#986 When your pen runs out of ink mid-sentence

If you're writing something in pen, you're almost always doing something productive. Pen = hard work. Anyone that knows anything knows that. We should be rewarded for our hard work. Sometimes, however, we are met with not reward, but with annoyance. This annoyance comes with the familiar feeling of disappointment when your pen runs out of ink mid-sentence. But wait! Don't get slightly annoyed yet. Be sure to try out one or more of these recognizable pen revival options before getting out of your hard-work chair.

1. The Shake. This is the easiest of the options. You simply turn your pen into a mini shakeweight. Ignoring all sexual connotations, you should just shake that thing until you get the useful liquid to the tip. This move should usually be done two to four times, for less than five seconds at a time. After performing The Shake, you should try out your pen on the paper again. If this move yields no results, consider moving on to option 2.

2. The Lick. This option requires a bit more involvement, but still only requires basic motor functions. The rookies will go right ahead and lick the tip of the pen, but us pros know that you always start with lubricating the fingers, and playing with the tip (of the pen). Go ahead, lick your index finger and thumb, put the tip in between your fingers and lubricate the tip. After lubrication and stimulation, you should attempt to write on the piece of paper yet again. Still no luck? The battle isn't over yet.

3. The Paper Switch. It's totally not the pen, it must be the paper. Try your pen out on a different piece of paper or in the margins of your current piece of paper. When you realize the absurdity behind that logic, move onto to the next actual logical option. Quick side note: sometimes, to be slightly annoying, your pen will decide to work in the margins of your paper, but not where you need it to. In either case, your problem is not solved.

4. The Surface Switch. Ah, this is actually logical. Sometimes a pen's tip just legitimately will not respond well on a certain surface. WARNING: Finding a different surface to put your paper on may require getting out of your seat.

5. Discard pen. Sorry buddy, your pen is dead. Do not throw your worthy pen out though. Once you have written off a pen (how do you like that pun?) as dead, you should know that it will work very easily for someone else, or later that day when you no longer need it.

Because of natural selection and the survival of the fittest, these revival techniques are ingrained into our minds during birth. How else do you think that you read all of those options and already knew exactly what they were?

At least with the trustworthiness of a computer, we know that we will never run out of "digital ink" in the midd

It's just slightly annoying.