On pens: don't balk at spending money on a good one. Like you, I have traditionally had a history of losing pens. Like, all the time. But after writing with

On pens: don't balk at spending money on a good one. Like you, I have traditionally had a history of losing pens. Like, all the time. But after writing with my boss' fountain pen, I was so enamoured with the thing I went and bought a Lamy Al-Star. As far as fountain pens go it's cheap, but it's still a $60 pen. And guess what happened? I started being a hell of a lot more thoughtful about where I put the thing. After all, it's a $60 pen. You're a lot more careful with a $60 pen. :)