In Which Pens and Pencils Overtake My Desk (and My Life)

I admit that I have a Thing about supplies. I like a well-sharpened pencil; a good eraser could make me weak in the knees. My philosophy with regards to pens runs along the lines of "the more, the better." To know that there is a full supply of paper in the household is to have mental peace.

Eventually, though, you have more than you expected. Eventually, you might, for example, have two big pencil cups full of pens and pencils, more pencils in a drawer, and Sharpies and pens taking over your desktop.

(I didn't mention the Sharpies? I adore Sharpies.)

A good pen sticks with you. It's the first one for which you reach, at least until the next shiny pen introduces itself to your routine. You remember the day when the old pen came first, though, and you can't bear to discard it or - worse - pass it along to a spouse or child. They might not treat your cast-off with the respect it deserves! They may not grasp its worth immediately! Worst of all, they may be the recipient of its final ink.

Clearly, that's not the way to winnow your pens to a manageable size.

I want a clean workspace. I don't have a drawer under my desktop, nor are their drawers at all with my desk. I have a separate storage unit with two drawers, a shelf, and some filing slots. The bottom drawer is far too deep for writing implements; the top drawer is full of technological accessories - picture cords, iPod cords, slips of paper with scribbled passwords, battery chargers, and wall chargers. It became the designated holding spot for those things long before I attempted to get a handle on the Writing Implement Situation. When I first bought my pencil cups (which, naturally, match both each other and the legs of my desk), I thought my problems were solved. There were - for about two months. Maybe not even that long. More pens found their way into our home (complementary with package, complementary in conference freebie bag, not complementary at Office Depot...). Eventually, I stopped trying to fit more pencils and pens into the overstuff cups and instead just began putting them "neatly" on my desktop. There's only one issue with that.

Pens (and pencils) roll.

I still have no solution. I don't even really have ideas, except for the thought that Sharpies deserved a container reserved especially for them. Perhaps the real kicker is the knowledge that it's not just me, anymore. I can see signs of this disorder in EG, as well. Just ask her about her pencil box, pencil pouch, and pencil bag. All of them are, naturally, full.