi]

10. Thanks, Swamp Rat!

My lil bro is one of the coolest human beans _evah_ and though he's 34, I still spoil him. A little. :)

[NMMNG]

13. Well, considering you are buying another one for him anyway

You really haven't done anything bad. You just ended up buying yourself a nice little gift. :shrug:

[Heidi]

16. I am such an easy target for ambient holiday guilt.

It's in the air, ya know? :rofl:

When I started feeling guilty, Call Me Wesley says, "What's with the guilt? You wouldn't think twice about buying _me_ something like that!" (And that's true. Call Me Wesley owns the mechanical pencil and ballpoint pen that match this fountain pen.)

:hug: Buffy! :loveya:

[Robeson]

14. No. At least you're going back to give him another one....

...but be glad, at least you have a relationship with your brother. My brother and I used to be best friends. Now, we no longer talk, and haven't in about a year-and-a-half. We had a "falling out"...:-(

[Heidi]

17. Welp. Robeson, you may just have to do with your brother

what I've forced myself to do with my sister on about a brazilion occasions: just cowboy up and say, "I don't always like your behavior, but I care about _you_." It kills me every time I have to do it, but I do it anyway. :shrug:

:loveya: my friend!

[Robeson]

24. I know.....

...he and his wife pretty much dumped on my wife and I. It's hard to go back, but it bothers me that we no longer talk. I know I should buck up, and be a bigger man than him, but I feel like I would just be setting myself up for them to do it again. Oh well, just another American dysfunctional family...

Thanks for the kind feelings...:pals:

[Heidi]

27. True confession time.

The last time I had to "cowboy up" and make amends with my sister was following this telephone conversion:

Lil Sis: "So what made you want to to marry a foreigner?"

Heidi: "Oh, I dunno. What made your husband want to marry a dumbass?"

After about six months, I called her to apologize to insulting her husband. :evilgrin:

[Robeson]

32. True confessions Part II......

...Yeah, I'd say that was tit-for-tat, and you were the bigger person for breaking the ice.

In my case, my brother and his spouse overtly and covertly attacked us on about 10 occasions, with no provocation on our part, yet he is a habitual liar, so can justify everything he's done in his own mind, yet we will never reunite, unless I make a move, because in his pathologically lying mind, he has done no wrong...:banghead:

[Heidi]

34. If your brother is a pathological liar,

then he's sick, Robeson, and I know you're a thinking man who wouldn't punish a person on account of his or her pathology, right? This way of thinking is the _only_ way I can excuse some of my sister's behavior: "Well, she's sorta nuts. What do I expect?"

[Robeson]

35. You're right....

...I need to dig deep and realize that. The ball is in "my court", because he is unable to make that step. Thanks for providing a shoulder. This stuff seems to hit home on holidays, dangit...:hug:

[LaurenG]

43. lol That was a very funny retort

Somehow it satisfies something deep inside me that I can't quite put my finger on. :rofl:

[Heidi]

44. Here's the thing, OhioBlues . . .

my little sister is _always_ going off on immigrants and "foreigners" and she's just aghast that my husband isn't an American. What she doesn't get is that he's NOT a foreigner. I live with him in Switzerland, so I'm the foreigner in this marriage. She just doesn't get it. :banghead:

But yeah, I have to admit, it was a pretty hilarious exchange between us. :evilgrin:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

15. Are you asking to be spanked?

[Heidi]

19. My conscience already has taken a brutal flogging, CG.

But I'm sure that between SeattleGirl and Southlandshari, there's be no shortage of offers to spank me if I did, indeed, "desire" additional punishment. :rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

18. You sure have!

Come here, you bad girl! :spank: :spank: :spank: :evilgrin:

[Heidi]

20. See my post to Crazy upthread.

I _knew_ this was comin'. :rofl:

Thank you, Mistress Rev. SeattleGirl. I feel now, somehow . . . oh, I dunno . . . PURGED. :rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

21. Ah yes, I love to purge souls of their badness!

:rofl: :evilgrin:

[Heidi]

22. It's the philanthropist in you, girlfriend.

Or the sadist. :evilgrin:

[SeattleGirl]

26. Probably a bit of both!

:evilgrin:

[peacefreak]

42. Have you done most of the rest of your shopping?

If so, feel free to use my 4 for them, 1 for me rule. For every 4 presents you buy for your loved ones YOU get one. This would easily fit in. And besides, you would never buy your brother substandard shit would you? You were only looking out for him. And the pen couldn't breathe in the wrapping
And...You need more rationalization, I'm your girl!

[Heidi]

45. Hey, thanks, peacefreak!

That's _exactly_ the sort of comfort I was looking for. :hug: :evilgrin:

And no way would I give my lil bro sub-standard, untried, untested crap. Only the best for him and, by extension, for myself. :rofl:

[Strong Atheist]

46. Speaking as a brother to a sister,

yes, you have done a bad thing. Bad, bad, bad!x(

[Heidi]

52. Oh, yeah, go ahead. Play the "speaking as a brother" card.

The pen is miiiiiiiiine. Heh-heh-heh. :evilgrin:

[Strong Atheist]

56. Well, I wouldn't do

anything like that EVER to MY younger sister .... well, except in the case of the comics books (Foxtrot, Sherman's Lagoon, Mutts, etc.) that we both like ...

[neweurope]

47. The fact that you're enjoying it is showing you that you did a bad thing!

Shame on you!

;)

-----------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Heidi]

51. OK, I'm gonna head up to the church in the village and repent.

But I'm _still_ keepin' this pen. :evilgrin:

[khashka]

49. You are a very bad girl, Heidi

You'll be getting coal in your stocking this Christmas! How could you do it? Don't you know that sort of behaviour makes Santa Claus cry?

(But you got the pen, so I guess crime does pay.)

Khash.

[Heidi]

50. Khash, funny you should show up here!

I saw that very, very "hot young khashka" photo you posted in the hideously long "YOWZA" thread, and I must say that you looked a great deal like the young Call Me Wesley, once again confirming my excellent taste in men. :thumbsup:

Your remark, re: "makes Santa Claus cry," reminds me of this lyric from Mojo Nixon:

"Well, I saw Ya
sitting there
I was tryin' not to stare
I wasn't sure
if it was You
I didn't know just what to do

Well, are You drinking
with me, Jesus?
I can't see You
very clear
are You drinkin'
with me, Jesus?
Won't You buy a friend a beer?

[auntAgonist]

54. Look at it this way Heidi~

NOW you know for absolute certain that he'll love the pen. You've tried it and are convinced enough to go back and get another one. I think YOU just wanted a guarantee that it was as good a pen as you thought it would be and HAD to try it out. NOW you KNOW it's wonderful!!


does that help? heheh


enjoy the pen!
And you have your christmas cards all done already?????? aye aye aye ...

I'm so far behind I might be ready for Christmas 2006!

[Heidi]

57. Yeah, that's the ticket! That's it EXACTLY!

I have to do Christmas cards and family gifts early, because it takes a long time for them to cross the ocean. Otherwise, I'd wait until Dec. 23. :blush:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

55. My dear Heidi.....

You did a wonderful thing, my dear gf! Liberating that poor pen was truly a heroic act.....

You make me smile, you know that? I am honored to be your friend!


Love you bunches.......:loveya: :hug:

[Heidi]

58. I'm glad you smiled, Peggy.

A smile from you is worth it's weight in exquisite, silver, Chevron-engraved fountain pens. :evilgrin!

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. No. You did a bad thing by posting the website....

Damn you! :hi: :bounce:

[Arugula Latte]

60. Coveting Thy Brother's Pen -- The worst sin possible.

I'm sorry. It's Eternal Flames for you. :(

[merh]

61. Now how could it be wrong for you to test write the pen

you are going to give your brother? I mean seriously, being a fanatic of fine writing equipment, you know how important it is the the feel of the pen in your hand, the weight of the instrument and the flow of the ink is to the true lover of the fine writing pens.

If I were the recipient, I would want you to give me a pen that your rely on, that satisfies your very high standards.

What would be wrong would be using the pen and wiping off the tip and putting it back into the gift box and wrapping.

Since you are buying him a new pen, I think you have only shown respect for the gift and his appreciation for fine writing instruments.

:hi: What a remarkable gift, what a loving sister! :hug:

[Heidi]

64. A woman who understands!

But I couldn't wipe off the tip, put the pen back in the gift box and wrapping and gift it to my lil bro. Because . . . ya know, he'd know[/b.

[swag]

62. Yes, you have done a bad thing. But since you take your orders

from the Talking Walnut, it is not, technically speaking, your bad thing.

[bigwillq]

63. Not a bad thing...

as long as you really go and buy your bro another one.

Just consider it an early XMAS gift to yourself! :hi:

[progmom]

65. oooh - good pens and a fresh pad of paper

few things give me as much anticipatory joy as that combo. i knew there was a reason i felt kinship with you! :pals: