One Year Ago Today...

"This is Moleskinerie, a blog dedicated to the proposition that not all notebooks are created equal. Its impeccable provenance notwithstanding this site will talk more about the places and adventures, life's little dramas and other forgettable events that otherwise would have been lost were it not scrawled between the pages of these little black books.

Moleskine is not my obsession, it’s an attitude. I use other journals also. This site is not here to pontificate. It just is.

So, writers, travelers, artistes, dreamers and all - welcome to Moleskinerie!"

First Post
January 12, 2004
...

" The temptation of paper. Awhile back Dervala wrote about being wooed by the Moleskine notebook. So when I was in San Francisco this past weekend and in search of a journal, I was delighted to come upon a shelf of Moleskines at the never-fails-you Cliff's Variety in the Castro. There were pocket-size books and larger, real-book-size books. Lined, squared, pocketed and blank pages. All in the telltale black leather with built-in ribbon bookmark and elastic band to keep the treasures inside safe and snug, just as Dervala had described. I snapped one up immediately. And now, I'm addicted.

So addicted that I'm tempted to not blog.

I can tell my Moleskine everything. The things I did over New Year's? The Moleskine knows it all. But I wouldn't dare write about that here. Titillating tidbits, perhaps, but not the whole enchilada. Too spicy for prime time.

And I've rediscovered the satisfaction of putting pen--pen that leaves my fingers achy and inky--to paper, and creating something lasting and tangible. I'm so into it that I'm making a concerted effort to write legibly for once. This keyboard stuff has been death for my penmanship. But Moleskine is bringing out the letter-artist in me. I'm having fun adding flourishes to my big, bold capital D's and P's, dotting my i's just so--with real dots! Crossing my t's singly or doubly, those sharp vertical lines begging for embellishment.

This is w-r-i-t-i-n-g. This is my brain in print.

Plus, since I got the blank notebook, I can draw pretty pictures, which I did the other day, probably for the first time since I left college and my classroom notes full of squiggles and doodles. I sat in bed with a mini service of hot green tea at my side, and I sketched the cups and the portly pot with its double spouts breathing steam. And it actually came out looking like a little teapot, short and stout.

Keyboard be damned."

Jen Balderama
Nonsense Verse
...

"Moleskinerie is a journal devoted to these fetish notebooks and the jottings they invite. This is the kind of nonsense I can really get behind. I filled four of the large, lined Moleskines with travel notes last year, used a small one for to-do lists, and finally ditched all the handheld electronica for a Moleskine address book and a Uniball. Gadget pushers, bless their hearts, have no idea just how tethering their toys are."

Dervala  1. 26. 04

Happy Anniversary to all of us here @ Moleskinerie! Thank you  for the support and inspiration you've given us.
...
Feeling gifty?

Consider a donation to the Wandering Moleskine Project.

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Music by Joel B. "We Like the Music" Latino Mix

Comments

[bemsha]

Happy Birthday Moleskinerie - and lots of arigatos and respects to you Armand for creating such a beautiful site, which always reminds me of the word "oasis" or a well-cared and scenic garden.

[Michael Nobbs]

Only a year? I can't imagine what I did a year and a day ago then. Life is definitely the richer now.

Congratualtions

Michael

[Lorianne]

One year old? But darling, you don't look older than 6-months! ;-) Congratulations on 12 full months of good, tantalizing stuff: cheers, bravo, and many happy returns.

[Stephen]

Dear Armand,

Congratulations. Thank you for creating not just a site dedicated to the Moleskine notebook and its fans, but a fascinating menagerie of a site, with really interesting postings from all kinds of interesting people around the world.

Your boundless energy and tireless enthusiasm for interesting posts always provides me with a clear and honest window to the outside world, a window through which we albeit reluctant armchair travellers can explore the wonders of this planet and its many and varied peoples.

Your site has proven to be one of the most interesting magazines I have ever read. Thanks a-plenty, and keep it going!

Best wishes for many anniversaries to come,

Stephen (Australia)

[Gary]

Congrats on making it to the single-candled-birthday-cake club! moleskinerie has grown so nicely and today, as it has beeen since I first discovered the site long ago, it is still one of my favorite daily reads. Here's wishing for many more b-day celebrations to come!

[Patrick Ng]

Congratulations Moleskinerie, Armand and those who supply contents to the site! Thanks for providing continuous stream of information, references, insights, drawings, everything. I was delighted to find that there are actually a bunch of people crazy about M., and new posts and comments keep coming and coming. This is a not too big but significant bunch of group of people and content I like, keep it up! Happy Birthday!

[Bradley Woods]

I would also like to say congrats on a site well done. I have only been visiting this site for the past two weeks and it feels like home to me. The posts are vibrant, insightful, and artistic. It has become a fueling station for the passion to describe the world as I see it, for myself and future generations. Thanks :)

[TPB, Esq.]

Congratulations, Armand! Glad to see the site grow and become more enjoyable each and every day.

[Dervala]

Armand,

Well done on keeping such a lovely project going. Whenever I see someone with a Moleskine--which is more and more often these days--I feel a sense of kinship. And this is our home.

[Sylvia]

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Moleskinerie! Thanks for sharing so many of the good things in life, especially Moleskines! :-)

[IL Postino]

Jen Balderama wrote:

"Congratulations on your big milestone (moleskinestone? no, too much of
a stretch)."

Lindo Gigante:

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AND CONGRATULATIONS!"

Debra Marvin:

"Mazel Tov!!"

[Lise]

Armand you have made a place for all us cool hip types who love an incredible lovemark to hang out and feel like we're amongst family.
Thanks for the year and here's to the next and next and next.
Hugs
Lise :^)
BTW Moleskine is now #26 on Lovemarks.com