Moleskinerie New Year

 

by Joy Rothke

I carry my Moleskine [gridded, pocket size] everywhere I go. Either it's sitting on the top of my desk as I work, on the nightstand as I sleep, or most frequently, in my pocket, protected by a battered ziploc bog, and an ever-changing selection of pens. Tropical weather is hard on paper, and I do my best to protect my notebooks from the vagaries of relentless humidity.]

I'm no novice to the world of journals/notebooks/diaries. My love [fixation?] goes way back to childhood, when I carefully recorded the minutiae of my suburban existence. In college I agonized over narrow vs. wide ruled paper. I've kept journals on and off for 35+ years. More off than on, for the usual reasons:

· Couldn't think of 'what to say'
· Lost interest
· Book was too [large/heavy/pretty/personal, etc. to carry around
· I got bored or blocked to too sad/too happy to keep a journal.

I have a shelf of books about writing/keeping journals and I know the lingo. Ask me about unsent letters, prompts, lists of 100, morning pages, etc. I have a stack of unused hardcover blank books in a filing cabinet, along with numerous spiral notebooks from everyone from Clairefontaine to Hello Kitty.

Before I moved here three years ago, I went through several years of old journals, and discovered them to be, mostly, Big Books of Whining—interspersed with horribly embarrassing details that would be humiliating if anyone read them. So except for a handful of pages with meaningful quotes or Deep Thoughts, I ripped them apart, stuffed them in various garbage bags and flung them down the trash chute.

Almost two and a half years passed until I discovered Moleskinerie. Like most of the things you find online, it was through a series of links, and I can't remember who or what brought me there. I read all the posts and something about this little black book said 'buy me.' International postage made them quite pricey, but I still ordered two.

When they arrived in mid-April, I spent days admiring my new purchase, but other than writing my name and address on the flyleaf, Notebook 1 remained pristine for over a week. Finally I made my first entry with a purple gel pen. Mercifully ink smudged and bled, and I was on my way.

That Mole is filled with lists and rants and sketches and photos of my dogs and ticket stubs and glued ephemera. It was my constant companion on a three-month visit back to the USA. It took almost five months to fill it. I started my second Mole on 12 November, and it's close to half-full. It's got several pages of resolutions/goals, etc.—mostly in a format I borrowed from Andrea Sher's wonderful blog superherodesigns.com. My 2005 Pocket Calendar has been sitting on a corner for my desk for the last week. In five days I can begin using it.

Did I change or did the Moleskine change me? Perhaps a little of both. I gave up all my expectations of what this 'commonplace book' [as I prefer to call it] should contain. It’s a lot of stuff, some important, a lot more prosaic. Having someplace to put it all makes it easy.

Happy 2005 and keep writing!

Joy Rothke is an American freelance writer/editor living in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. She also manages the Wandering Moleskine Project mailing list.

Comments

[Brendan]

Joy,
Wonderful posting. I gave Moleskine pocket sketchbooks out as Christmas presents. Big hits. There is something endearing about the feel of these things. It may have to do with so many damn things in our lives being made cheaply and always feel disposable. When I would talk with these new Moleskine owners about how important it is in our overly digitized age (as I write this on an iMac and will rely on the Internet to post it) to write and sketch in your own longhand form and the importance of expression - they all agreed.

I'm finishing my 1st Moleskine pocket sketchbook today. Tomorrow my wife and I fly to Germany and I want to start that adventure on New Years Day with a fresh Moleskine.

Cordially.

Brendan

[Jonathan]

Joy,

I enjoyed your posting. I ahve been using Moleskine books for years and after all this time still find it hard to put pen to the first page of a new book.

Happy New Year,
Jonathan

[Lohr]

I gave Moleskines to friends this Christmas-- a gift they've all appreciated. And I'd feel lost without mine there in my battered briefcase or ready to hand on my office desk. I can make notes, take down information, write down thoughts... And-- OCD type that I am, I have another thirty-odd Moleskines carefully stored away for the future...

[Jonathan]

Joy,

I enjoyed your posting. I ahve been using Moleskine books for years and after all this time still find it hard to put pen to the first page of a new book.

Happy New Year,
Jonathan

[EdlmaK]

Joy:

I realy enjoy your WMP - both as an early contributor (second page in book #3)as well as a frequent visitor to the site to see everyone else's wonderful contributions. What a great project...again many thanks!

Kirk