Bullet Journal

I am trying out a new organizational strategy called Bullet Journal. Check out the link and let me know what you think.

I will be sharing a few pictures of my approach in the next few days. I may have shared in the past that I am a planner geek, but I have discovered that I really don't want to keep carrying around that big old planner binder anymore. So I am adapting this method to a simple yet pretentious Field Notes pocket notebook. This method is part of a feeble attempt I am embarking on to trim the internet tether I seem to find myself on. Technology can be a little too distracting for me at times and rather than use it as a tool, I tend to use it as a crutch.

Yes, its been too long since I last blogged. I hope my legion of follower is still paying attention.

I'm still alive! and a notebook followup!

I am back! No seriously, I am, so my legion of follower can rejoice!

We are all moved into southern Colorado and have already completed 6 weeks of school. We are having a ball. We love the 4 day school week and 3 day weekend, every week!

So, over the past 7 months or so, I have been carrying a little pocket notebook. It is my faithful companion in my hip pocket. I have been using the Clairefontaine Basic staple bound notebook. I wondered how it would hold up to the abuse of my fanny sitting on it every day, being yanked out, scribbled on and unceremoniously shoved back into my hip pocket where it adds a most unsightly bulge to my skinny backside.

Well, I must say, I am very pleased with how this notebook is holding up. Here is a photo with a red notebook that I don't carry. You can see that it is in pretty pristine shape.

Now here is another picture with the one I carry every day in the center.

I really use every inch of this notebook. I take notes on only one side of the sheet at a time. When I finish that page - whatever I have recorded on it - generally some sort of to do list, I fold the page over and move on. Pages aren't folded until I have completed the actions listed.

I am now on lap 2 of this notebook, so it is flipped and I am writing on the blank pages. I think I will have about 2 more weeks on this book.

It has held up remarkably well. Sure the cover is getting tattered and it has sort of a roundish butt influenced profile, but it has been well worth the couple of dollars it cost last year.

Here is my next notebook. It is a simple little composition book that cost me exactly nothing because my darling wife gave it to me! I hope it holds up half as well.

On another note, I am back to writing to penpals. I will start taking pictures of mail as I receive it and hope to get back to blogging a little more regularly.
If you are one of my pen friends and you haven't received a letter in the last few days, drop me an email and I will sit right down and write you one!

Generous Gift from Speck!

Speck, one of my crazy fountain pen friends, just sent me an incredible box of goodies. I feel bad for the poor postal carrier, this little box was just slam packed full of cool stuff!

I couldn't believe how much stuff she fit in there, so let me just post a few pictures so you get the idea.

first was a short letter in a handmade envelope!

Next was a handmade notebook and some sparkly frog stickers. Carla took one look at the notebook and said, "Give me that! I could alter the hell out it! How did Speck make it so perfectly?!"

Next I dug deeper in the box to find all sorts of little ink samples.

The I ran to my writing area and grabbed the previous ink samples that Speck had sent and I lined them all up.

See, Speck is crazily generous! But wait, there's more. Not only did she send me all of those great ink samples in the cool little vials, she also...wait for it...sent along a fountain pen!

And she included some paper to practice writing on! (I didn't take a picture of the paper, well, because that would just be overkill) Thank you Speck, you are a gem!