Penanoid

Sometimes, people get possessive over stuff. I am not talking about greediness or envy, or anything that would fall into the "seven deadly" category. It's like when a kid gets a new toy for Christmas, or when a person gets a new car and won't even let their significant other drive it.

I admit that I am pretty particular about the stuff that i use. I am writing at least part of this on my iPad mini I got for my birthday a couple of years ago. I use it basically everyday for something. I do most of my reading on it, as well as some basic web stuff that I don't necessarily need my computer for. It isn't the fastest tool for writing, but works well enough when I travel and don't want to pack my laptop on a flight.
My day job is as an engineer for an aerospace company. I am a Mac user at home and use a PC for my work stuff, so I needed to have all of my different productivity tools set up so that they would sync between both my work and home set ups. I have one of those jobs where ideas, thoughts and action items come to mind, even when I am not in my office. They come leave my mind as quickly as they get in there. It isn't just work stuff that this happens to. The idea for this post came to my mind as I was walking from one production area to another while I was at work. I would rather capture the ideas and process them later than hope that I remember them when I am at a good place to write them down.

The Fisher Space Pen with a standard size business card for scale. 

A tool that I use everyday is the common pen. I have to sign documents, write down changes to manufacturing processes as well as take notes in meetings. Me without a pen is like a mechanic without a screwdriver or a doctor without a stethoscope. For my most recent birthday, I got a pen from my family. It may sound simple, but my wife shares my particular bent toward being specific about my tools. She is also really particular about her pens, so she gets my quirkiness. I got a Fisher Space Pen for my birthday. If you are interested, please take a look at the link. I picked the pen, not just because they write upside down, or because they don't leak, but, because it closes up small. I can put it in a pocket in my pants and not feel it stab me in the leg.
The thing about a small pen though is that it has this magical power to disappear. I start and end my day with a clean desk, but as I get going on a project and I have drawings and specs on my desk and on the computer screen, it isn't hard to set a work order down on my pen and not realize it. I found myself to start to worry about losing my new birthday present. It is not a Smeagol kind of worry. I will not refer to my pen as my precious, but, I got it from my family, so it has some significance to me. I found myself getting penanoid about losing my present.
I think this is a feeling that most people get. It probably isn't about a pen, but it could be a family heirloom, or a gift from a relative that has passed away, or an award from a hard fought competition. I am not advocating that people should be possessive about their stuff, far from it. I like my pen, but I love my family.