Judging the book by it's cover

I like notebooks. Well, more journals than notebooks, but that's beside the point.  If you ask my sister, she'll tell you how much I like journals.

Too much.

I have a stash of notebooks in a plastic tub in our crawlspace for two reasons: 1) I don't have room up here to store 10-15 books like that; and 2) I refuse to use them.

I know I'm not the only person who buys beautiful and unique notebooks and doesn't do a thing with them. I've moved them, looked at them, put them on display... but won't write in them. They're just too... precious, for lack of a better term. I have a lot I could put in them, but nope... just can't do it.

At least until last year.  I have 3 Moleskine Plain Cahier Journals that I picked up on eBay 5 or 6 years ago. It wasn't until I started seriously thinking about what I was going to do as a business that I finally broke down and used one. It wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be... in fact, it was kind of liberating.

Once I decided what I was going to do for a living (or attempt to do for a living), there was only one notebook I could use.

I can't remember when - or where - I picked this notebook up. The cover is a soothing tan suede that is a bit rough, but I like it. The wraparound tie has broken twice since it became the notebook, but it's still long enough to do up. It sits open well, the binding is almost perfect and it takes ink quite well. (I use a Pilot Hi-Techpoint V7 Grip most of the time - in blue and black; the rest of the time it's whatever ballpoint I can find.) I love this book and should I ever find another one (or 5), I will definitely be picking it up.

Right now, I've got the tan notebook and two of the three Moleskines in use. I try to always have a book in whatever bag I'm carrying, too, for jotting down notes or quick sketches. I'm still working on a system for keeping pens and pencils attached to the books, which I'm hoping ends up as something that is not only functional but marketable. There's also an idea that's been bouncing around for a few days for a mini-messenger bag that would be able to hold a notebook - or even a netbook - some pens and maybe a pocket (or two) for clips or sticky notes...

And they said I wasn't creative in high school... pfft.