I decided finally to succumb to the cult's wishes and buy a new notebook? Which cult you ask? One that lamely doesn't have sex as its primary selling point, but which is wrapped up in the larger GTD cult that preaches the art of not fucking things up.
Which notebook, you ask? Why, the Moleskine Ruled Notebook of course. Or, as I call it, "Notebook 2.0".
Last night at 2 AM I looked up 'moleskine vancouver' and found a wiki page for where to buy Moleskine notebooks in Canada, and went with Essence Du Papier on Robson & Granville (inside the Sears building), mostly because buying something from a store with a French name makes me feel snootier than I really am (also because it was close to work).
Darren Barefoot mentioned the Moleskine occasionally (see his article on marketers as liars and his mentioning that he wondered where they are sold locally and the question he posed on AskLocally Vancouver) so he and some people I work with have them and were happy with them. I've written only on one page of it—notes during a meeting—and so far so good. It's a nice-looking notebook with a few cool features (elastic closure, pocket in the inside back cover, and a bookmark), and I'll use it mostly for taking notes about how to do stuff and ideas when I'm not near a computer. For $27 Canadian, it's a lot more than I normally pay for something like this, but then again, for a notebook, it's on the higher end. There's a weblog about Moleskine notebooks and even a weblog about art created in and with Moleskine notebooks, but I plan on not following them, because there's only so much I, a non-artist, am going to do with a ruled notebook.
i've heard good things about
stephanie vacher — Mon, 2005-10-24 13:28i've heard good things about the moleskine notebooks but find it really difficult to buy into all the corporate stuff. sure, hemingway used them, but that doesn't mean that anyone's writing is going to be as decent as hemingway's (that is, without 5 or 6 drinks in ya first, and even then it's a crap shoot.)
i guess i'm just the type of person that's satisfied with the $.39 legal pads you can get at staples. but you'll find no judgment on my part, richard! enjoy your notebook :]
Yeah. I don't really care wh
Richard — Mon, 2005-10-24 13:33Yeah. I don't really care who may have used it in the past as long as the thing is decent. Totally contradicting that statement is the fact that I'm trying it out because the people around me are using it. Anyway, I'm with you, in that the ones at the supermarket are just fine for keeping notes. That said, I kept the receipt, not because I think I'm going to return merchandise I've already written in and put a sticker on, but because it's something I will use primarily in the course of conducting business.
Welcome to the world of Moles
Stewart Marshall — Mon, 2005-10-24 14:53Welcome to the world of Moleskin notebooks Richard! I too have seen many blogs about them and their users. I've been using them for years, originally with the tiny version, now the normal size. I even had 3 or 4 on the go at one point. Now it's just one. I tried the really thin ones which come in packs of 3 but didn't like them. This was a good product before the "famous people" marketing kicked in - that alone is worthy of note!
(Disclaimer: I'm a fully accr
Rob Cottingham — Fri, 2005-10-28 11:05(Disclaimer: I'm a fully accredited notebook-and-pen geek.)
Like Stephanie, I'm not especially moved by the "Use the notebook Hemingway puked on!" line. But damn, the Moleskine's one nice-looking notebook; it doesn't fall apart after months of being yanked, crushed, folded and abused; and it doesn't bleed like a Russian prince if you use a marker or a fountain pen. (Try that with a 39-cent pad from Staples!)
By the way, check out Clairfontaine's line of notebooks sometime. (Say, I'm pretty sure Picasso accidentally blew his nose on one once...)
yikes, $27??? you got ripped
col — Sat, 2005-10-29 21:51yikes, $27??? you got ripped off!
Notebook 2.0 - ROFLMAO! I
Tack — Mon, 2005-10-31 12:17Notebook 2.0 - ROFLMAO!
I DO hope you have a patent on the name? Could be worth millions in today's over inflated new dot com bubble!
Love the post :-)