Editing The Pen Addict 366/transcript (section)

== Pen Usage Anxiety ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Every time I have to do something like this. Like, it doesn't matter what the pen is. Like, I always feel like I'm putting more pressure on it than it wants, you know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. And people who get paid to do this, they have the tools and the expertise to manage this. And I just look at what Jim's done here. He didn't just, like, fix a damaged nib. He managed to ruin every single part of the pen, pretty much.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, if it moves, he broke it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, I don't know. I think once Jim got started, like, there was no stopping until it was just in crumbles at this point. And I get it. It's like, I get it. I've been there. And I just get frustrated. Like, I know one time I just chucked a pen straight in the trash. I was like, forget it. Like, I broke it well enough to where it was going to, like, cost more than the pen was worth to fix it. And I just tossed it. Like, I get it. So, this is something that we can all relate to. And not a Hall of Famer, though. Not a horror story Hall of Famer.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because it's going to happen to too many people. Well. I feel like the horror stories, they need, there's got to be something about them where it feels a little bit unique. You know? Yeah. Right? Where, like, I know that I would just destroy this pen if I was given it, too.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, like, everything that Jim just said, I would have totally done. Right? Including, like, every bit of damage. Like, I would have absolutely done 100% of this.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. Feel for you, Jim. But, uh, I don't know what you would have needed to do. But there was something else in there that would have elevated it to horror story status. A Hall of Fame status. A horror story it is. A Hall of Fame.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, it's for sure a horror story. Because he lost whatever he paid for that. For sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And the pen. Right? Like, you lost the money and the pen. All gone. True. Today's episode is brought to you by Pen Chalet. They sell authentic, amazing roller balls, fountain pens, ballpoints, mechanical pencils, and so much more. They have all of your favorite brands. Brands like Pelican and Lamy, Kaweco and Sailor. They're an authorized dealer of all of them. And they're always adding new pens. New styles of pens. New different accessories as well. It's not just about the pens themselves. Pen Chalet have limited edition inks and pens. Right? And accessories. Carrying cases. Pen holders. Refills. Converters. And so much more. They do free shipping on orders of over $50 in the U.S. And sell internationally with very reasonable shipping rates. Pen Chalet has low prices and high quality pens. And offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So, go right now to penchalet.com. P-E-N-C-H-A-L-E-T dot com. And click the podcast link at the top of the website. And use the password penaddict. This is where you'll be able to get yourself a code to save 10% on anything at Pen Chalet at any time. We're always talking about the deals that we have, right? And Ron and the Pen Chalet crew do a wonderful job of giving us extra special things to talk about every couple of weeks. But if you're buying any type of pen, you're buying any type of ink, anything that you need, go to Pen Chalet first and see if they have it. And if they do, you can get 10% off at any time by using the code that they set up for us in that special place. Now, the offers this week, we have a great selection. But it's one of those things where we can't talk about it. So, you're going to have to go check it out for yourself. Go to PenChalet.com, P-E-N-C-H-A-L-E-T dot com. Click the podcast link at the top of the website. Enter the password penaddict to get the code and to feast your eyes on the very special offers we have from Pen Chalet this time. Thank you so much to Pen Chalet for the continued support of this show and RelayFM.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, for this next one, I'm going to let you read. But I just want to clarify that the Anthony in this pen, in this pen, in this horror story, is our good friend Anthony from Everyday Commentary and Gear Geeks Live. So, keep that in mind when talking about this. So, this is a good one. Although, I haven't read all the details because I said, okay, let me stop now. So, go for it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' This is a big one. So, sit down, everyone. All right. I thought I would share this pen horror story with you. It's a bit different from the normal pen destruction story, like we just had, but I thought it might fit anyway. Being a public defender is a tough gig. Low pay, lots of cases, and very disadvantaged clients. In many cases, I was dealing with mental illness first and criminal charges second. In one particular case, I spent years helping a client that was as challenging and as mentally unfortunately ill as any I have ever had the opportunity to work with. This particular gentleman possessed an outsized personality. He wore red sequined chaps to court once. He professed his love for one of the female prosecutors and almost got into a fistfight defending her honor after another defendant was not so happy with the plea offer that was given. He brought his pet iguana to court claiming it was a seeing eye iguana, a colorful fellow. But underneath all of that was someone that simply couldn't stay out of his own way. He genuinely liked and cared for people, but often his anxiety and anger would bubble up and bad things would happen. You get clients for life in the line that I do. So every time he would get into a scuffle or yell and scream and get charged with disorderly conduct, he came back to me. I knew where his triggers were and I tried to navigate the system with him to avoid those triggers. He and I developed a rapport, probably because I jumped into a dumpster one time to help him when he was threatening to take his own life. That's wild. This story has got a bunch of twists already. All right. Yep. One thing that he found fascinating was my pen collection. In particular, he loved fountain pens and I would often let him use them and even gave one to him once because he enjoyed it so much. One day when he was pleading guilty to yet another disorderly conduct, he was very nervous. He had a rough night on the streets the night before and he came to court like a live wire. After negotiating with the clerk for a delayed stay time to his hearing, I took him into a conference room so he could calm down. I was carrying my pilot vanishing point at the time. He knew it was my favorite pen, so when I let him use it, he was very happy. After about half an hour, he calmed down enough to do the plea. At this point, he and I have been client and lawyer for about three years. The judges knew him well and knew that he was my client. In New Hampshire, in order to do a plea, you need a form called an Acknowledgement and Waiver of Rights. This form spells out all of the rights someone has at a trial and tells the court that they are giving them up in exchange for a plea deal. Both the lawyer and the client have to sign the form. As we get into court, the prosecutor is dealing with a bunch of cases and we have already completed the form. We are going in front of the toughest judge in the state to do this plea. He is the kind of judge that tells defendants, I am like the Marines. No better friend, no worse enemy. You do what you promised me you are going to do and you will get all the mercy the court system has to offer. You lie to me and you better bring your own toothbrush. Jails in New Hampshire do not, for whatever reason, provide toothbrushes and the ones in the commissary are terrible. Hence, most people that go to jail are instructed to bring your own toothbrush. And it has become an idiom for going to jail. The judge made my client very nervous all of the time. As we step up to the table, the prosecutor says he is missing my client's file. I volunteer to go to the prosecutor's office and get it so he can process other cases and to keep the judge happy and get the client out of the anxiety-inducing situation as fast as possible. I leave the client, the form, and my vanishing point at counsel table and grab the file. When I come back, I turn in the form without looking at it, having completed the form about 30 minutes prior. I hand the file to the prosecutor and the form to the court and return to the counsel table. When I get back, I notice that my vanishing point's nib is out. Thinking nothing of it, I click the knock and put the vanishing point back in my breast pocket. The judge begins the process of going through the form with the client, reviewing in stern and precise terms the rights the client is waiving and the sentence he is agreeing to, which is mostly to get some kind of mental health treatment. He marches through the form like Sherman towards Atlanta, hammering on each right and eliciting a meek yes, your honor from my client at appropriate times. He flips to the back page of the form where the client and I both sign and he pauses. His eyes widen to a saucer size. Then, like the rumbling of an earthquake pre-shock, he starts at a low pitch of a sentence of fury. Mr. Scullendrine, did you see this form? I reply, yes, your honor. I helped fill him out. So, is this your idea of a joke? I don't know what you mean, your honor. Then, with a snarl that matches one of a tiger on the prowl, he beckons me and the prosecutor to the bench. There, he reveals that the signatory page of the form and around my client's signature and my own in beautiful stub italic handwriting are the letters BFF. And there is a massive Cupid heart with an arrow and a plus sign that envelopes my client's signature on my own. The judge lays into me for about a minute and I stand there dumbfounded trying to figure out how and where the graffiti got on the form. Then, I remember the nib being out on my vanishing point. Still, I am never going to throw my client under the bus so I don't say anything and endure a withering barrage from the judge. Finally, after about 90 seconds, my client speaks up from the council table 10 feet behind me. He tells the judge that he did it and that he just wanted the court to know that he thought I was a good guy. The judge mellows out a bit and tells us to do a new form but that he would accept the plea. Five minutes later, new form in hand and vanishing point carefully guarded. We do the plea and leave the courthouse.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm dying. Now, that is a friggin' story.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Anthony can tell a story. Tony is just an awesome dude and I didn't know where this was going. Like you said, I kind of skim over just to kind of get a general idea.