Oxford Stapled Notebook from France

I picked this notebook up in a supermarket in France in June. I could have gone a bit mad buying notebooks in Europe but the credit crunch had just bitten and I was being very cautious. So in the end it was the only one I bought! It's a simple stapled exercise book with glossy card cover. It's the lines that are interesting. I believe that the rench demand very precise writing practice from school kids and this I think is the traditional practice paper. The paper itself is high quality and good to write on. The lines are a bit like Doane paper but not quite. It doesn't have the small grid lines but has larger cm size boxes.
As usual I haven't decided what i'll use it for but I'm looking forward to writing in it

Blackwell Notebook Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Blackwell Pocket size notebook I've mentioned in a previous post. I've compared it to a Moleskine and you can see the paper isn't quite as precisely sewn in. In it's defence I have given this Blackwell notebook a fair bi of abuse in it's short life. I like to personalise my black notebooks so that I know what's in them all and I have fun using moo.com stickers. You can upload your own photos and make a book of up to 90 different square stickers. Available both sides of the pond.

Fisher Space Pen

I found my Fisher Space pen again! I lose it with regular monotony which is a pain but then there is the joy of finding it again (usually but not always). I lose it because of it's smooth small bullet shape of course. It's easy to throw in your pocket or bag but then hard to find. The feel of the bullet shape the size, the clever way the lid extends the length of the pen for writing are all part of what I like about it. It is by far one of the coolest pens I've come across. It is, alongside Teflon one of the greatest achievements of the space program. And while it would seem that a pencil would have worked brilliantly without all this effort in developing gloopy ink in a pressurised cartridge, you've got to admire their invention. Not as big an invention as the story that man got to the moon, however I digress...
The thing about a Fisher Space pen is that while I always, always want to own one they dont actually write that well. My opportunities to write under water, even in Glasgow weather or upside down are minimal so I'm talking about regular on the go note taking. The ink never quite flows smoothly. there can be blobs of ink like a rubbish NHS issue biro or skips on the page and when the pen feels so right in my hands it writes so wrong...

Recently I picked up a Chartwell waterproof notebook in WHSmith for £2.49 (they have a few left now for a £1 but how many waterproof notebooks do you really need?) and I thought this would be the perfect combination for the Space pen. After all it writes under water. I tried it out and although the paper in he pad is indeed smooth and magical in the wet the space pen still performed in it's usual haphazard gloopy way.

So with this criticism of its function what would I still want one. A pen is a functional item after all. Well it really does come down to how cool it is to look at, how nice it feels and how it slips in the pocket of my trousers easily. It is a go anywhere, look good pen. And while mine is black (Henry T Ford again) the coloured ones look fabulous too. I think you can also get coloured inks so perhaps I shall splash out on them one day and give them a go.

Now where on earth did I put my Space pen............?

Is it cheaper to buy notebooks than write in them?

There's a bit of a credit crunch on at the moment. I don't know if you've noticed?
So as a result I've been trying to cut back on my spending. There are several things that I spend money on that I don't really need to. I've found lunchtime when I actually get away from my desk the time tht can cost the most unnecessary expenditure.
Making sure I take my lunch items with me each day is really helping but one of my occasional lunchtime pleasures is going out to look at notebooks. As you can see I sometimes buy one. Now I have to admit I've been too busy for this pursuit lately and so that has kept me from wandering and spending but I was thinking perhaps this is cheaper than if I actually wrote in the notebooks.
Why?
Well If I wrote in the notebooks I'd have to go out at lunchtime and find a spot to sit and write. Now if you're from Scotland you'll understand, it is invariably windy, wet, cold, baltic, snowing, basically inclement. So sitting on a park bench is a once a year summer treat. The rest of the year I'd have to go into a coffee shop to write in my notebook. Average cup of coffee in local cafes is £2.50 I'd say. And I'd have to buy that everytime I went in. It's not the same as going looking at notebooks and sometimes buying one. Okay a notebook purcase could be equivalent to two or three coffee shop visits but I still think if I got into the habit of a lunchtime coffee while I filled up all my existing notebooks then that would spend more money.

So the result of this is that while I bring my lunch in with me as part of my money saving campaign i can also go and browse through the stationary departments and maybe even buy a notebook every now and then...... Result