I'm A Sad, Pathetic Stationery Junkie.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I really am a junkie. When my psychiatrist diagnosed me with OCD last year I quickly realized my uncontrollable penchant for buying notebooks was a product of my OCD. I've bought well over 200 notebooks in the last several years. (I took the time to count. I have retained 194, but I've thrown away/given away/recycled at least three dozen.) Maybe it's like fountain pen collecting. You've got 100 pens and you think you're terminally unique but then you discover there are 100 people with 200 pens. Maybe 200+ notebooks put me smack in the middle of the buying spectrum.

 

Anyway, my latest find was a kind of holy grail for me, a semi B5 hardcover doublewire-bound notebook with smooth, fountain pen friendly paper that allowed me to write on both sides of a sheet. It's easy to find a notebook sort of like this, but I've never seen a notebook with all these qualities. (B5/semi B5 tends to be the eliminating factor. With B5 notebooks, hardcover doublewire-bound is the culprit.) I found it at my alma mater's bookstore, but it is available from Amazon Prime. It's a Hamelin "8x10" 1-subject notebook. (I put quotation marks around the size because it actually measures 7.75" x 9.75".) Hamelin is a French paper company. It's been around since 1864. I've been around since 1954 and I never heard of it.

 

Nearly all my nibs are wet. In my writings thus far, broad, wet nibs have produced partial bleed-through. My wet EF, F, and M nibs have not. Wet EF and F nibs produced minimal or no show-through; wet Ms, moderate.

 

Cheers.

 

Pfffft. I've sold or given away more than 200 pens.

 

(Can I help it if the pens I want to try are just about only sold in multiples?)

[DilettanteG]

Pfffft. I've sold or given away more than 200 pens.

 

(Can I help it if the pens I want to try are just about only sold in multiples?)

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one indulging in a little retail therapy, to give my hoarding the nicest possible euphemism.

 

Speaking of that my latest Cult Pens order is officially enroute. I've been resisting new notebooks despite the holiday sales, but I did order an A5 Rhodia notepad with cream colored vellum 90 gm paper and a chocolate brown cover to match my mahogany leather Coach portfolios. I needed it to replace a Clairefontaine pad that's down to it's final pages. I love the Clairefontaine paper, but the weak gum that holds the pad together failed pretty quickly. It's annoying to have the block of blank pages dropping out at usually the most inconvenient times.

 

Maybe if I can get around to only replacing what I use up and run out of, I'll be on the road to recovery. Of course, that actually means I may never need to buy stationery or another notebook again as I'm realistically set until old age does me in decades from now.

[Misfit]

I took my NASA Coop notebook to a talk on Mars, Planet of Mystery at the public library. Im happy to report I saw another person with a lime green notebook there taking some notes as well. No fountain pen, but nice to see.

 

[DilettanteG]

Yay! My husband’s surgery went well and I had some time to kill while he slept. I ended up at the Stanford shopping mall and inexplicably bought a box of Crane’s fountain pen engraved flat cards and some fold over engraved/foil? unicorn cards both with matching lined envelopes. I have no idea why I did this as I already have a life time of stationery. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote a letter on actual writing paper. I think my brain is broken.

 

Maybe some one should send help before I hit the Mont Blanc boutique in Santa Clara?

[inkypete]

Yay! My husband’s surgery went well and I had some time to kill while he slept. I ended up at the Stanford shopping mall and inexplicably bought a box of Crane’s fountain pen engraved flat cards and some fold over engraved/foil? unicorn cards both with matching lined envelopes. I have no idea why I did this as I already have a life time of stationery. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote a letter on actual writing paper. I think my brain is broken.

 

Maybe some one should send help before I hit the Mont Blanc boutique in Santa Clara?

It was clearly a reaction to your husbands anaesthetic and surgery - thats not uncommon.The stress of it all manifested itself by making you do pleasurable things to offset the stress. Go to Mont Blanc - all your FPN friends are with you in spirit.

 

PS: Glad all went well with your hubby. Good wishes for a speedy recovery.

[DilettanteG]

Ah, that explains it. Thanks inkypete!

Awesome screen name.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Yay! My husband’s surgery went well and I had some time to kill while he slept. I ended up at the Stanford shopping mall and inexplicably bought a box of Crane’s fountain pen engraved flat cards and some fold over engraved/foil? unicorn cards both with matching lined envelopes. I have no idea why I did this as I already have a life time of stationery. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote a letter on actual writing paper. I think my brain is broken.

 

Maybe some one should send help before I hit the Mont Blanc boutique in Santa Clara?

 

Wish I could go with you! I would either restrain you—-or we'd react like matter meeting anti-matter, and clean out the joint.

 

I'm echoing inkypete's sentiments, too. Very glad the surgery went well!

[DilettanteG]

Wish I could go with you! I would either restrain you—-or we'd react like matter meeting anti-matter, and clean out the joint.

 

I'm echoing inkypete's sentiments, too. Very glad the surgery went well!

 

Thanks!

i’ve already bought three pelikans, 2 pen cases, and two inks this month. I want to go look at the 149 calligraphy, but i’m not sure i trust myself.

 

the surgery going well was the best xmas gift!

 

update:The MB store is an hour out of my way. I guess I’ll give that a miss and take a nice walk instead. Plus some of the yelp reviews are pretty brutal.

[Newjelan]

So far, after 16 days in Japan, I’ve only bought 2 limited edition Sailor fountain pens, 1 bottle of ink, a sample pack of Japanese papers, several notebooks and 12 rolls of Washi tape. The limiting factor has been getting my bags on and off trains and the weight limits on domestic planes. My final stop is Tokyo, where I plan to shop for “gifts” and have 23kg of spare capacity for the flight home.

I also ran into a friend in a small pen shop in a relatively remote alpine town. (I introduced her to fountain pens about 10 years ago.)

[DilettanteG]

So far, after 16 days in Japan, I’ve only bought 2 limited edition Sailor fountain pens, 1 bottle of ink, a sample pack of Japanese papers, several notebooks and 12 rolls of Washi tape. The limiting factor has been getting my bags on and off trains and the weight limits on domestic planes. My final stop is Tokyo, where I plan to shop for “gifts” and have 23kg of spare capacity for the flight home.

 

I also ran into a friend in a small pen shop in a relatively remote alpine town. (I introduced her to fountain pens about 10 years ago.)

 

I have travel envy. Japan sounds like pen and paper heaven.

 

When I was last in London, I went a little crazy at the bookshops. They used to be my kryptonite. I ended up shipping a big box home. It was pricey, but vastly superior to lugging stuff around the UK.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have tomorrow off. I may need to check out available paper supplies in local brick and mortar shops either before or after I take my mom to lunch. (she is in a care center and doesn't get out much) The current sketch book is almost full, will need to replace it for sure. But if I get the same thing it should only be a few dollars at Michael's, Hobby Lobby or Wal Mart. But then it is on to the nicer options, which of course are more expensive.

[Misfit]

These are the notebooks I got for Christmas. I included the Travelers Notebook calendar insert because it is the weekly plus memo style.

 

[Misfit]

I just ordered some notebooks because I saw them on Jet Pens clearance. I got two for my brother, and two for me. That after getting notebooks for Christmas.

 

But the paper is water resistant based on garment cleaning tags. The notebook has a grommet hole for attaching it. It has curved sides for easy gripping. Blah blah blah. How easy it is to sell notebooks to Sad, Pathetic Stationery Junkies.

[Sailor Kenshin]

These are the notebooks I got for Christmas. I included the Travelers Notebook calendar insert because it is the weekly plus memo style.

 

 

Ooooo...the one with the coffee cups.....shinyyyyy....

[Misfit]

It came from amazon.

[Stompie]

Bought some stuff last week.

 

Waiting for some other stuff to arrive

 

[inkypete]

Bought some stuff last week.

 

Waiting for some other stuff to arrive

 

Great effort - keep it up!

[inkypete]

'Back to School' sales about to start here so always a good time to pick up a bargain or two.

[DilettanteG]

These are the notebooks I got for Christmas. I included the Travelers Notebook calendar insert because it is the weekly plus memo style.

 

 

And there's one with a horsie!

 

Yes, it is easy to sell to us sad, pathetic stationery junkies. I'm half way thru a special edition of my favorite notebook that has blue pages and silver gilt instead of cream pages and gold gilt. That's pretty much the only difference, but they already ran out of one size and color, so I panicked and ordered two more.

 

My New Years Resolutions are already collapsing like a house of cards. Oh well, maybe I can finish stronger than I start.

[Misfit]

Yes a horsie! I know exactly what you mean @DilittanteG. It’s Space themes for me, and lately National Parks. I got series D of Field Notes National Park series after receiving the first 3 sets as a subscriber. But getting them helped me get free shipping on an ink order. I actually ended up paying less once I hit free shipping (Pen Chalet).

 

I forgot that mint green is a color that calls at me, and uh other greens. Really we all need a rainbow of colors in our notebook covers. Oh and maps and globe images, I would get too many of those. Darn that Cavallini Company. Too many cool covers are in their offerings.

 

I reloaded my FAF pad. Soon I’ll need to get refills for it.