Pen or Pencil?

[cosine]

I'm interested in doing an informal poll. Do you prefer a pen or a pencil as your general all-around writing instrument? Do you prefer your paper to be unlined, lined, or grid? And lastly, what's your profession, job, or training?

I'm curious to see (at least among the membership here) if people in certain fields tend to gravitate to a certain type of paper and writing instrument.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Pen. 

Grid-lined paperin a bound notebook where pages can't be removed. 

Engineer.

[Boomhauer]

Pen, a good pen. College ruled paper for writing.

And that's only if I have to write. My handwriting is absolutely horrible (I don't have good fine motor skills). I vastly prefer to type.

I'm basically a historian at the moment, and a history student.

[Physics]

Pencil or chalk.  Unlined legal paper or a chalkboard for me, when doing problems.  Of course, for my lab book, as HTG said, bound book where pages can't be removed and write in pen. 

And I dislike whiteboards, I can't erase with my hands as easily.   

Physicist (well graduate student anyways).

[Standing Wolf]

This writer uses fountain pens.

[Monkeyleg]

Pen and unlined paper (usually scraps of paper).

Photographer for ~30 years, webmaster now.

[PTK]

Pen, unlined, gunsmith.

[Ben]

Fatboy pen.
Ugly-ass puke green govt issue bound lined notebooks.
Physical Scientist.

[Tuco]

Pencil.  
A pencil conveys more of the writer's personality than a pen, fountain pens notwithstanding - Fountain pens are the cat's ass.

For data recording or field notes or memos etc
Pentel P209G - 0.9 mm lead - HB or 2B
http://www.pentel.com/catalog_product.php?id=761

I run with a white plastic eraser  -  Stadler Mars type or a Clic+
http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_plastic_gb.Staedtler

This hard-covered snap binder:
http://www.mmdsales.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=597

with removable mining transit paper.

Graph paper with a 10x10 grid for all-around office use..

For drawing and sketching- Berol/Sanford 314 (or whatever they're called these days)  on a toothy watercolor/sketch paper.

I'm an civil engineering & survey technician / environmental planner / Landscape Architect and have been making my living with pencil and paper for twenty years.
I hated technical pens on mylar.

[esheato]

Pen; preferably the new gel stuff.

Legal pad, lined (I'm a lefty and I despise spiral bound)

Military (analyst)

Ed

[41magsnub]

Cheap throwaway pen of whatever kind is handy on legal pads.

[Nick1911]

An old IBM clicky keyboard.  

Seriously though, when I write, I usually use a pen.  Usually a cheap Bic ballpoint.  I prefer to write on college ruled lined paper when writing text.  When working out a drawing or blueprint, I like 11 x 17 copy paper.

Software engineer.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Pen, except when playing DnD then its a pencil only
Lined paper.
Customer Service Manager at Walmart.

[Chuck Dye]

I am a trucker and take notes through the day for log books, dispatches, directions, etc.  As habits left over from working for a police department, I use top wire spiral bound notebooks and black ball points (a residual from the days of microfiche archives.)  While I have been given cause to stop slashing zeros (do it or we delay payment for that trip!), my sevens still have serifs and crossbars. :)

[Regolith]

0.7mm mechanical pencil

college ruled notebook paper - either spiral bound or loose, though I tend to not use all the pages in a notebook.

Currently a student studying Computer Science/Multimedia Studies

I only use pens for forms, writing checks, and when I can't find a pencil.

Edit: I should note than when I have the choice, I prefer to use a computer to write things down.  I type much, much faster than I can write, and there aren't any worries about legibility.  This route isn't always an option though, particularly during classes.

[grampster]

I like to use a Cross pen or a very expensive rollerball pen (name was on the shirt clip which broke off) that was given to me by a realtor when she sold a house I had several years ago.

Usually I just use sticky notes or note pads.  I'm retired so anything more elaborate than a little list or memory jogger, I type on the 'puter.

[Perd Hapley]

I graduated to the ball point somewhere in my teen years, and haven't been able to go back to pencils.  I hate them. 

In the last year, I have moved to the roller ball or gel pen.  They are inferior to a ball-point in every respect, except that they feel better. 

College-lined paper is preferred, as it forces me to write more neatly.  Loose leaf in a binder, or in a composition book.  Jotting down notes and brainstorming is done with a stack of loose leaf paper in the desk drawer.  Or directly into the machine with Mr. Qwerty.

Drafting actual paragraphs (as opposed to just jotting down unconnected thoughts) usually requires some kind of text editor or word processing software.  I can't write without constant revising and re-writing. 

History student, maintenance man.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Laptop. Electrical Engineering.

Under the rare circs when a laptop is not available, I prefer a mechanical pencil and a spiral notebook.
Oh. Lined paper. I write too big, lines help me to keep it manageable.

[zahc]

Depends on the application.

First preference is fountain pen, on completely unlined copy paper. I use this for heavy-duty analysis where lots of paper is covered, diagrams drawn, and a lot goes in the wastebasket. Very easy to read, very easy to write. I have injured wrists which start shaking if I have to use a pencil or ballpoint for extended writing.

I have no use for ballpoints. If I have to push down, I might as well use a pencil. Pencils are backup, because they don't run out of ink or care about extreme temperature changes.

Laptop+lyx is used extensively for notes and final drafts. Mathtyping with lyx is surprisingly efficient because you can cut and paste.

edit: oh an I'm physics/EE engineer or something like that.

[roo_ster]

Pen

Grid, pref, or college ruled

The call me an engineer.

[charby]

Pencil

unlined paper

IT guy but educated in Education, Broadcasting and History.

Working on becoming a Forester, tired of flying a desk.

[RocketMan]

Pen, and legal pads, large or small.

Engineer, educated in broadcast engineering.

[Hawkmoon]

Pen - generally ball point or gel.

Paper - lined legal pads, preferably yellow

Profession - Minister/graphic designer/psychotherapist/Army veteran (Combat Engineer)/automobile hobbyist

[Fly320s]

Pen, black ink, medium size ball point.

Lined paper, except for sticky notes

Pilot.

[MicroBalrog]

Pen, a good pen. College ruled paper for writing.

And that's only if I have to write. My handwriting is absolutely horrible (I don't have good fine motor skills). I vastly prefer to type.

I'm basically a historian at the moment, and a history student.

Exactly what he said, word for word, except that I prefer grid paper.