Since Sophomore Year

On the first day of school every kid in the school can reach in their bags and pull out a new pencil but the next week they are using a pencil that they found under their desk in science. To most students a pencil is a pencil and as long as it writes its fine. I have a little higher standard when it comes to my writing utensils. I have been using the same pencil since the beginning of my sophomore year.

There wasn’t anything special about the pencil it was just the first one I pulled out of my bag on the first day. It has had some work done to it because pencils are not made to last 3 years of constant use. At first glance it confuses most, which usually results in a double take with the question “What is that?”  That usually receives “My pencil.” as my answer. This then leads to a lot of questions, so if you every want a conversation starter just carry around a huge duct taped pencil around and I promise you will get a few conversations out of it. People have trouble believing that someone can keep track of a pencil for that long but it really isn’t that hard. Do you find it hard to keep track of your cell phone? So why is it hard to keep track of something that is needed in almost every class?

I would call my pencil a lot of things and pretty is not one of them. Wrapped in what I’m guessing to be about 15 layers of duct tape at its thickest point. The duct tape thing started after a few days of using my pencil at school it started to crack. I figured I might as well try to fix it, and I put one piece around it to just keep it together. Then I put a little more on the bottom of the pencil where my hand goes and I thought “wow this is a lot more comfortable” so I just keep adding pieces until I was impressed with the grip. The clip that is usually useless anyway is bent perpendicular to the pencil for optimized biting on it. I have a terrible habit of chewy on things and I figure it is probably better to be chewy on my pencil than anything else. And as you probably expect erasers do not last 3 years so I have a special eraser too.

A pink pearl that I found in a drawer at my house last year right before school started is what I still use to this day. Just like a pencil you are going to need something to erase the mistakes you made with your pencil so it isn’t hard to keep track of either.

I tend on using the pencil for as long as I need a pencil. As well as the eraser, but if something happens to either (which I really hope doesn’t happen) I will simply find a replacement and go on with life.