Geek love: the Sharpies of our desire

So I was at Barnes & Noble today and I noticed the young woman who was serving as the check-out was using a green pen. In a chit-chatty way she commented that she really liked using that pen with green ink because is was distinct from all the other "boring black ink pens."

I commented that I, too, liked using pens with different colored ink, like purple. She came back with something to the effect that she really liked purple pens too.

Then, sensing a fellow pen geek, I confessed that my writing utinsels of choice were fine point Sharpies--to which she smiled and took out a black Sharpie and, waving it in the air with a slight flair, said, "Me too! It's cool that they come in so many colors now." I said,"Yeah, I like the olive green ones and the magenta ones." She said she had a pink one to do invoices.

We then stopped for a beat and sort of smiled at each other in smirky, knowing way, realizing we were both pen geeks. In a way it was awkward, but in another way, comforting, as in finding out "it wasn't just me."

I really enjoy life moments like that. Hmmm.