Editing The Pen Addict 351/transcript (section)

== Notebook Preferences ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, exactly. So, you're in New York enough that you'll have to figure out how to hit this one up. So, these two notebooks got me thinking, Myke. Like, I like notebooks of all shapes, sizes, types, paper styles. I use all different types of pens and pencils and ink. So, I'll use any type of notebook, anytime, anywhere. And then I got to thinking, what does Myke use for notebooks? Like, I kind of know, but I don't really know. Like, I know you use field notes a lot for a lot of things. But in a large, well, I was going to say, but I don't know about, like, a larger format notebook. I don't know a darn thing that you like in a notebook. Like, I could go to a pen show tomorrow and come up with a Myke pen, right? I could find the Myke pen. I don't know what the Myke paper is. Is that such a thing?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think it's because I am less particular about paper than I am about pens. So, I have three, there are three principles for a notebook that I enjoy. And they are functional, beautiful, and exquisite paper. But I don't need any notebook to have more than one of these. It can just have any of them. Any of these three, more than one of them is brilliant. But all of the notebooks that I use frequently fall into one of these categories. So, functional would be field notes, would be the Studio Neat panel book, which is the notebook that I actually use the most. Because it's on my desk, right? Which is where I'm mostly using my pen and paper. I would say that, you know, field notes and the panel book also fall into beautiful. But it's a different kind of beauty, right? Where, like, sometimes I will get a notebook just because I think that it's stunning. I actually have a notebook that I received today from a company that's going to be sponsoring us soon. Which I find beautiful. Which I'll talk about it later. I don't want to necessarily talk about it today because they're not paying us to talk about it now. They're paying us to talk about it later. So, I'll talk about it later. But it's very beautiful.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And then the exquisite paper for me, that is the Nanami Crossfield. That is my Hobonichi Techo, right? Like, they are just, you know, I use those notebooks for various reasons. But, like, the Crossfield, the Crossfield's not a particularly good-looking notebook. It's just a red cover that I don't really like. But the paper inside is incredible. So, they're kind of, I think that those notebooks that I've named, they're the ones that I use most frequently. And they kind of fall into those principles. I am not particular about paper, really. And I think a lot of that comes from just the various issues that I have with finding paper to work for me because of my left-handedness. Because it can change the way the pen feels. It can change the way the ink dries. All that kind of stuff. So, that's kind of a thing for me when it comes to using this, to using different types of paper. But I'm pretty set on what I use and don't really feel the requirement to branch out very much in that regard.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I think that makes sense the way, you know, you have the three things. And I think for me, I guess it's not three things. It's one thing. And the one thing is that it's different. Like, whatever it is, what is the one thing that makes this different, that makes me think that, oh, I'm using Brand X paper, right? That I can latch on to as this is their thing. Like, whatever that thing is, you know, what is different about it that makes me want to use it? Like, as much as I praise Moleskine for, like, all of their marketing and creativeness and style and design, their paper is not different. The notebook is not different, right? It just, there's nothing that compels me to use it. Whereas, you know, a Rodeo web notebook, you know, well, I can say, well, that paper is really good for fountain pens. Because, you know, because of the way the paper is made, you know, even though it's the same theory as, you know, like the Moleskine black notebook. Well, I can get that with a better paper. Like, there's nothing special in the Moleskine that makes me want to use it where, you know, like a pocket notebook, you know, does it have graph paper? Like, that's the one thing. Like, if it has graph paper, I'm probably going to use it because I find that thing to be interesting. So, yeah, I think it's pretty cool that I, all these years of talking to you, I don't know that I could pin down your paper. I actually forgot that you use the Crossfield pretty regularly. And that makes a lot of sense with that type of paper that it is. So, the Crossfield actually made me think, before we take this next break and get onto our Ask TPA, the North of Rosemont notebook has, like, a micro reticle grid. So, it's not a dot grid. So, that's another thing, like the Crossfield. I know you like the reticle grids. So, this has a really, it looks like a dot, but it's so small, but up close it's a reticle. And it looks sharp.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I was looking at their pages and it looks like a dot grid.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's a reticle.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, boy. Bring one of these to Atlanta. Let me take a look.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, yeah. For sure. For sure. I've already started this one up. Oh, I see. I see the Cross. I'm trying to, yeah. I'm trying to carry it around. Like, with these small notebooks, I want to carry them, like, in my pocket and stuff to see how they hold up. So, yeah. I'll be carrying this one around a bunch. And I'm fully convinced it's going to hold up completely well.