Plain Can Be OK, Too

I can't believe it has been so long since I had a post here. I've been really lax, and I'm sorry. Anyway, on with the post.

With all of the great notebook out there, like Moleskine, it's easy to forget about the simple spiral-bound classics and just how great they are.

Seriously, you can get 180 sheets of wide-ruled paper (I don't like college-ruled for most applications) CHEAP. I went to Wal-Mart about a week ago and got 2 five-subject, 180-sheet notebooks and a smaller 80-sheet notebook for a song. Now I have a notebook for just carrying around (like I needed another), one for work, and one to have in a designated place (like I needed another one of these, too).

So, if you or someone you know is a notebook geek like me, the present of a brand new, untouched el-cheapo may be just the thing.

Moleskine in the News

Well, it's official. The moleskine has crept from nerdy hipster tag-a-long to mainstream, legitimate accessory. In a recent edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, this article appeared. I must say, it is pretty good and cpatures most of what is truely cool about the moleskine. She even covers the correct pronounciation. I hope more people realize the power of the tiny titans.

guilty of being ...: Still Saving the Cat

If you're looking for a great method of being creative while being analog, check out this post by pooks on her blog guilty of being ...: Still Saving the Cat. I'm not really the creative type, so I don't think the storyboard setup would work for me, but if you are, give this a look-see.

There's Something About Paper

What is it about writing on paper? I mean, seriously. I find myself much more inspired when I am holding a pen and sitting over a piece of paper or notebook. It's always been that way for me. There's just something about the idea of what a blank piece of paper can become.

However, that same inspiration that a blank piece of paper brings can also bring about a sense of apprehension. What if I fill this piece of paper and what I write is not acceptable? What if I destroy this item that brought me such inspiration by filling it with musings that are not worthy of the paper they are printed on? What then? I can never return that pristine piece of paper to its original condition. That unique source of inspiration is gone forever, I ruined it.

Maybe that explains why I have to restrain myself from buying new notebooks when I have several at home that I haven't put a single mark into yet. The pull of inspiration is equaled by the fear of mediocre musings. Thus is my plight.

Am I alone in this, or have you ever experienced the same thing?

Introduction/Explanation of this Blog

OK. I'll be the first to admit that I am a geek that spends too much time on the computer and that I love technology. I don't remember my life without the internet and don't want to ever go back to that. I love email, web surfing, playing games on the net, etc. I love computers and what they provide me and the world with. However, there's still something about paper. I'm not sure I can explain it.

I knew that I had a problem with paper several years ago. I can't seem to go into Wal-Mart, Target, or any other department store without wandering over to the notebook and pen area. I find myself just standing there with my mouth open just imagining what I could use all of those notebooks for. My mind reels and I have to make myself leave without buying a new notebook. Its a problem that my wife has come to accept and lovingly poke fun at me for.

This problem has been compounded recently by the number of websites and posts that I have run across concerning converting organization to paper, using various planners and especially the Moleskine pocket notebook. I read so much about them and saw them at Barnes & Noble packaged and displayed so well that I just had to get one.

Paper is an addiction that I have and have chosen not to fight but to embrace. I will be using it to create a world of paper for myself, and anyone who wishes to join me. My mission for this blog is the following:
1. Find the best notebook products that I can and relay that to you.
2. Develop my own paper-based organizer that suits my life and needs.
3. Find the coolest stuff that is paper-related and link to it here. You can start at 43Folders. They have the best stuff here to get you started.

That's it for now. I hope you will keep coming back for more. Drop me a line and tell me the story of your paper addiction.