How to Write a Thank You Note | The Art of Manliness
For more than just men. Good tips for everyone.
Instagram photo by Shawn Mihalik • Jan 3, 2016 at 12:05 PM
I have yet to put my finger on exactly why, but I’m incredibly enamored with this shot from my friend Shawn Mihalik of some pens in a jar.
Perhaps it is the simplicity of it. Maybe it’s because it is very easy to get swept away in expensive paper and pen nerdery and this is a reminder that simple, basic, and cheap works just as well. While it is nice to have some fancy fountain pens in a slick case, some pens in a jar is all we really need.
Review: Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener
This Christmas, my school aged daughter got a Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener from Santa. I had seen several glowing reviews of it over the over the past few months and I was hoping that by sending those to the North Pole Santa would take a hint about what I thought she needed in her stocking.
It seemed that looking for a sharp pencil to do her homework had become a nightly struggle. The one sharpener we could ever reliably find around the house was the one built into our paper shredder. Let’’s suffice to say that pencil sharpening was clearly an afterthought to the paper shredder manufacturer based on it’s poor performance.
So, I was hoping that Santa would leave a good, rock-solid, sharpener that would be easy enough for an eight-year-old to use and, possibly, last for at least a few years. Maybe, even until college. Boy, did Santa deliver!
I’m not a “pencil guy” but if you were to ask Santa for just one pencil sharpener it should be this one. It’s easy to use, built like a tank, and most importantly in perfectly sharpens pencils — leaving a long, strong, needle-sharp lead. It’s designed to never over-sharpen. It simply stops taking off lead and casing once both have reached perfection. And it does this every, single, time. I know because my daughter was so thrilled that she spend a few hours sharpening every pencil she could find (about 50 or so).
So, if you are looking for a great, affordable, and good looking sharpener that will give you perfect pencils every time, put this on your Christmas list. Perhaps, if you are very good, Santa will bring you one too (or you could get one yourself for about $20 from Santa’s helpers at Amazon )
Using Notebooks | Jamie Todd Rubin
Using Notebooks | Jamie Todd Rubin
It might seem strange that, as the paperless guy, I find myself using old-fashioned notebooks more and more frequently. But that’s just what I am doing… Most apps that I have tried for taking quick, disposable notes have not worked well for me. Even Evernote, which I use for many other things, puts up too many barriers to taking quick notes. I am much more likely to record a note if I can just pull the notebook out of my pocket and start writing.
I have yet to find an app that can equal the immediacy of paper.
Used versus Un-used pocket notebooks — The Finer Point
Used versus Un-used pocket notebooks — The Finer Point
Many people will have a problem of hoarding notebooks so I am not alone, and my stack is probably much much smaller than most, but to get a real idea on how bad it was I decided to write a post on the number of used and un-used notebooks I own.
Really great idea and post. The pictures, as usual, are beautiful. I think it is important to stop and challenge ourselves regularly with questions of need vs. want. If for no other reason to help us make future decisions wisely.
Laurel Keck — On Keeping A Notebook
Laurel Keck — On Keeping A Notebook
I’ve been keeping a notebook for over 14 years, and one of the main things I’ve learned is that your notebook is exactly what you put into it. If you pour yourself into it, it will be a patchwork quilt of your life, thoughts and ideas.
How to make journaling a ritual (video) – Asian Efficiency
How to make journaling a ritual (video) – Asian Efficiency
Journaling has many benefits but it can be hard to start one. This video will show you how you can easily pick up the journal habit.
Not only a well produced video but also a bunch of “templates” — mainly prompts to help you write about your day — you can use.
The Notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Larry Warsh
The Notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Larry Warsh
The notebooks are filled with images and words that recur in Basquiat’s paintings and other works. Iconic drawings and pictograms of crowns, teepees, and hatch-marked hearts share space with handwritten texts, including notes, observations, and poems that often touch on culture, race, class, and life in New York. Like his other work, the notebooks vividly demonstrate Basquiat’s deep interests in comic, street, and pop art, hip-hop, politics, and the ephemera of urban life. They also provide an intimate look at the working process of one of the most creative forces in contemporary American art.
I recently had a chance to spend some time with this new collection of the composition notebooks of one of my favorite artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat. I found it absolutely fascinating as a fan but even more so as one who has championed keeping a notebook or journal to others for a very long time.
The reason — most of the pages have a single small drawing or a sentence or even just a single word. A great deal of it would make no coherent sense to the casual reader — especially if you were not already a fan of and well versed in the work and troubled life of this artist.
One of the points I try to hammer home about keeping a notebook or journal of any type is the idea that “anything counts”. And, certainly, Basquiat’s notebooks are a near perfect example of that. I find it strangely inspirational.
Leftybooks, notebooks designed for left-handed minds by Jaime de la Puente — Kickstarter
Leftybooks, notebooks designed and made exclusively for left-handed minds. The Leftybooks contains a slight slant-ruled paper printed in the inside, so you can write with your left hand without running over your own notes.
Those that have followed along here for a while know my rather hard-line policy on linking to or posting about crowdfunding stuff. That being, I generally do not link to them — too much past disappointment and I’d rather focus on products that are available to help you today.
That said, in my continuing quest to make this site a good resource to my left handed friends, this Righty can’t help himself and is making an exception to his rule. Looks like an interesting solution to a problem many left-handers face. I’d love it if this post goes even a small way towards helping these folks make their goal.
To a good home… | The Cramped
I came up with a plan on how to distribute the slightly used notebooks and other items I am kindly sent for review. If you would like in on it click the link above.