In July I discovered Moleskines, quite by accident, due to someone mentioning them casually in a blog post about something unrelated. I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for an attractive notebook, but for the most part they tend to get a few pages used, and then languish on a shelf for months or years between uses.

I picked up a Moleskine large plain notebook on the way to Paris, and used it extensively while there, taking notes, writing observations, poems, notes to myself, and using the pocket to store ticket stubs, receipts, and other sundries. I came back with a wonderful memento of the trip, but also continue to use the book almost every day.

Since then, I’ve also acquired a pocket notebook from my Beloved, and this weekend picked up some of the cahier style notebooks for daily scratchpad use.

While it may seem a little silly to obsess over what notebook I use, I find that having a beautiful notebook – not to mention a beautiful pen – makes it much likelier that I will actually write something every day. And having something that fits in my pocket means that I always have it with me. In a very real sense, it is my voice.

It’s ironic that although I always have at least one computer with me, and often have two or three, and I have at least three different blogs (betcha didn’t know that, hmm?) it takes something analog to get me to actively journal.