You are a real fountain pen addict when...

You are a real fountain pen addict when...

When you begin exploring the possibilities and differences of the same ink in different pens.

When you do a personal review of stub nibs in lower-end pens with your first cup of coffee in the morning

When you can espouse on at least 5 different brands/types of virtually identical ink ("I love Noodler's Navajo Turquoise, but it's just a bit dark on cheap paper. It's still my favorite as of now, though. Diamine Turquoise is lovely too, but not quite as saturated as the Noodler's. Lamy Turquoise is much too dry for my taste, and while I love the feel of Ama-Iro, it's just a smidge too blue. I wonder if I could add a couple of drops of Ku-Jaku in the ink to 'green' it up? All I know is that I can't wait for my sample of Diamine Blue Lighting to get here!")

You have 12 inked pens and none of them feel "right" for today's journal entry.

When you ponder whether there is a safe way to use a fountain pen in the shower, or in the pool, or at the beach.

You have a cheaper pen for fishing and photography notes.
And a cheap pen for sailling/motorcycle use.
And some nice vintage Pelikans, Parkers and Monties for nice everyday office/home use.
And then you put them all together in one carry case, because you used different inks in the pens, and you just might need that Red Dragon, the MB Oyster Grey and the...well, you get the point.

The last thing I do in bed each night before I turn out the light is research pens and ink on my iPhone.

You figure in the cost of an least one great pen with your vacation budget.

when myy fp and ink wish list is longer than any other list...

You have enough pens that you can color-coordinate them with your wardrobe...

You get others hooked! I took my pens to work to let everyone play with them and they were drawing and writing and then our boss came and told us to get back to work. Then he had to restrain himself from picking up one of the pens.

When you simply cannot walk past a fountain pen anywhere any time without a closer look.

When you playback in slow-motion a scene in a movie that might have had a fountain pen in it.

When you are cleaning and organizing your kitchen, you know you always set out at least two trays, can't find the second tray, then you say to yourself out loud: "Hmm, I am certain I set out a second pen".
Actually happened to me last week.

When you go to bed listening to Goulet q &a, the pen habit, figboot, or any other fountain pen YouTube videos.

You feel strange without at least one pen on you when you walk out of your front door.

 I always carry a fountain pen and a small notepad whenever I exercise, best time for brainstorming. Actually, the shower is the best time for brainstorming, still haven't figured how to take advantage of that.

When you are in denial that you are an addict.

When you say "sorry" to the pens you have to take out of your bag because they don't fit (while still keeping 10 or so pens in the bag).

You walk for hours, enquire in several places, wait, don't doubt about price or needs or priorities, you don't stop until you have that pen that even makes you wake up in the middle of the night just to think about it once more!
When you live for that!!
Hobby? Nah
Side activity? Nope
Taste for odd toys? They are not toys!
It's your LIFE!!!! .

you tell people you collect pens

You stare at pen websites when you should be working

Your love of fountain pens takes you from restoring vintage, to learning as much history as possible, to seeking out employment with a company that makes pens.

our children see a package, look at you, and say accusingly, "Did you buy more pen stuff?"

You can't write with anything else.

When your wife finds your finds your hypodermic needles used for filling cartridges and wants to have a "serious talk."

When you see a new pen group on Facebook and join even though you know it is a group that speaks a language you have no hope of ever speaking or understanding because there's......pictures!

When you submit an annual budget to your financial planner and there is a "Miscellaneous" line that causes you both to just glance down further at the paper.

A portion of your room is specially for fountain pens, Inks, and related items

You have a specific fountain pen for every thinkable writing task, be it a single streak or days or writing in one specific notebook?

When you have eleventy billion cheapie pens for each ink sample in your stash.

Your spouse says, "should we visit <location> some day?" and your response is based primarily on the existence of pen shops in <location>.

You don't mind when your hands get inked.

You catch yourself telling regular people about the neat color change in an ink you have, giving them the opportunity to say "Did you just admit that you watch ink dry for fun?"

You keep buying pen cases even you've left school some thirty years ago...

 Including four I bought in the new Smiggles store on Saturday (aimed totally at children and yes I did get the odd look when I was in the queue .... :) ) but I got 4 fabulous cases for my fountain pens !!!!!

 I was writing with my Diplomat today, watching colleagues with their alternative writing instruments, and I realised that there was no looking back to the time when I did not use a fountain pen (before december 2016).

You're in this group?

When you are at the gym and while on the treadmill your jam is a goulet pen video. Just happened.

When you match colours in the real world to pens and inks colour instead of it's actual colour

When you realize you have makeup in the colors of your favorite fountain pen inks.

When you have over a dozen hypodermic needles in your drawer and it's not drug related.

At every stationery shops you passed by, you just wanted to go into see fountain pen related things.

When you seek any opportunity to write instead of typing on a e-device

When you make or don't make financial decisions based on how many bottles of ink, or Vanishing Points, or Rhodia pads, etc. For example if you are looking to upgrade your vehicle and you think is it really worth an extra Vanishing Point EVERY month, or I'd like to order the PPV fights but is it really worth 2 bottles of Iroshizuku. When 80% of financial transactions are viewed through the lense of the FP related trade-off.

You mesure value of goods in how much pens or ink you could buy instead

When you have more ink then you could use in your entire life

When you shop at antique shops only for fountain pens.

When you have a monthly ink budget.