For as long as I can remember, I've been taken with notebooks and writing implements. First it was my box of 64 Crayola crayons with the built-in sharpener. Later it was Paper Mate's Write Bros. stick pens, and black and white marble covered composition books.
As an adult, my tastes have evolved in this realm and in recent years, I've amassed a collection of journals and notebooks from Baron Fig, Rhodia, Fabriano, Ciak, Moleskin, Miquelrius and Ecosystem. Thanks to social media, I've also discovered a community of like-minded souls at sites that include Notebook Stories, Office Supply Geek, My Pen Needs Ink, and others. Several of these sites offer opportunities to win product give-aways and much to my delight, I've been fortunate to win a few in the last several months.
The first was a Media Enhanced (ME) Journal by Quo Vadis, which includes a QR code on each page that, when scanned using the downloadable ME app, associates a specific photo, audio file, or video file with the written information on the page. Although I have not yet found a way to use this technology in my own life at the moment, I can envisions friends who might use individual pages to store recipes, including a photo of each finished dish. (Currently, the app allows only one photo or other file to be associated with each page, ruling out the possibility of showing a series of pictures to demonstrate, for example, how to braid a challah or frost a layer cake.) Collectors might find the ME Journal useful as a log for collectibles, and recording such information as date and place of purchase, cost, and other data, as well as a photograph for each item. Similarly, it might be used to maintain a record of the contents of a safety deposit box, a wallet, or a cabinet full of insurance or medical documents.
More recently, I won a reporter style A5 Rhodia Webnotepad, commonly known as a "Webbie." Thus far, I love the slightly-darker-than-creamsicle orange cover and the soft, smooth Clairefontaine brushed vellum 90g paper, which is lined on both sides and micro-perforated at the top. The inside back cover includes a pocket that's about half the height of the Webbie itself, and the outside back cover includes an elastic band that extends around the short side of the Webbie, and sits in a ridge on the front cover, to keep the notebook closed.
Although I'm not yet connoisseur enough to speak knowledgable about the paper's "tooth" or other characteristics, I can report in layman's terms that it is a joy to use. I particularly appreciate the way ink in bolder, thicker points (the ones I prefer) takes to the paper. The medium point on a Paper Mate Flair is especially smooth, but hands-down, my favorite is the flow of ink from the Pilot Varsity fountain pen. (I've been using one for the last few months, and once I'm accustomed to it, I expect I will "graduate" to a more traditional model that uses interchangeable nibs and bottled ink. For now, the Pilot Varsity suits me well.)
