Post: #1

Ive heard about and seen them (at Barnes and Noble) for years, but found them a bit pricey, but Ive read that a lot of people swear by them. Ive been thinking of keeping a daily journal and I want something uniform and consistent, so when Im 80, I can have a shelf in my bookcase with two dozen plus identical volumes. I thought that regular composition books would do, but I wonder if Moleskines would be better.

What do yall use for notetaking and journals?

Post: #2

Not at all. I have bought some of them so far and the paper is not worth the price. Recently I bought a Palomino Slate -same concept, but with a Blackwing pencil included. The paper is by far much better -though it's still expensive. Anyway, this is pretty much a SWPL element you want to experience.

Post: #3

I always carry a notepad in my back pocket.

Moleskins are sewn and the paper is good quality, but other than that, they are just an overpriced notebook. If you are going to carry it around on a backpack or briefcase or just use it like a journal at home, then a regular college notebook will be enough, and those are just $1 apiece.

Post: #4

I think that as per Beyond Borders's recent post:
/thread-42289.html

Anything that helps you come up with ideas that could change your life or lead to lucrative opportunities, is well worth the cost. Try your hand at Moleskines and see if they help you be more creative.

Post: #5

Markings by C.R. Gibson was also recommended on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003M6A9CI/ but I just cant really see how gourmet paper is really necessary. I can understand wanting a good binding that lasts, but most of my composition books from elementary school have lasted over 15 years so far. Their biggest beating was in my backpacks of yore. All I think I require is some paper to write on. On second thought, composition book paper is a bit thin and thicker paper is worth considering. Maybe thats a benefit of these gourmet notebooks.

Ill look into Blackwings. There is a store near me and a few in the city I occasionally frequent.

Post: #6

Stuff White People like #122: Moleskine Notebooks

Post: #7

Overrated, save you're money for a decent pen instead.

I bought a pack of thee Moleskine pads by mistake. The covers which were cellophane wrapped looked kind of leathery and I thought they must be made of mole skin as in the underground dwelling animal. I thought that might be cool until I paid a lot and unpacked them back home. They weren't made of mole skin but merely made by Moleskine a company I'd never heard of.

Lesson learnt. Save your money.

Post: #8

I carry a notebook around in my laptop bag for work. I write everything down.
But for my personal life my iPhone is all I need.

Post: #9

Whatever you do, pronounce that shit right. Nothing sounds dumber than hearing some hipster who supposedly "swears by them" call them "Mole Skins," like some kind of euphemism for the penis.

They're actually pronounced:

<Mo-leh-skee-nuh>

Post: #10

No.

We used ducks back and rite in the rain field notebooks and the notepads are used by some EMS staff. The paper doesn't tear, and is indeed waterproof. Like drop it in a lake waterproof.

Post: #11

(11-23-2014 12:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  Whatever you do, pronounce that shit right. Nothing sounds dumber than hearing some hipster who supposedly "swears by them" call them "Mole Skins," like some kind of euphemism for the penis.

They're actually pronounced:

<Mo-leh-skee-nuh>

"The name Moleskine does not have an official pronunciation. The company claims it is a "brand name with undefined national identity"."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine

IMO unless you speak italian pronouncing it with an italian accent is whack but your mileage may vary.

Binding your own books is pretty easy. I do this with watercolor paper and nice leather for brush pen drawing and sketchbooks. If you're just writing in pencil moleskins or any of the suggestions above are fine.

Post: #12

The "Black n Red" notebooks you can find at grocery stores are actually really good, unless they've gone downhill in the last couple years.

I like Clairefontaine notebooks quite a bit. This notebook will hold up well as a back pocket notebook and the paper quality is excellent, just don't let it get soaked of course. All of their notebooks are good quality but I like their spiral bound medium notebooks because I want my paper to lie flat when I write on it.

Rite in the Rain notebooks are okay but the pens I like don't work on them, and you can forget erasing anything if you're using a pencil. Still, when the application calls for water resistance you can't beat them. I have a field notebook I've used while sitting in the open in a pouring rainstorm day after day and I never lost any data, the paper just gets a little wrinkly when it dries. That notebook has probably seen at least 100 soakings and it's still going strong.

I also have piles of those $1 composition notebooks. They're not ideal but they're tough and cheap and comfortable for writing on my lap or in the car, and I can use my dry fountain pens without too many issues.

Very recently I also started using a voice recorder, dictating thoughts and ideas and doing story development and that sort of thing when I'm driving or hiking. I can get in the zone really easily that way, not having to use my hands for anything and not having a laptop with the lure of the internet one click away. Of course then I have to transcribe the ideas later, but I find it's valuable hearing my spoken ideas out loud.

Post: #13

I agree with Yeti, if it'll inspire you to write then fine.

But a regular notebook, or anything you can legibly write on is fine (i have torn off a page from an airline magazine when I wanted to write something but didn't have paper).
Later you can transcribe it to something more permanent.

I don't like an artisanal or a more costly notebook b/c it feels precious and imbues the words with value they may not intrinsically have. I'd rather have a Mead notebook from Target where I can whip off whatever I feel like writing and not be concerned whether it's up to snuff for my archival-quality "diary". But maybe for a journal or memoir type writing it's exactly what you want.

Oh, and when I first saw this thread, I thought you mean Dr. Scholl's Moleskins. Which yes, are absolutely worth the hype.
If you travel, you should carry a sheet of that in your bag. Eventually you will use it.

Post: #14

(11-23-2014 04:09 PM)portofmanteau Wrote:  "The name Moleskine does not have an official pronunciation. The company claims it is a "brand name with undefined national identity"."

That's marketing bullshit they've only put out recently. For years, Moleskine included a pronunciation key in the little booklet they put in all of their notebooks. This new statement is likely an acceptance that people are going to fuck it up no matter how hard they try--especially as the books have gone totally mainstream (sold in stores everywhere, versus just select stationery stores and online).

Post: #15

(11-23-2014 06:03 PM)weambulance Wrote:  The "Black n Red" notebooks you can find at grocery stores are actually really good, unless they've gone downhill in the last couple years.

I like Clairefontaine notebooks quite a bit. This notebook will hold up well as a back pocket notebook and the paper quality is excellent, just don't let it get soaked of course. All of their notebooks are good quality but I like their spiral bound medium notebooks because I want my paper to lie flat when I write on it.

Rite in the Rain notebooks are okay but the pens I like don't work on them, and you can forget erasing anything if you're using a pencil. Still, when the application calls for water resistance you can't beat them. I have a field notebook I've used while sitting in the open in a pouring rainstorm day after day and I never lost any data, the paper just gets a little wrinkly when it dries. That notebook has probably seen at least 100 soakings and it's still going strong.

I also have piles of those $1 composition notebooks. They're not ideal but they're tough and cheap and comfortable for writing on my lap or in the car, and I can use my dry fountain pens without too many issues.

Very recently I also started using a voice recorder, dictating thoughts and ideas and doing story development and that sort of thing when I'm driving or hiking. I can get in the zone really easily that way, not having to use my hands for anything and not having a laptop with the lure of the internet one click away. Of course then I have to transcribe the ideas later, but I find it's valuable hearing my spoken ideas out loud.

yes, certain ballpoint pens just slide instead of roll on rite in the rain paper. I used to use sharpies and pencils. The sharpie doesn't leak to the other side.

Post: #16

I personally think moleskines are pretty dumb unless you're a writer and I just hate to carry stuff on me so I use Evernote which synchs with all my devices.

Post: #17

(11-23-2014 12:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  Whatever you do, pronounce that shit right. Nothing sounds dumber than hearing some hipster who supposedly "swears by them" call them "Mole Skins," like some kind of euphemism for the penis.

They're actually pronounced:

<Mo-leh-skee-nuh>

Well I guess pronouncing it as sky is a little better.

This is basically what I figured that its hipster chow. I want something consistent and reliable like composition books, but now Im thinking that the paper might be too thin. Then again, it has a nice look to it when all the writing indentations make it crinkly. I suppose whatever helps me get thoughts down is what matters.