Notebooks, part II
The Algorithm and a pretty notebook, plus bonus pen content and a bit of friendship
My last post, about notebooks, gained a lot more traction than most of my newsletters do. That’s a relative metric - this is a tiny newsletter - but I don’t get many comments or restacks and that one garnered a few. This is just a quick update post.
My notebook came!
I tried using it yesterday to make some notes and, as expected from Rhodia, the pages are very smooth and there was no bleed through from the (pink) fountain pen I used.
Then, this morning, the Substack Algorithm led me to a post from an unfamiliar Stack about how the author uses her notebook. Guess what? It’s the same notebook, minus the dot grid, in the same color. I, too, picked this color because it was cheapest on the Bezos Machine. I was hesitant because it is the color scheme of a certain SEC school, and I remain strictly neutral regarding the SEC (it helps that I don’t like football, and also have moral qualms about a few aspects of the sport). That said, this particular SEC school has good colors, good typography, and my second favorite competition pool.
I appreciated this post because reading it was a mix of “hey, I do that!” and “hey, that’s a good idea!”
Pens
I also wrote once about pens, in a post that similarly gained traction, so I’ll update you on some consumerism there too.
My office is chock full of pens, but I’ve been using my desk at home a lot these days. Because of my difficulties with extended handwriting, I mostly use the computer, but I do jot down notes. There’s also stuff like the grocery list, the occasional letter/card, or the quarterly check (how quaint!) for the termite bond. I do not have any of my preferred pen at home, so I ordered a pack of them - the PaperMate Ink Joy gel pen in black.
I also ordered a pack of black Le Pens after hearing Ross Gay mention them in a recent interview. I suspect they will have too fine a point to curry my favor, but I cannot resist a pen recommendation.
Finally, I fell prey to a promotional email from Jet Pens and impulse purchased a lovely eggplant purple fountain pen. It’s a limited edition so clearly this was an essential. Obviously, I needed some ink, so I picked out a dark blue-black ink (also a special edition, so, once again, necessary) that I think will be delightful.
In other news…
The Washington Post had a nice article about friendship, and hosting lower-anxiety events. A few months ago, I had an idea to host what I was grandly thinking of as a literary salon, except that Book Night might be a less pretentious term (though I was thinking of doing it in the afternoon, and Book Afternoon doesn’t flow as well). This article brought that idea to the forefront again, and I think I’m going to go for it. The premise: everyone comes prepared with a 30- to 60-second elevator pitch about a book they love. People are encouraged to also bring a quote or two to share. Snacks and drinks are provided. Then, ???
A postcard from Pippin, who has a new bandanna
I recently started using a Cross ballpoint again. I got it pre-library school when I worked at the Cross store in Harvard Square, and it didn’t get much use over the years because I didn’t want to take it to work and have it disappear. When the last of my preferred disposable ballpoints recently bit the dust I came across it. I forgot how nice it is to write with! I know it is not a Cool Pen(TM) but I make up for that with the fistful of colorful Le Pens.