And you get a pen! And you get a pen! And you get a pen! You're all getting PENS!!!!!!!!

Perhaps, Dear Reader, you are one of those people in my life who might expect a gift upon my return. Some amusing quaint or peculiar trinket to demonstrate my everlasting affection.

That has proved to be an unexpected problem for me. "Things" in China appear to fall into one of four categories:
1. "I can get that in the States."
2. "Gosh damn it! Is it really necessary to slap an ugly cartoon character on everything?!"
3. "That looks special/unique/rare, but I'll eat my hat if it really is."
4. "Why would someone want to own that?"

There is one area, however, in which Chinese manufacturers run laps around the US, and that is in entertaining stationery supplies. You name a theme, I could probably find a journal/sticky-note/writing instrument/white-out container/folder that pays homage to it. So guess what? You're all getting pens!!!

(Some of you are getting mechanical pencils.)

I know it doesn't sound like much of a gift, but hear me out:
1. A pen is better than something you could have bought for yourself at Fred Meyer. ["Made in China," anyone?]
2. A pen is better than nothing, which is what I was really worried I'd end up coming back with.
3. A pen is useful. It won't collect dust or end up in a closet.
4. I can't just get these in the grocery store. I am having a great deal of fun visiting every dingy stationary shop and stall looking for pens I think will amuse certain people.
5. In the process of procuring these pens, I have been ripped-off on your behalf, several times :) .
6. We're not talking generic Bics here, these are themed and/or decorated pens.
7. I'm not just grabbing a bunch of pens to hand out randomly. I'm choosing specific designs for specific people. For example:

For Christel, who loves marine biology: an otter pen.

For Rhiannon, whose cat Bubbles is white, who probably has a skull bandanna somewhere around the house, and who, like all decent people, detests hipsters: a pen with a white cat, wearing a skull bandanna and some awesome hipster glasses. 

(Also, this cat is "Hello Jetoy," not "Hello Kitty." You've probably never heard of her.)

Those two are all I'm going to post. I want them to be a nice surprise (though, maybe not a good surprise). Also, round pens are wicked hard to photograph- you can see in the cat-pen photo, I had to take two pics from different angles, and then tediously merge them together.

You have now been warned :D