Getting re-aquainted with the blog…

Ah…it feels good to be back. It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to start posting a little more regularly than what you’ve seen from me in the past few months. There’s lots of cool new pen topics and interesting stuff to talk about, too. Despite the troubled economy, pen companies are still doing cool things, and there are always a few more vintage pens that don’t get the love they deserve.

In the coming months, I’m hoping to be able to stick to about two posts per month. Here’s a few ideas I’m working on: tips on smoothing scratchy nibs, a few new-ish pen reviews, some notebook short-takes, perhaps a hack or two, some history lessons, and maybe some additions to the budget writers series, too.

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So where have I been, and what’s the story on this hiatus, anyway???

Hi folks!  Look who’s finally come up for air!!!  Yes, believe it or not, I’m still alive and kicking.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted, and there’s a pretty good reason why.  Initially, I wasn’t planning to tell it (because quite frankly, I wasn’t exactly sure when, or how, it would end), but after a fair bit of soul-searching, and a few well-placed comments from some really important people in my life, I’ve changed my mind.  So without further ado, here’s what’s been going on. 

(Warning: this is a bit of a lengthy post.)

For the past five years (give or take), I’ve been battling cancer – and I didn’t know it until mid-November. 

It started with a little lump on my arm that I didn’t worry about because a) it didn’t get in my way or cause me any pain, and b) I thought it was a fat deposit.  Over the years I thought it might have been getting a little bigger, but my family doc said that it was nothing to be worried about unless it started to get a) a fair bit bigger fairly quickly, or b) started to cause me pain and/or get firmer.  Actually, two doctors told me that – my family doc and the general surgeon that I was referred to about a year ago when it had gotten a bit bigger in size (and firmer). 

It kept getting bigger over the summer and finally it seemed like it was a rock, and it started to hurt if I bumped it (or leaned in a doorway or something where indirect pressure would be applied).  I went back to that surgeon this past October, and we agreed that it needed to come out (still thinking it was a fat deposit).  On November 6, they did an in-office procedure and while they didn’t tell me this at the time…they got more than they bargained for.  They removed a full-fledged tumor that was just about the same size as a baseball (maybe a bit bigger).  They didn’t lead me to believe that it was anything to be worried about, but said that they were sending it to the lab to have it analyzed – per routine procedure.  Two weeks later, and after the local pathology lab had analyzed it and then sent it to the Mayo Clinic to confirm, they informed me that it a) wasn’t a fat deposit, and b) it was cancer. 

The surgeon told me that it wasn’t a killer-type cancer; it wouldn’t spread, it wouldn’t kill me or decrease my life expectancy (and this is all true), but that there was a slim chance that it could re-grow in the same place.  He told me to do monthly arm exams, sort of like how women are supposed to be doing self exams for breast cancer (not to get personal, but if you’re of the fairer sex…you’d better be doing them!), and if I felt anything, to call him back and we’d start talking options.

This didn’t sit well.  At age 30, hearing a doc tell you that you have cancer…well, how would you react?

One of my cousins is a nurse here in town, and when she found out, she came to my rescue and pulled some strings (probably more like big ropes – I don’t know how kosher it is to slot relatives into the fast-track for consultation with a surgical oncologist, but she did it anyway, bless her heart) and got me in to see the best surgical oncologist in the city (perhaps the state) just before Thanksgiving. 

He respectfully disagreed with the “wait and see” attitude.  “Cancer like this is aggressive,” he said, “and with a 15-20% chance of re-occurrence (in my mind, this is not a “slim chance”), we need to fight back pretty aggressively to try and keep those odds stacked in your favor as much as we can.  We gotta do surgery again and clean up what might have been left behind.”  And thus…surgery was scheduled for his soonest opening (Dec. 15). 

When it was all said and done, the surgery went pretty well, but while I was in recovery, the doctor pulled my wife aside and said, “I hate to say this, but I don’t think we got it all; we’ll let the lab do the testing to make sure, but we pulled out a LOT of infected tissue before we got to clean stuff – and I don’t think that we got it all.  I think we’re looking at another surgery to go in and finish the job.  Not right away, but as soon as the incision has healed up, we’re probably going to have to go in again on the perpendicular axis to get into the corners that we think we left, and probably follow it with a pretty amped-up dose of radiation afterwards to make sure that everything is dead.”

Great…a bad situation gets worse.

The holidays, and my recovery, went okay (pretty well, actually, all things considered), but obviously I was pretty stressed about the whole thing (as was my loving wife and my extended family).  I have to confess that I spent most of December doped up on pain meds; suffice it to say that I would have sounded like a blithering idiot if I’d tried to post anything of value here on Brassing.  Pain meds aside, though, my mental outlook was a bit “pressured.”  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus for more than about 39 seconds.  I was, and still am, very thankful that this isn’t one of those “big-time” life-threatening cancers, but I was pretty uneasy when I walked into the doc’s office for the followup on December 31.  I knew that one thing was certain; the stitches were being taken out (hallelujah for that!).  Aside from that, though, I wasn’t sure what to expect. 

But…the doc walked in with a big toothy grin (he’s a little guy from New York with a small frame and a pretty dry sense of humor – but a big smile…extra big at that moment) and says to me, “Well, whaddya know?  The margins tested clear!  I don’t know how we did it, but we got it all!  For now, my friend, you’re cancer-free!” 

I nearly fell off the exam table.

Furthermore, he told me that he didn’t think that radiation was necessary right now because he didn’t think that the benefits outweighed the risks if the tumor did come back.  He said that radiation would probably only cut the odds by (best-case) 50%, which would still leave me with double-digit odds, and it would make future surgeries tougher to do and would make healing not go as well as it has this time around.  Still, he wanted me to see a radiologist so I could hear their side of the story and make my own decision on the matter. 

I had a consult with the head of Mercy Medical’s radiology department here in Des Moines yesterday and got a different story.  He’s recommending the treatment and says that it’ll really be the best thing I can do to stack the odds in my favor.  With tumors the size of the one I had, and narrow margins of clear tissue, I’m apparently closer to the 20% end of the re-occurence scale (maybe even higher, given the size of the tumor), and he thinks that by nuking ground zero right now, we’ll be able to cut the odds by 60 – 70%.  He left the decision up to me, though.  So…while I’m free and clear of cancer (for now)…it sounds like the final chapters of this story have yet to be written.  I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I’m sort of leaning towards going through with it as I bang away on this keyboard.  Time will tell…stay tuned.  I can’t guarantee that my posts will be super-regular in the foreseeable future, but if I’m able (and I feel like I’ve got some value to share), I will.  In advance, I appreciate your patience as I get things sorted out. 

So…I guess I spent a couple of months beating cancer…sorta. 

(And if this story sounds a little re-hearsed…well, I’ve had to tell it quite a few times; I’m getting pretty good at it.)

Additionally, I’d like to add one more thing to this (already) very long post, and it’s truly from the heart.  There are a number of you readers out there that I know on a personal level, and many more who I frequently exchange emails and letters with.  There were a number of emails, notes, letters, and phone calls from those of you who just wanted to make sure I was okay during this little life-imposed sabbatical; whether I responded or not (and if I did respond and I appeared to have lost my mind – thank you Vicodin!)…none of you will ever understand how much that meant to me.  You (my beloved wife of almost 7 years, my friends, family, loved ones here and elsewhere, and acquaintances who I barely know, co-workers, and all of the medical staff who took such good care of me) were, and still are, the Earthly support staff that I’ve come to rely on to keep me pointed in the right direction (mostly mentally, but sometimes physically too!).

On the surface, this kind of cancer is a relative light-weight (dermato-fibro-sarcoma protuberans – DFSP for short).  It’s not life-threatening, and it absolutely pales in comparison to some of the cancers that you folks have experienced (either personally or through those around you); frankly, I feel really sheepish by putting myself in the same category as those who’ve beaten lung, breast, prostate, liver, and other cancers that are the really big-hitters.  I don’t say this to make light of what may/may not be in my life now and in the future…it’s more to say thank you for doing what you do.  Being strong and supportive of those who have suffered or continue to do so, or living your life to the fullest despite battling cancer yourself.  Whether you wear the yellow wristband or not…living strong is a demonstration of the utmost character. 

You’re making it count, and you’re teaching me while you’re doing it. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Ryan @ Brassing Adds Character

Technorati Tags: cancer,dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans,DFSP,surgery,tumor,radiation,oncology

Quick updates…

Believe it or not, I’m still alive and kicking.  Life has been pretty busy and rather stressful of late, hence the conspicuous lack of postings from me.  Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven’t forgotten about the blog, but I’ve had to re-focus my attentions to other areas of life.  I hope that this situation will be remedied soon, but for now, my posts may be a little more scattered for now. 

However, there’s one thing that I did want to mention.  I got an email from Adam Alalouf at Holt’s Cigar Co., and he told me that they’ve decided to extend their sale on pens for the time being.  So, if there’s something that you’re looking for (aside from Pelikans – they’re out of those) that originally appeared on the list that I posted a while back, you might still want to give them a phone call.  There’s a good chance that they have what you’re looking for in stock, and at a terrific price!

Happy hunting!

Technorati Tags: fountain pens on sale,holt cigar,Visconti,Omas,Pilot,S.T. DuPont,Parker,Waterman,Aurora

An extraordinarily rare Lamy 2000

At first glance, can you tell me what’s so rare about this Lamy 2000?

 

If not, don’t worry.  You’re just like everyone else…except for its owner (a man called Matt from the East Coast).  Matt relayed a story to me about his trip to this year’s DC Supershow a few weeks ago, and it really impressed me on a couple of levels.

Matt went to the show with very few goals; the most important one was to get his Lamy 2000 F ground down to an XF, which would be more to his liking (as I’ve said before, the Lamy 2000 nib runs at least one size broader than its stated width – this must have been a paintbrush to Matt!).  His intent was to have Richard Binder do the work, but Matt didn’t get there until 9:15AM on Saturday, and found a waiting list 26 customers deep (which definitely says a lot about the quality of Richard’s work!)!  With no way to get back to the show on Sunday, Matt thought that his hopes were lost…until he got to the Sailor table.

Yukio Nagahara, one of Japan’s most talented nib artisans, was quietly sitting at the table tuning someone’s Sailor.  Matt said that he asked if there was a long wait, and he was overjoyed to find that there was only one person ahead of him in line!  Twenty minutes later, Mr. Nagahara looked up, gave a playful grimace at Matt’s Lamy (after all, he does work for Sailor), and laughed when Matt apologized to him for not handing him a Sailor. 

A few minutes later, Mr. Nagahara handed Matt his perfectly-ground Lamy 2000.  When Matt reached for his wallet, he was told to put it away…this one was on the house. 

Here’s a picture of the finished work, and a writing sample.

So why is this pen so rare?  Well…how many of you own Lamy 2000s made by Sailor?

This story impressed me on a number of levels – many of them from a business perspective.  In no particular order, here they are.

1. Richard Binder’s work is so hotly in demand that he was taking pens into his queue at the rate of almost 2 per minute, in the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s show!  That’s the value of word of mouth marketing.  Sure, Richard has a great website and he’s active in the fountain pen community, but singlehandedly, getting your work to be that greatly demanded…that’s a pretty big job.  I know for fact that Richard has legions of fans; I’m one of them.  He does fantastic work.  I’ve got three nibs that he’s done for me, and my wife has one.  Each one is different, but there’s no slouch among them.  His customers do more advertising and marketing for him than he could ever do.  Word of mouth marketing is extraordinary in its power.
2. The Sailor Pen Company knows the value of investing in the future of their brand.  They knew that by taking that 2000 and having Mr. Nagahara grind it to exactly what Matt asked for, that they would give Matt a taste of what a Sailor pen is like (Matt, by his own admission, doesn’t own any Sailors yet).  They may not have bargained on getting any publicity for it, but I would imagine that they knew that if Matt enjoyed his 2000, then a purchase of another pen – this time a Sailor, couldn’t be too far off.  They were right, too.  While he hasn’t bought one yet, it’s moved to the top of his list.  That’s the value of investing in a relationship with a prospective buyer.
3. The Sailor Pen Company knows what it means to share.  By giving back to the fountain pen users who are prospective buyers without expectations in return (let alone working on another company’s product to make the prospect happy), they’re also setting a higher standard for every other pen company out there.  It would have been just as easy for the Sailor rep to tell Matt, “Sure, Mr. Nagahara would be glad to grind your Lamy’s nib; if you buy a 1911 from us today, we’ll throw in that customization for only $20 more!”  Instead of that, though, they ground the nib for free, and set a very high standard that Matt won’t soon forget. 

I know I won’t forget that story, either.  Matt, enjoy your pen, thank you for the photos, and most importantly – thanks for sharing the story. 

Technorati Tags: sailor pen company,lamy 2000,dc supershow,mr. nagahara,custom nibs,customer service heros,richard binder