Editing The Pen Addict 5/transcript (section)

== Daily Carry ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Right. So last week, we spoke a bit about paper, and then we started to go into what we carry about on a daily basis from a paper perspective. At that point, I had to cut you off in your excitement and say that it would be good if we maybe kept it for this week and do an episode around the daily carry.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, I think so. That's one of my favourite topics. And I know once we got started on it last week, it would have run on for quite a while. So just to recap in case someone's picking it up on this episode and didn't catch last week's episode, we just covered some general paper definitions, some types of paper, the more journal-style paper, moleskin, hardbound journal types of paper that Myke and I use and that other people have used. might like seeing. And then that kind of morphed into what we use for our daily use or our portable paper. And then that's, I think, our jumping off point for today.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Indeed. So why don't you start off? Because you probably have, as is always, a better system.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. And I don't know that it's a system, but when I leave the house, my desk is one area, right? I've got, usually on my desk, I've got a large notebook, you know, like eight and a half by 11 size. We talked about, I use the Doan paper idea journal for that. And then I'll have a couple of small, I'll have a smaller idea journal and I have a field notes notebook. And they each kind of do different things for me. You know, one's kind of an inbox, some random notes, things like that. Then my large one is for more planning or meeting or organizing or notes or to do. That's the main, that's the main capturing tool. When I leave the house, you know, I'm not totally analog. I do take my iPhone with me. But I always carry a Doan paper utility journal, which is the small three and a half by five and a half. It's like a pocket notebook.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You know, people are familiar with that size from seeing field notes or the Moleskine Cahers. I think that's how you say it. I know we had that discussion last week, too. You know, it's just, it's something that's going to slip into your pocket. You're hardly going to notice it. It's good quality. You know, it goes in a pants pocket, a shirt pocket. I carry mine in both places. I'm not too particular. One thing I do use with my Doan utility journal is I did buy one of the super nice Doan paper leather works covers, utility journal covers, which is a knockout. That slides in my back pocket like a wallet. I carry a front pocket wallet money clip, so I have room in my back pocket for a notebook like that. And really, when I leave the house, that's what I use for a notebook. For a pen, I am not too particular when I leave the house.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's usually going to be a ballpoint type pen just because most of mine are retractable. I like that convenience when I'm out and about. I don't have to worry about losing a cap.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And depending on if I'm writing in some weird outdoor situation where a gel ink or a liquid ink pen may not work so hot, the ballpoint is a little more, it's a more safer choice. A lot of people will look at carrying a pressurized ink pen for their everyday carry pen, which is your Fisher Space pens and, you know, Uniball power tanks. And we can talk all about those. But for me, it's usually my like a 0.5 millimeter Jetstream or a 0.7 millimeter Acroball. And when I'm not carrying a ballpoint, I carry that Secura Pigma Micron that I talk about all the time, which is a polar opposite in effectiveness to the ballpoint. But I know if I'm, this is how weird I am. I know if I'm going to be in an indoor situation where it's controlled, I'll take the Micron. And if I know I'm going to be out and about and don't know what I might need to be riding, I'll take the Jetstream.

'''Myke Hurley:''' What's the difference for you? Like why, what's the indoor situation?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Well, no, I just, the Micron's not a great everyday carry pen, right? I mean, it's a felt tip. It's capped. It's an awesome pen. But, you know, if it's rainy or, you know, I happen to be, you know, out in the field with the kids or something and it's dirty outside, that pen's not going to function as well as just a ballpoint.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You want something with a rocker you can just... Yeah. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's a little more, it's a little more sensitive to the environment and, you know, and also this is a, this is a definite pen addict thing. If I take the Secure Pigma Micron and that's the only pen I'm carrying and someone asks me to borrow a pen, I'm in trouble because I know they're going to destroy it.