moleskinerie

Project Exhibition Submission Deadline Changed

"Thanks to all of you who are interested in submitting your work to this project, since I've been busy for several business trips and the exhibition fixture was being developed late, the exhibition date is now changed to mid-March.  You still have time to submit your work in order to be exhibited, your work will be shown in the a gallery area in Times Square, Hong Kong, as well as being published online at MoleskineArt.com.  If you are interested, we still have some space and I'm waiting for more people to participate, so please send me a mail of your intention first, but the final submission of electronic or hardcopy sketches will be 8th March!"

For more details please visit: http://www.MoleskineArt.com

Patrick Ng

More from "This Space"

In response Steve's earlier post   Moleskinerie contributor Mike Shea wrote this comment:

 

"What horrors did you inflict upon your poor Moleskine to create such damage? I carried around a Moleskine datebook in my pocket for a year and besides a slightly softer cover it is no worse for wear. Perhaps it is something to do with the size, I prefer the smaller plain pocket version. The Moleskine's durability has been one of the unclouded advantages of this notebook. Yours is the first I've heard of that took such a beating.

On to pens. While I new use a Noodler's ink loaded Waterman fountain pen, I also use and support the use of Pilot G2 gel ink rollerballs. These archival quality pens ensure writing will last as long as the paper. While bleedthrough has never been a problem for me with black .5 or .7 G2s, the ink blotting problem is easily solved with a small piece of blotter paper tucked between the two most-recently written pages. I use a square of paper towel now since the ink blot problem is much more apparent with fountain pens.

About writing itself, no Moleskine or fancy pen or ink will get you to write something creative. Only you can do that. While I am sure there are people who either have no interest in creative writing and very few have a real talent for it, writing, like painting or playing a musical instrument, can be a creative outlet for just about anyone and it costs far less than a Cello.

There is only one real rule worth mentioning when it comes to creative writing:

Write.

Nothing else really comes close to that level of importance. Sit down, think up a seed or a single sentence, character, or time period, and begin to write. It may end up being complete crap but out of a thousand words, one hundred may be worth while. The director Robert Rodregez one time said that every director has ten bad movies in him. The key is getting those ten bad movies out quickly so you can get on to the good stuff.

If you simply have no desire to write, don't. It's hard work and if it's not fun, there is little reward. You may give it a try, however, and find it to be an outlet from the rest of your life worth digging into. I usually write 100 to 1000 words a day of creative nonsense and I love some of the stuff I come out with even if I am the only one to ever see it.

Otherwise, toss the Moleskine aside and take faith that many people spent far more money on an unused piece of exercise equipment."

Visit: "This Space"

Living lard

 "The power of bacon is so vast, even Jewish vegetarians are compelled to link to us!

An international team has put together a new blog on the virtues of bacon. Ethan Zuckerman, one of the baconists, sees this as yet another way to build bridges between bloggers, in this case the vegetarians and the carnivores.

As a vegetarian, I can only applaud this noble yet repulsive effort."

The Bacontarian
[via The Food Section]

Edwin 'Gizmo' Loekemeijer

"I'm following your Moleskine-blog for a few months now and really enjoying it. So here's a small contribution from Holland. I use moleskines for notes and for sketching. The small moleskines are especially handy for jotting down notes, book-titles, poems, and randim stuff. The large ones I use for sketching. I'm a bit a of a nostalgic; moleskines, classic literature, but also absinth ......I thought it looked nice for a composition.

Here a pic from my Moleskines, my copy of Bram Stokers Dracula and ... a glass of Absinth.. I think Moleskines and Absinth have the same 'nostalgic' feel of past times of the belle epoch.

I was unable to use a 'real good''  absinth bottle like the Jade Nouvelle-Orléans, so it's a Pernod 68. Vincent van Gogh was besides a moleskine user also an Absinth user."

Grtz from Holland

Edwin 'Gizmo' Loekemeijer

View a larger image at the Moleskinerie Gallery
Link on absinthe.

Frozen Foliage

A triptych of frozen foliage taken at Glacial Park in McHenry County, Illinois. Days of snowfall and thaw embedded these leaves in layers of ice forming delicate crevices and intricate patterns. 

Away from the Keyboard
View larger images at the AFK* Gallery

© 2005 A.B.F.

WMP #18 Paul Holland

WMP #18
Paul Holland,
Brisbane, Australia

Special thanks to our donors.

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg. Update: 2.20.05
The List is closed at the moment. Please wait for further announcements.
...
Birthday greetings to our friends @ Moleskinerie/ORKUT:

Junaid Mushtak - February 24

Ami H. - March 1
...
Here's a Friday treat from J.C.:

"An operations manager for Jack in the Box was late for a meeting and called his boss to tell him he was running late. As he was leaving the voice mail message, he witnessed an accident and went on to provide "play by play" of the incident. This is the actual voice mail message.  It was forwarded so many times within Jack in the Box, it crashed their voice mail server."

LISTEN

Have a nice weekend M people!

Iraqi Indigo - A Pendemonium Exclusive!

"We will introduce Iraqi Indigo, the latest Noodler's Ink, at the Los Angeles Pen Show February 19-20. If you're planning on attending the LA Pen Show, drop by our exhibit and be one of the first to own a bottle of Iraqi Indigo Ink! Available exclusively from Pendemonium. Available for delivery late February!"

"Iraqi Indigo is a deep violet and contains the special Noodler's cellulose reactive dyes so that once dry on paper, it is permanent and waterproof."
...
" I have attached an image of an ink (from this web site: http://pendemonium.com/ink_noodler.htm ) that is waterproof and UV light proof, and thus will last a very long time on any document it is written upon - and it is feather resistant on MOLESKINE papers!  It was made in celebration of the recent events in Iraq - the first free elections in Mesopotamia/the Fertile Crescent in 5,000 years.  It is the only ink being made worldwide in celebration of the recent Iraqi elections.  The color is based upon a sample of the Iraqi ID ink and the following quote from President Bush:

BUSH COINS PHRASE - CALLS IRAQ 'PURPLE REVOLUTION'
Thu Feb 24 2005 11:51:42 ET

Addressing a packed Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, President Bush today hailed images of "jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets last month, holding up ink-stained fingers."

"In recent times, we have witnessed landmark events in the history of liberty: A Rose Revolution in Georgia, an Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and now, a Purple Revolution in Iraq."

Product Update from

Noodlers Fountain Pen Ink

"Honeymoon With My Brother"

"My brother and I just returned from a long trip. My honeymoon, actually. You see, a funny thing happened on my way to the altar. My fiancée dumped me the week of our wedding. Ouch, huh? But I’m an optimist. I didn’t panic (well, maybe just a little). I decided to have a wedding anyway…just without a bride (highly recommended, by the way -- all the fun, no hideous bridal party dresses).

I also decided to go on a scheduled Costa Rican honeymoon with my recently divorced brother, Kurt. We canceled the flower petals on the beds, swapped champagne for beer and promised not to carry each other over any thresholds. During the trip, a strange thing happened. I realized that having my life turn upside-down might not be such a bad thing after all.

So, Kurt and I decided to extend our honeymoon. Big time. We quit our jobs, sold our homes, gave away our clothes and furniture, discarded cell phones and pagers (I think Kurt used a nine iron on his). That was early 2000. Since then we’ve honeymooned through nearly 60 countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.

The result is a book called "Honeymoon With My Brother", published by St. Martin’s Press..."

Franz  Wisner
"Honeymoon With My Brother"

Lower quality of Moleskine's paper ?

On Friday I finished my last Moleskine which I bought in summer and started to write in a new one, bought in november (a sample with stickers) but I am angry and deeply disappointed about the bad quality of the paper. It is remarkable!!! Ink leaks out so that the other site of a sheet looks dirty!!! I only write with a fountain pen but with the former Moleskine ( I have filled some of the large ones only in the last year) there were no problems. I have to think carefully, if I'll go on using Moleskine if they will not approve the quality of a paper. This paper reminds me of blotting paper!!! I think not too many people have already  realized that problem because most of them use pilot pens as I read on Moleskinerie and not fountain pens. Please could you influence Modo & Modo to approve the paper!!! Otherwise I have to turn back to BRUNNEN paper. Moreover BRUNNEN produces books similar to Moleskine, which could be an alternative to the worsening paper on the Moleskines.

I hope you can reach something.

About an answer I would be thankful.

Yours sincerely

U  von F, Germany

Image: Fabstyle
...
I have forwarded your email to Modo e Modo. Am posting it here for readers' comments.

Writing myth

"Jeff Vandermeer’s been looking at the idea that writers write because they have to, and illustrates it with a lot of quotes from assorted webpages that in isolation do sound more than a little precious.

I think there’s a difference between feeling driven to write, and the kind of melodramatic statements that Jeff’s quoting, most of which would sound best if said by someone wearing a floppy sleeved shirt, flinging their arm to their eyes in their garret before flopping down in a consumptive fit.

I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it myself at times (hell, I’ve got Moleskines), but it’s not a good thing. It’s part of building a great exclusionary myth to build up the image of what being a writer is all about – that when you are a Writer you are not like ordinary people – you suffer more, you reach a depth of emotion that others do not, these philistines in their workaday jobs spending nine hours cleaning office floors or grinding their souls to slag in an office simply don’t understand how damn hard writing is, how the blood sweats through our fingers and on to the keyboard with every word, how we lay bare our souls, strip our consciousness raw, give everything of our selves and we do it because writing is like breathing, and were we to stop doing it, we would die! Die I tell you!"

Iain Rowan
littorally

The objects I burden myself with in the middle of the decade

"Also known as "All the crap I carry around"

"Sketchbook 5"
GMH @ Moleskinerie/FLICKR

Jet Pens

"What are Hi-Tec-C pens?

This is not your average pen.

These Japanese pens are highly sought after in the US. They are very difficult to find, and are normally available only in stationery stores in countries such as Japan, Singapore, Korea and Malaysia.

With Hi-Tec-C pens, you’re not just taking notes, you’re having a writing experience. Pick up one of these pens and try it – you’ll be hooked. The super thin points allow for a precision unheard of with those thick, unwieldy pens found at office stores.

Does your writing require a pencil? Try the new .25 Hi-Tec-C pens! They are so thin they write like mechanical pencils, yet write smoother, cleaner, and the ink doesn't smudge like pencil lead does.

Are you an artist? Hi-Tec-C pens contain a gel based ink that is insoluble with most pigments when dry (so they won't bleed). Take detail to another level with a pen that cares about perfection just as much as you do.

Hi-Tec-C fans immediately recognize the brilliant design of these pens. Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens are available in .25mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm and 0.5mm sizes and in a variety of colors. Join the club of Hi-Tec-C fanatics! We take our writing seriously."

Jet Pens

WMP #15 Jessica Skrebes

WMP #15
Jessica Skrebes
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Special thanks to our donors.

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

Van Gogh Crystal

"All the new Van Gogh fit the new crescent clip, with enamelled Visconti's logo - as well as the Wall Street and the Opera series.

Both Mini and Maxi fountain pens have palladium plated grip, with a decorated band with the logo engraved in geometrical background.

The Maxi fountain pen is converter filled, with large two-tone 14 kt nib."

Visconti/ Pens.it

[Thanks J.C.]

Stacked

"Stacked"
Photography by Jake Smash
© 2004 JS

What Astrology Can Do For You

"I had my first astrological chart done professionally in 1981 and I continue to take advantage of updated readings, known as progressed charts, every two years or so. I find the information helpful and accurate, and it allows me to work more consciously with what I call the energy of the universe as it comes through me. As a result, I've been more empowered when difficult or negative events have happened to me. Instead of feeling like a helpless victim, I've been able to take the stance that the event happened for a reason and was ultimately for my own good, even if it didn't feel like it at the time. That's because knowing what your natal chart looks like and learning how different planets affect your houses as they pass through them can give you a sense of the big picture and the reasons the picture looks the way it does.

For example, I once had a reading which "told" me that I was going to experience a betrayal of some sort from a medical colleague and that this was going to happen as a way to strengthen my sense of conviction about my work. When I was later reported to my state medical board by a disgruntled and frightened general surgeon for offering our mutual patient an alternative to surgery, I was able to understand that the reason was bigger than I was. As a result of my prior astrological reading, I was not as terrified as I might have been.

And although the entire situation was very painful and difficult for me an though it brought up every doubt I'd ever had about my work, I emerged from the process stronger and more empowered than ever before. I came to see that my "betrayer" had contributed significantly to my personal growth -- so much so that in the end I was actually grateful for the whole thing."

How Astrology Can Help You Create Health Daily
by Dr. Christiane Northrup

Recent comments

"How do your ideas from the moleskine migrate to the electronic realm?I know there are gems in the pages of my moleskines that get sealed up and placed on the shelf once the journal is full. I haven't found a good way to mine them and bring them into the computer. Any suggestions?"

Troy

I succumb to other people's blog madness

"Somewhere in my meanderings amongst other people's blogs I found myself reading entries about notebooks.  And then blogs about notebooks.  I barely believed it possible that anyone would write, at length, about notebooks (rather than in them) but for some reason I read on.  Ignoramus that I am, I had never heard of Moleskine notebooks. Nope.  Meant nothing to me.  But it means a lot to these people.  So obviously, having read all that and this, I was forced (yes, forced I tell you) to order a large ruled and small plain Moleskine. ...

...All this fuss about a notebook??

And then I opened them.   Oooh.  The paper is so smooth.  So silky.  Slips so deliciously under one's fingers.  And the dinky little expanding pocket at the back!

 

I have apologised to both of them that they are not destined for stardom and that they are probably doomed to endless lists of the 'bread (1 loaf), milk (1 pint), red wine (20 bottles)' variety.  They are looking accusingly at me, as if they have been lured here under false pretences.  I should probably copy out some impenetrable quotes from Derrida onto the first page but frankly, I'm far too intimidated. "

Book World

Image: MoleskineUS
.................................................................................................

- “Paper? Ain’t that extinct?”
-  Life Editions

Today on Journalisimo

Ancient Routes

"Finally we arrive at Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. After exiting the narrow gorge, we are a day crossing the hilly foothills to the west of Kabul. Cultivation is apparent everywhere one looks. Orchards and small wheat fields, irrigated by several small streams coming down the mountain side. The land is terraced in many places, the streams trained to follow and irrigate them in turn.

A ridge runs through Kabul from the northwest to the south east, and is split in two by the Kabul River which here runs due east. Called Asmai heights on the north and Sher Darwaza heights to the south, this break in the ridge is guarded by a fortress, and here the local governor resides. Passing the fortress, and then another smaller ridge trending east, we pass the city proper and pitch our tents on the valley floor. To the north of Kabul lies Wazirabad Lake.

Kabul lies at an altitude of 6000 feet, surrounded by mountains, and is isolated by snow in winter, usually by the end of October. In winter, December to March, Kabul is very cold, although heavy snow is not normal. The Arghandeh Pass southwest to Kandahar is closed. The passes west to Bamian are also closed. While travel to the east is possible, the trail is again closed before reaching the head of the Panjshir valley. Then in spring, March through May when this snow melts, trails are still treacherous as they must often cross streams in the valley they follow. Summer is nice though..."

The Silk Road
© 2001, Rodney R. Baird
ancientroute.com

[via MeFi]

Marks in Books

"In 1984, Roger Stoddard curated "an exhibition devoted to those mysterious traces left in books by printers, binders, booksellers, librarians, and collectors." The resulting catalogue, Marks in Books, Illustrated and Explained, is cherished by curators, collectors, and scholars for the insight it offers into the making and the use of books. With sumptuous illustrations and prose at once pithy and polemical, Stoddard describes the glosses, cancels, catchwords, and signature marks that shed light on both printer's craft and author's art."

Harvard University Press

Image: The Leab Awards

[Thanks Christine!]

You could buy a Moleskine.

"Something about this didn't sit quite right with me, because I think that writing is indeed a fine tool for self-exploration. It nagged at me until I read Eric Meyer's take on the issue:

Blogging about little Johnny’s poopy diapers, or Susie’s apparently sourceless temper tantrums, is in no sense of the word necessary. It isn’t even needed, either by you or by the rest of us. If you absolutely must write down your thoughts and feelings about how hard it is to be a parent, do so in a private journal. Fifteen years from now, you can decide whether or not to give it to your child, and if you do, they can decide what to do with it. But don’t throw it out into the world as if it were a list of your favorite movies. That’s unnecessarily cruel.

Ah-ha! That's it! Many people write for self-exploration, but feel no need to inflict it on others in public! That's what I was thinking! People, didn't home movies teach us anything? All this stuff is going to be good for is embarrassing your child later on in front of their boy/girlfriends. I think that one of Julie Leung's commenters said what's really going on here best:

I blog because I type faster than I can write by hand. And I like how my site looks so far. And because I feel hip doing this thing online rather than having a journal. :)"

Snappy The Clam

The Motorcycle Diaries

"I saw Motorcycle diaries tonight, on the 37th anneversery of El Che's capture. I cried through the entire movie. Not so much for the loss of his physical presence on this earth as for the death of my innocence. I have been changed by the world, by his world, as seen through his eyes and my own.

I feel El Che's presence with me, gnawing at me every day like a cold wind that bites through a wool sweater. I feel as he did, and I feel guilt for not having his courage.

I miss him, not as an untouchable physical being, but as a sentiment almost forgotten in the world.

Thanks to those who brought the Motorcycle Diaries to the scene, this sentiment is being felt once again around the world.

As I heard people reacting to the movie, I was filled with pride in El Comandante and in all of those who have struggled for a just world."

Hasta La Victoria Siempre.
Venceremos!

Dawn Gable, EEUU

Contributed story @ Has the world changed you?

Movie homepage

Onion Boy

"I am happy to provide what meager support I can in the hope that it brings aid to one life and while it may or may not bring about a story book ending I hope that it makes the journey along the way happier and healthier. For my part I pray that I may become a more generous person. I no longer have anything else to say regarding my choice to sponsor a child. I am not at all interested in a theological debate. I am not up for it. I want to live in peace. ::thrive!"

Onionboy

World Vision Canada

The George Washington Papers

"The complete George Washington Papers collection from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 65,000 documents. This is the largest collection of original Washington documents in the world. Document types in the collection as a whole include correspondence, letterbooks, commonplace books, diaries, journals, financial account books, military records, reports, and notes accumulated by Washington from 1741 through 1799. The collection is organized into nine Series or groupings. Commonplace books, correspondence, and travel journals, document his youth and early adulthood as a Virginia county surveyor and as colonel of the militia during the French and Indian War. Washington's election as delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses and his command of the American army during the Revolutionary war are well documented as well as his two presidential administrations from 1789 through 1797. Because of the wide range of Washington's interests, activities, and correspondents, which include ordinary citizens as well as celebrated figures, his papers are a rich source for almost every aspect of colonial and early American history. In its online presentation, the George Washington Papers consists of approximately 152,000 images."

The George Washington Papers
Library of Congress
Diary Index

President's Day 2.21.05
Washington's Birthday 2.22.05

Moleskine Users @ LJ

"Greetings, all! This is a community dedicated to the Moleskine notebook. Users, fans, and afficionados are encouraged to post information about how they best use these handy notebooks themselves.."

We welcome the NEW Moleskine Users group @ LiveJournal led by NerdTech

LINK

Hilarity Ensues

WMP #17 João Tito

WMP #17

João Tito
Portugal

Special thanks to our donors.

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

LAST CALL for those wishing to join the project. Email Joy Rothke to be included on the list on or before this Sunday, February 20th.

I'd like to take a moment to introduce ALEX COXE, our new Admin/Intern here at Moleskinerie. At 15 he is one of the youngest Moleskine users I know. Alex has helped manage a sizeable anime-oriented online community prior to joining us. He is from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia and aspires to become graphic designer.

Welcome to M, Alex!   


Finally, for those of us who can't make it, a QTVR of The Gates.

Enjoy the weekend everyone! See you on Monday.

Sterling Truffle Bar ©

Because man can't live on Moleskine alone:

"Double Hazelnut Caramel

A striking, hand-painted truffle with contrasting tiers of milk chocolate flavored with rich hazelnut puree, white chocolate infused with caramel, dark chocolate and a hint of ground hazelnut."

"Rocky Road

A distinctive abstract grid of green, yellow, red and white stripes enhanced with a filling of milk and white chocolate, almonds, marshmallows and a hint of vanilla."



"Cappuccino Liqueur with a Twist

An artfully hand-painted truffle filled with the mingling flavors of milk chocolate, coffee-infused white chocolate, dark chocolate, coffee liqueur and a subtle finish of lemon."



Sterling Truffle Bar ©

What's in your pocket?

Crumbling jasmine blossoms, some cedar waxwing feathers, a ticket to the first Harry Potter movie, etc...

What's in your notebook's pocket?

Moleskine -- why the fuss?

"Moleskine -- why the fuss?

It's just a notebook. The heritage? (Hemingway & etc.)
The accessories?
posted by Rash at 9:44 PM PST

Until recently, I assumed these products were
made with actual mole skins but I just
noticed that extra "e"
posted by Rash at 9:46 PM PST on February 16

I use mine as a wallet (the smaller lined ones). It's slim. I don't carry cash and it fits my debit card, my id and my health club card, plus I can use it as a ledger, and jot down ideas when I have them.

They last longer than normal memo pads, and they look sleek.
posted by drezdn at 9:49 PM PST on February 16

This is my belief. In our modern, hyperactive, distracted-by-the-flashing-lights society, a whole bunch of people have suddenly discovered that sometimes simplicity is best. They've reached the realization, in this case, that sometimes a notebook is more practical and enjoyable than a PDA. But, still having lots of disposable income, they choose to buy the most prestigious, expensive notebook available.
posted by Jimbob at 9:50 PM PST on February 16"

Ask MeFi
Question No. 15245
...
Thanks to the dozen or so friends who tipped us to this ongoing discussion. Yes, we are a MeFite.^_^

Kate Andrews

The notebook of Kate Andrews
Sydney, Australia

Visit her blog, The Department of Me.

Freud Meets Foucault

"MAVIS lecture notes conclusively prove the intersection of the Foucauldian and Freudian visions."

Irish Typepad @ Moleskinerie/FLICKR

Blistered Avalon

"There are several things I almost always carry with me (other than the obvious - money, ID, keys, etc). I have a small pocket edition of Walden, passed on to me by a former lover for my birthday, well-loved by its previous owner and now well-loved by me. Along with this, I carry an unlined Moleskine notebook for jotting down notes, quotes, thoughts, poems, to-do lists - whatever I need it for. I also have my PDA and some pens, and then other miscellaneous things that aren’t quite as important (my Penguin mints, some Burt’s Bees lip balm, a brush, lipstick, licorice Altoids…) I feel like one of THOSE WOMEN sometimes, but Elisa was very helpful when she reminded me that I don’t have a big bag until I have to carry it around on wheels. :-)

A week or so ago, I decided that I wanted a pocket edition of Rumi poems as well. Unfortunately, the only one listed on Amazon.com was a translation I’m not familiar with, and I didn’t want to risk it. But then I had an idea. Now I carry two Moleskines, one of which is labelled “Inspiration” on the spine. Into this, I transcribe mostly Rumi, whichever poems that speak to me, but also haiku, quotes, prayers and other poems - and only things that inspire me somehow, either spiritually or in my writing. Quotes that depress me or that I just think are “pretty cool” go elsewhere - this is my book of sacred texts, or the closest thing I have to one."

Blistered Avalon

WMP #19 Anthony Dauer

WMP #19

Anthony Dauer
Alexandria, VA.
USA

Special thanks to our donors.

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

LAST CALL for those wanting to join the project. Email Joy Rothke to be included on the list on or before Sunday, February 20th.

Franck Cengizalp

The notebook of
Franck Cengizalp, Paris
http://www.kaihoweblog.tk

View larger images at the Moleskinerie Gallery

 

Visiting the Well

"Well ... ask and ye shall receive. A little while ago I discovered the Wandering Moleskine Project.

This is a great idea. A number of large format Moleskine journals are circulated around the globe with the lucky recipients having a week and a page available to them to record whatever they want. The journal is then forwarded to the next person on the list.

I put my name down of course, never really imagining I'd be lucky enough to be chosen to participate.  To my great surprise and delight, No. 18 - a brand new journal - arrived by post yesterday. I feel like the big dog that chases the small car - now that I've caught it I'm not sure what to do with it.

I have a week to fill the page (the first one in this new book) with scratchings, images and symbols that say something about me. Mmm ..... what a wonderful dilemma to have!"

Paul Holland
Visiting the Well

LINK: The Wandering Moleskine Project

Moleskine notebooks and the failure of reality

"Much as I like the notebook, I’ve never been able to use it in the way I’d hoped. There are nearly 190 pages of writing: short comments about a current project, quotations, ideas for blog entries, incomprehensible remarks from nowhere, even inadequate recollections of dreams. But nowhere are the flights of creativity imagined in the reverie of purchase. The most useful pages are those following the progress of close readings of, for example, Benjamin’s "The Storyteller" and Maurice Blanchot’s How is Literature Possible?  Otherwise, I shall probably put the notebook on a shelf somewhere and never consult it again....

...Ooo, I just felt it then: the sensuous specifics of practical action! It is this perhaps that makes fancy notebook usage so contagious. There is the aura of getting things done.

For writers, this aura is a siren. The draw of the notebook is the idea that the accumulation of arcana might form part of the way toward a literary work; the achievement that opposes the insignificance and temporality the writer’s life.

We know, however, that it is not. It is a means of resisting the work of literature."

Steve @ This Space
Read the complete post

[Thanks Christine]

Edge

"The following message is a courtesy copy of an article that has been posted to alt.collecting.pens-pencils as well. When I peep to my rucksack that carry my Moleskine notebooks, I can see only their upper edges that look too similar. Then I made this hack:

Write some short name of notebook to the upper edge of that notebook. Notebooks in that picture from up to down: Pocket Diary 2005, Sketch-book, Ruled Notebook. Fountain pen was not used for those texts.

Juhapekka "naula" Tolvanen

Lux Lotus

"I had the distinct pleasure of going to the opening for a new show at Heidi Cho last week that features the work of my old friend, artist Jessica Cannon. Her work in the group exhibition, entitled "This Time Next Year...," is a provocative and beguiling series of tiny dioramas of each of her previous bedrooms, set into matchboxes and displayed side by side. Says Jes,

I have always been interested in concepts of place. It is an idea that stands for more than a physical location or a moment in time. Place is a combination of these factors, colored by memory, emotion and experience. It can instill a sense of ownership and sometimes a sense of loss. My recent work is an effort to reconstruct places that I’ve seen and then lost.."

Lux Lotus
Lauren Cerand's lovely new(?) blog.

LINK: Jessica Cannon.

Sketchbook Adultery

I started 2005 with a little bit of sketchbook adultery.  I made my first drawing of the year not in my trusty little Moleskine sketchbook but in something new.  Now, even though  I didn’t think it would ever happen, my lovely little Moleskine sketchbook has been replaced in my affections.  No longer do I crave to hear the ther-wak  as I close the little black treasure and snap it’s elastic in place.  No longer do I want to run my fingers down its smooth spine. No more will I feel the need to pop small pieces of memorabilia into it’s back pocket.  It’s all gone.  This love affair is over.  I have a new love.

What in the world has replaced the little black treasure in my heart? This affair is too new for me to really want to share.  But, to give a hint,  my sketching addiction now takes place in something of very similar size to a large Moleskine, with a soft tan cardboard cover, stitched pages and a back flap that serves as a pocket. I love it for reasons I loved my old Moleskines; it opens out flat for larger drawings; has smooth, just off white pages and, most of all, seems to call me draw in it.  Interestingly it also has a very familiar name embossed on the bottom of the back cover...

Michael Nobbs is an artist, blogger  and recovering ME/CFS sufferer who lives on the west coast of Wales. He recently started publishing The Beany (http://www.thebeany.com), a sort of illustrated blog in print. His more traditional blog can be found at http://www.michaelnobbs.com.
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- Famous Love Letters
- "Les Subtiles"
- Unrequited Love Letters

Today on  Journalisimo

Orisinal

Somebody just sent us a virtual bouquet from the inimitable ORISINAL.

Merci!

This is Love

This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, 

to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.

First, to let go of life.

In the end, to take a step without feet;

to regard this world as invisible,

and to disregard what appears to be the self.

 

Heart, I said, what a gift it has been

to enter this circle of lovers,

to see beyond seeing itself,

to reach and feel within the breast.

Rumi

(Miniature painting by Hossein Behzad)

This is Love II: iPod + Moleskine

The notebooks and iPod of Alex Coxe.
© 2005 AC

View a larger image at the Moleskinerie Gallery.

Mod Sleeve/ MFile

Hilarity Ensues

WMP #15 Alberto Forero

WMP #15

Alberto Forero
San Francisco, California, USA

Special thanks to our donors.

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

Have a nice weekend, Internet people!

Arthur Miller

1915-2005

Moleskine Carrier

Here is a new trick for a better carrying of your Moleskine.

I was tired of looking for my pen in my Backpack other in my pocket to write a note in my Moleskine. So finally i've found the solutions for my problem.

You only need a Passport plastic protection bag. In there is space enough for your Moleskine diary and one 4color pen. So they are now more protected und together.

Saludos

Jesús Fernández Álvarez
Deutschland

filoillogico

"dance first, think later, it's the natural order..."

filoillogico

New Portrait of Emily Dickinson

"Cuéllar used all three local Dickinson institutions to research his Emily Dickinson oil portrait. In addition to using local resources, Cuéllar traveled to museums and consulted historians of the nineteenth century to research every aspect of the elements captured by the photograph: the hair, skin, dress, jewelry, and even the original photographer's props, such as the tablecloth and waxed orange blossom flowers.

Cuéllar's goal with his portrait was to render the poet in her true colors: "Most people have a color-blind image of Emily Dickinson since there was only one daguerreotype that portrays the poet in varying shades of gray. For example, I did not know that she was a redhead." He made the painting "as if I were a portrait artist living in the 1840s." He was intrigued by her age in the daguerreotype, a teenager, and wanted to show "not only who she was, but also who she was becoming."

New Portrait of Emily Dickinson
Jones Library

[Thanks Joy]

Call for entries (?)

Neil Rickenback needs your input:

"Writing in my notebook today, a minor curiosity interrupts my train of thought.  Why do we love Moleskines so much?  Why are we so loyal to a small pad of paper, cardboard, and stitching?  I know my own answer to that question, and I also know from speaking with you that many also share my feelings.  Yet I want...no, need more input.  I would very much like to begin a project (the exact nature of which is still unrealized and floating around in my head somewhere) involving Moleskine users' thoughts, ideas, and general rambling on these seemingly timid, yet powerful little pieces of stationery.  I will need your help, yes you.  From the curious, to the casual user, to the slightly scary and obsessive Moleskiners...I want your input.  In the event that this junmble of words here is posted, please send a comment directly to the post or, preferably, feel free to send me a note at:

mnmdgod@gmail.com

Thank you much, and I look forward to hearing from you."
...
Desk: ushist.com

Why I Keep a Journal

"I love to write. I love to draw. Now I see writing and drawing as one - inseperable from each other. A drawing by itself can not tell the whole story. I look back at drawings I've made in my college sketchbooks and wish I would have understood what I now practice. I wish those drawing had been accompanied with thoughts of how I felt about what I drew, where I was, what I was thinking about, etc. In the same way, I wish my written journals had included drawings. Especially my travel journal from my trip to Italy. It is one of my biggest regrets, as I didn't visually record my trip in any way except slides. Someday I hope to redo my Europe Journal as an illustrated journal. So now, here I am, well on my way to completing my second illustrated journal. It is part of my life now. I take my journal everywhere. And in the few situations where I have left it behind, I often scrounge around to find some kind of surface to draw on, an envelope, a napkin, a receipt...whatever I can find. Life is more exciting. I am more fulfilled and happier and less stressed. I have found inspiration in my illustrated blogging friends online. I have been blogging myself for nearly 8 months. I share my drawings, my experiences, my life with whoever comes across it and I have discovered that I have become an inspiration to many people...even people I do not even know. As the years go by, I will look back through my journals and remember the moments I have recorded in them. One day my kids, maybe my grandkids, will read them and know more about who I am and what I did and how I felt. They will not forget me."

Julie's Journal

SUBTRACTION

Khoi Vinh's SUBTRACTION

...
One of the best designed blogs I've seen.