Journal Writing Wednesday: 7 pages

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Apr 6): 7

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1608

Total pages written in 2016: 165

I have not had a chance to clean out my Noodler’s Ahab; moving and starting a new job (remotely) is taking its toll. So I’ve been grabbing my Parker Urbans (the blue and the brown) at work, without incident. They are so reliable it’s slightly ridiculous.

I will announce the pen for May on April 27.

No purchases this week – no time or money!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• We are furiously checking things off lists for our upcoming move. We have a place to live and beds to sleep on in the new city (they will be delivered the day before I arrive). Today I booked passage for my kittens to join me on the airplane. The moving pod has been ordered and boxes filled. The process of letting go has begun. We find ourselves acknowledging when we do something “for the last time.” Bittersweet.
• A friend’s husband passed away this week. It’s heartbreaking but puts into sharp focus what is important in life: embracing your situation where you find yourself and making the most of it, because you never know what tomorrow brings. Her experience is one of the reasons we are going on this cross-country adventure. Carpe diem!

Happy journaling everyone!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 14 pages

Tags

glasses, moving, superstore

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Mar 23): 14

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1601

Total pages written in 2016: 158

I’m sorry to say my Noodler’s Ahab in King Philip Purple is leaking. I used it for about an hour at work on Monday and next thing I knew there was ink all over my hands. We’ll see how things go after another thorough cleaning.

I will announce the pen for May on April 27.

No purchases this week; watching pennies obsessively. More on that below.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Twelve of the fourteen pages written this week have been devoted to lists, reminders, questions and thoughts about a certain big event coming up in our lives. My company is transferring me to one of our East Coast offices which is a) where I grew up and b) SIX PROVINCES AWAY. The logistics are a little overwhelming, as I have lived here for 19 years and accumulated 19 years of stuff. Hence the lists etc. Thankfully things are falling into place daily. And what a great purging exercise. If you have to pay to move a journal collection, that collection gets paired down mighty quick. So if I seem distracted or miss a post here and there over the next six weeks, you know why.
• For those of you who a) live in Canada and b) wear glasses you might want to check out Superstore for crazy deals. I purchased single vision glasses with transition lenses, as well as a pair of sunglasses, in non-designer frames, for $298. Yep. And the technician told me if I spent another $2 I would receive 70,000 PC Plus points (redeemable for $70 for in-store purchases). I bought a $5 bottle of glass cleaner with polishing cloth and ta-da! Points galore. Not only does my company benefits plan cover the entire thing, the glasses feel great and look good! What more could you ask for really? I’m not paid in any way to say anything at all about Superstore, just relaying my experience.

Happy writing everyone.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 5 pages

Tags

blue upon the plains of abraham, franklin christoph, good earth, model 20 translucent bronze, noodler's ahab, noodler's ink, raven black, wonder pens, world mail panel

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Mar 23): 5

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1587

Total pages written in 2016: 144

So tonight I chose a pen to be my go-to pen for April. The ONLINE pen from last month was a bit of a disappointment. So the pen for April is my Noodler’s Ahab in King Philip Purple! I first wrote about it in this post and then again in this post after turning it into a bit of a “frankenpen”. Picture to come soon.

I will announce the pen for May on April 27.

This past Sunday I announced the winner of the Pharaoh Notes Giveaway. Heba15 you have until this coming Sunday to contact me! More giveaways to come so stay tuned.

I cashed in some World Mail Panel points and bought myself two Noodler’s inks from Wonder Pens: Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham and Raven Black. I bought my sister some Raven Black for Christmas and have been lusting after it ever since. Both of them are Canadian exclusives. Review coming soon.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Work has been busier and less frustrating this week, so that’s wonderful. I’ve also been busy at home and I find my journal writing suffers for it. Maybe this weekend I will take myself on a tea-date to Good Earth and write in my journal. Fingers crossed.
• I’ve been watching videos about the Franklin Christoph Model 20 Translucent Bronze fountain pen, available exclusively at Wonder Pens in Toronto. I’ve been wanting a Franklin Christoph pen for a while and this would be a good choice, as it makes for an amazing looking eyedropper pen, which I’ve been wanting to try. Must save my pennies.

Happy writing!

 

Journal Writing Wednesday: 9 pages

Tags

william hannah

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Mar 16): 9

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1582

Total pages written in 2016: 139

This week I’ve been using some different pens at work, which inspired me to think about doing a whole post about the pros and cons of fountain pens as work pens, the limitations of office paper, the mechanics of ink bottles and keyboards. It’s taking shape in my mind so maybe it will turn into a post.

I will announce the pen for April on March 30.

Don’t miss out on my next giveaway:  the Pharaoh Notes Giveaway. It’s a notebook this time. The giveaway runs to March 26 so click on the link and leave a comment to enter!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Work has been a little frustrating of late, so I’m trying to work through that. Journaling helps so much. Any patience I’m able to show to the world stems from my journal, where the real me is allowed to rant and rave and stamp my feet in fury. At least figuratively. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps me sane.
• We submitted our taxes for this year and we are getting a small refund. Yay! We usually put any refund towards a trip but we won’t be travelling for fun for awhile so we had to come up with other ways to spend it. Surprisingly easy to do so!
• Exciting news from williamhannah.com: Mr. David Round graciously offered me a discount on one of their amazing notebooks for me to reivew. I ordered it yesterday and I’m so excited to share my thoughts on it with all of you. Post to come when it arrives.

Happy writing everyone!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 4 pages

Tags

good earth, halley, lg dishwasher

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Feb 17): 4

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1535

Total pages written in 2016: 92

So it is Feb 24 and as promised here is the Pen of the Month for March 2016: Online Green and White Checkerboard. And I do not have a picture of it. I have never reviewed it, although it looks just like the black Online Germany pen discussed in this post, and incidentally that black Online was the Pen of the Month back in May of 2015. If memory serves I wasn’t a fan back then, although when I look back at the blog posts I don’t say anything except that it is the pen for May. We shall see if I like the Online Checkerboard more than the Black one. If not they will probably end up in a giveaway!

On Sunday I wrote about my new ink journal, and this weekend I think I might review my new Parker Urban in Metallic Brown that I recently bought for a song on Amazon.

Have you entered my second giveaway for 2016: Baoer 79 Starwalker? Click on the link to get the details and enter. Giveaway ends February 27.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Wow is 4 pages an all time low? Probably. Got a few more letters out this week. Busy with life I guess. I need to sit myself down in the library or a coffee shop and just journal. My list of topics is growing. And – great news – there is a Good Earth Cafe opening up near me!!! They make THE BEST Earl Grey Lattes (also known as London Fogs) and I am so excited. I haven’t been in yet, not even sure they are open. So happy!!
• Pretty sure I’ve mentioned our dishwasher and how it sounds like a jet engine of late. Well we had an LG technician visit us and he replaced the motor and adjusted a few things and presto – we have our quiet, lovely dishwasher back. Heaven. David and I kept saying – I remember this sound!
• Halley, our younger cat, is extremely affectionate in the morning. She launches herself into my arms and attacks my fabric-covered hair elastic with her teeth. She’s purring the whole time so I’m sure she’s showing me some love but it’s weird. Really weird. Oh well as long as she’s happy I guess!

Happy journaling everyone.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 5 pages

Tags

give a girl a journal, incowrimo 2016, jamie ridler studios

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Feb 10): 5

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1531

Total pages written in 2016: 88

I nearly had a heart attack this very afternoon when I couldn’t find my Nemosine Singularity. But after 10 minutes of frantic searching I found it in my coat pocket! I started breathing again. 🙂 I will pick the pen for March next week on Feb 24.

On Sunday I showed you some Vintage Valentines that my great uncle gave me when I was a teenager. Pretty aren’t they? I hope everyone enjoyed the day. I have no idea what I’m going to write about this Sunday, although I’m excited about a package from Amazon that arrived this week!

I gave you a bonus post on Sunday, about the Give a Girl a Journal campaign at Jamie Ridler Studios. Nominate a girl, sponsor the gift of a journal. Get involved.

Have you entered my second giveaway for 2016: Baoer 79 Starwalker? Click on the link to get the details and enter. Giveaway ends February 27.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Again, not as much journal writing this week as I needed. Often I will think to myself – you need to journal about this – so I make lists of all the things I want to write about. That list is pretty long right now.
• I have been writing letters for InCoWriMo (today I mailed my 6th one) but the majority of this weekend was devoted to organizing the closet in my office.
• A friend of mine came out to watch David’s band last weekend. It was a special night because she has a bucket list with a deadline and one of her items was to see a live band. We all had a great time and her list is one item shorter!

Until we write again…..happy journaling!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 8 pages

Tags

incowrimo 2016, zenscapes by emily

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Feb 3): 8

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1526

Total pages written in 2016: 83

Still using the Nemosine Singularity in Blue Marble; writing some InCoWriMo letters with it. I will pick the pen for March on Feb 24.

On Sunday I showed you some pages from my Executive Winnable Journal; it was difficult but I’m glad I did it. When I finish my next one I will do it again. And on Saturday I announced my second giveaway for 2016: Baoer 79 Starwalker! Click on the link to get the details and enter.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Not much journal writing this week, as I’ve been trying to get some letters written. Only 2 sent so far but I’m hoping to catch up this weekend.
• I made a sneaky little pen purchase on Amazon today. Excited! I will share when it arrives.
• My Dad and I visited my niece this past weekend, at one of our local farmer’s markets. She has a beautiful booth there where she sells her spectacular living creations! Check out her website at Zenscapes by Emily.

Until my next post, happy journaling!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 21 pages

Tags

incowrimo, man up, najowrimo

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Jan 27): 21

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1518

Total pages written in 2016: 75

The Nemosine Singularity in Blue Marble never leaves my side. I will pick the pen for March on Feb 24.

On Sunday I announced the winner of the Monteverde Poquito giveaway – Nadene Gillis! Thanks to everyone who entered, I love reading your comments and I love giving stuff away so there will be more giveaways this year, promise!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• So I didn’t manage to answer all of the prompts for January’s NaJoWriMo but I will keep at it until I finish them. I only have about 10 more to do. I really enjoyed it; it forced me to touch on areas I haven’t considered and probably would never consider in my everyday journaling. I will do it again in April.
• InCoWriMo has started and I am determined to get to the bottom of my Reply To pile. Didn’t I say the same thing last year?
• I changed the header photo on my blog cover page. Thoughts? I loved the old picture but I thought a blog on journal writing should feature a photo with some of my writing actually visible. 🙂
• I saw a FANTASTIC film the other night: Man Up, starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell, written by Tess Morris, directed by Ben Palmer. A smart and silly British romantic romp. Loved it.

Happy journaling all.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 14 pages

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook. Just last night I finished my Winnable Executive Journal, and I’ve been thinking about doing some sort of journal flip blog post.

Total pages written since this post (Jan 20): 14

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1497

Total pages written in 2016: 54

It’s time to put the Al-Star away. On to the pen for February: the Nemosine Singularity in Blue Marble.

So I will bring this pen with me everywhere for the next month and use it as much as I can. No problem; love this pen. I will pick the new pen on Feb 24.

On Sunday I wrote about my lovely Parker Premier. So pretty. And this week I made a purchase from Nanami Paper so blog post will follow once it arrives.

Giveaways: Check out my post NaJoWriMo and a Giveaway and enter to win my Monteverde Poquito! Giveaway closes on January 30.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I haven’t given up on NaJoWriMo but I am really far behind. We’ll see what the weekend brings.
• We got walls at work last weekend! I moved floors in December and the cubicles we moved to had low walls between them. It was nice in that our workspaces felt quite open and expansive, but not so very private and with not a lot of storage. So now it’s been remedied and we have the same high-walled cubicles as everyone else on our floor. It’s great to be back to normal but it feels a bit caged in. It’s funny how quickly you can get used to something.
• We got some sad news at work; a coworkers’ husband is very ill and she is taking an indefinite leave to care for him. One always feels so useless in these situations. We are praying for him and the whole family.

Until next post, happy writing!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 11 pages

Tags

alan rickman, bullet journal, david bowie, glenn frey, heroes, hobonichi, ink journal, najowrimo, old friends, youtube

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, Winnable Executive Journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Jan 13): 11

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1483

Total pages written in 2016: 40

Still using the Al-Star, bringing it to work with me every day and using it for notes. I will announce the pen for February on January 27.

I finished my Christmas Journal posts and I think this Sunday I will talk about my Boxing Day Pen! I haven’t made any purchases this week.

Giveaways: Check out my post NaJoWriMo and a Giveaway and enter to win my Monteverde Poquito! Giveaway closes on January 30.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I’ve fallen behind in my NaJoWriMo journaling but I will catch up this weekend. Hopefully!
• I created a new ink journal, which is actually a binder. Review coming soon.
• My friend is going through a stressful time right now, and wanted to get herself a journal to write some things down, to focus her energies on getting through. She bought herself one but it ended up in the snow by accident. It was kind of ruined so I have a pile of journals marked for donation and I brought in a few for her to look at and she chose two. She was really excited to use them and that just made me excited for her. She’s already writing up a storm! Love all the different colours Jackie!
• Had lunch with a friend on the weekend. We hadn’t seen in each other in a while but it was just like old times. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling with good friends? We laughed until the tears flowed and then talked about life and feeling our age and our parents and heroes dying and millennials. Can’t wait to do it again Muge!
• My back went out again and I was a big baby about the pain this time. It’s not like this is new for me; I’ve been living with scoliosis since I was 16 (29 years!) and managing back and hip and leg pain is second nature. But I’ve been spoiled with being pain-free for so long that this latest episode hit me hard. Poor David! But it’s better now. I’m starting to feel normal again. 🙂
• I’ve been thinking a lot about bullet journals. Anyone use them? I am very happy with my Hobonichi but the bullet journal system intrigues me. Lots of videos on YouTube and each one is slightly different. Just may have to make one for myself.
• Mourning the loss of Bowie, Rickman and now Glenn Frey. Tough week.

Until next post, happy writing!