About Penoply

	When I decided to put together a fountain pen website, I immediately determined that I needed a really killer, clever name for it. While I continue to search for one, Penoply (explained above) will have to do.

your correspondent, at breakfast in Vienna

My interest in fountain pens began when I was a teenager; a couple of my teachers used them, and they intrigued me enough to buy a series of cheap, leaky instruments until my first "real" pen, a Sheaffer Targa. Even so, I did not become a bona-fide pen fanatic until I discovered the wealth of pen-collecting resources available on the internet; my first vintage pen, a Waterman 52, was in fact purchased sight unseen over the net. My motivation in putting together this site is to share what I've learned about pens and to make contact with others who can add to that knowledge. I'm not yet dealing pens, but perhaps someday...

I'm an professional engineer with a variety of experiences in the transportation industry (aviation and rail), and was born and raised here in the Washington, D.C. area. I currently live in almost-rural Upper Marlboro, the center of the Maryland Broadleaf tobacco industry and the city after which the Philip Morris cigarette was named (no cowboys here, though). My other interests include reading and music (I play a little piano and enjoy symphonic music). I have a small collection of vintage hi-fi gear which I may someday put up on the net as well. And, yes, my io.com name "tyrbiter" is a reference to the Everyman character George Leroy Tirebiter (usually portrayed by David Ossman) who appears in the early recordings of the Firesign Theatre, an ensemble that proved that recreational drugs and classic radio do mix (not that I would know anything about the drugs part, mind you).

	This file last posted on: 2005-Jan-20 17:50:23 CST		MCMVIII, the red network Contact: