As far as i can work out / guess the impact of lunar phases on people...the effect begins about three days before the full moon and last three days after the first night. Interestingly there is a difference in gender responses to moon phases...thus...women are affected by the full moon whereas men are affected by the new (no visible moon) phase.

My three fountain pens, the Platignum, London; the Waterman, Paris, the big Gold Chinese Lan Bad Shen Bi signature-writing pen. Favourite things.

Mr Dylan as reported China: 1.To win the Nobel Prize is not an inglorious thing,in fact it’s an encouraging thing,for if a pop singer could win it,then everyone could. 2.Scholars,preofessors and Dlitts will now argument that I’m not a singer but a poet,but what I wanna say to them is:if I were really a poet 50 years ago,I would starve to death in your sight and your silence. 3.I don’t know what R&R really is now,I thought it’s a prograss of Human civilization,but it might be a degeneration,for there are so many dancing hairy ape on the R&R stage nowadays. 4.The best way to kill a Rebel is to award him a prize,at least better than to use jails and tanks,like those happening somewhere at this time on the same globe of ours.Yet glory will forever belongs to those resisiting people,for the long-live freedom.

Henry Mancini SEND IN THE CLOWNS

The only other special writing instrument I have is a gold-metal massive heavy and long fountain pen my father in law in China (a newspaper owner prior to the Cultural Revolution) gave me a few years ago. It is as if it is made of solid gold or hard iron...and it has the smallest ink reservoir, as if only meant for signing important documents. I refill it with a 23 gauge needle and a 1ml syringe. The nib is gold-iridium and made in Germany, the rest is made in the Peoples Republic. That's a very special writing instrument. I only use it from time to time so the nib will eventually conform to my writing style. It will be well worn in and perfect for me in about 200 years time.

Magnolia ~ J.J. Cale

Retirement into the post-socially useful void is about 2 years away for me. I am planning writing my books, studying calligraphy, painting pictures, some dancing, and learning to play JJ Cale songs on a Fender Stratocaster guitar...as wise old men do.