Then all that just stopped, and I'm not quite sure why. But I've decided that waiting to be inspired is no way to get writing again. So here I am, uninspired, but typing at full speed. And I, um, see, just to increase the odds that I will write something and get it out there I may not include a picture in this post. When I'm driven to blog, I enjoy including the picture, but when I'm shaking a finger at myself and ordering myself to write something, sometimes the picture seems like too much work.
I do seem to have an urge to record my life, even when I'm not writing. I've been more thoroughly putting all my personal tasks and goals into OmniFocus, an elaborate To Do application. I even got the iPhone version, to allow me to enter random thoughts no matter where I am. Well, except when I'm in bed; can someone please fix that problem where a cellphone near a speaker of any kind, including a clock radio, makes the speaker intermittently do that stuttery thing?
And just today, I bought myself a garden journal. It's actually a smallish Moleskine sketchpad notebook; I've been wondering what all the fuss was about with Moleskine notebooks, so I decided to get one. While owning it doesn't make me feel like Hemingway, I must say that it is a nice little thing, and I do like the way that the stitched pages let me open it extra firmly, in a way that would promptly snap a glued spine. I was a little concerned that I would go all perfectionist and refuse to mark up the pretty paper with my extraordinarily wavery and near-unreadable handwriting, but, no, I've already filled ten pages with notes about what's done blooming, what's currently blooming, what's about to bloom, what I want to plant and transplant, and what to buy for next year.
A slightly disconcerting feature of the notebook: The very first page has a few lines labelled "In case of loss, please return to:". That's all very well, and I entered my name and phone number, but it's followed with "As a reward: $" and a space to enter the size of the award promised for return of the notebook. Is this really a good idea? Do I want to encourage someone who picks up my lost notebook to promptly imagine how much they can ransom it for?
I love my moleskines! I've been using them for 10+ years (and I use them as my wallet, too). they are just so convenient and self-contained.
ReplyDeleteAt first I felt strange about the "reward" section, too--- but now I know that losing it would be heartbreaking. So I put in $100. It's worth that to me.
How's the garden version? think I could use it to record my perfume wearing?
I love a good notebook - I have several on the go for sniffathon recording, mainly, or just random observations.
ReplyDeleteLove the story of the reward space! I lost my address book in a park in France once and it was returned in the post 18 months later from a town 200 miles away from where I had lost it. A young man had found it while out rollerblading, then promptly lost it again, then found it while moving home (behind the wardrobe!). As you can imagine, in the intervening period I had managed to cobble together my contacts, but it was a nice thought. And he appeared to want no reward!
Nice one Vanessa!! u got lucky.. I lost my Prada purse and never got it back... Ur a lucky cookie! :)
ReplyDeleteHey, Gator! I must admit that I like the thing more and more every day. Almost enough to stop being alarmed at the price.
ReplyDeleteMine isn't one made for gardening - in fact, it's just a medium-sized sketchpad version. I was going to get the extra-large Moleskine 18-month weekly calendar thingie, but the eighteen months didn't start until July, and I walked past the sketchbook on display on a shelf and grabbed it. I suspect that the 18-monther would be good for gardening or perfume. (Or both.)
Hey, Vanessa! I love that story. :) In theory, the garden book will stay in the greenhouse with no risk of loss, but, really, there's always a risk of my losing anything.
ReplyDeleteYo, Versace! My sympathies for the purse. :(
ReplyDeleteI used to get just Moleskine, then I got poor and just started using knock-offs, but I love them regardless. I love getting the ones with lines, so I can draw, write or do whatever I want in them!
ReplyDeleteHey, Stephanie! I love the Moleskine, though I'm disconcerted to find that my always-dreadful handwriting is even more dreadful than it ever was before. Maybe that's a sign that I'm long overdue for a notebook.
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