legendary notebooks

This morning I became the proud owner of my very first Moleskine.

For those of you who don't know, a Moleskine is a small notebook. It comes in several colors with the option for ruled, grid or blank pages. There's an elastic ribbon that holds it closed and an expandable pocket for all your important pieces. It's also a bit of a legend.

Moleskines are not, as I first feared, made of actual mole skin (although they are pronounced the same, as far as I know). The term was affectionately coined by Bruce Chatwin who was a proud Moleskine devotee. And he's in good company--Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and a whole host of other writers and artists, including countless people who are alive today, writing and loving their little black notebooks.

With this post in mind, I thought finding info on my new notebook might be difficult, but so far I've gotten all these facts out of the history pamphlet that comes with the notebook. It's the little things like that that make me smile.
Moleskines are alive and well today--after a major shortage in the mid '80s. Check out moleskinerie.com for a look at "Legends and Stories"--plus some photos of celebrities with moleskines. I feel like I'm a part of something.

You see--Mollies practically ooze culture :D

One other important point to mention: they smell. It's not exactly subtle (that is, if you press your nose against the pages like I've been doing for the past few minutes). It's a bit like new car and it definitely smells like books. This is a good thing, by the way.

Obviously, I have a few apprehensions as to what to write. It's just so beautiful and so pristine--so full of class and culture--I don't want to ruin it with my angsty teen poetry or trashy words. I would normally use it as a diary but I have another ongoing journal going on in a pretty, floral notebook.

One more lovely upside of the notebook is that it's the perfect size for travel. I can imagine myself, years from now, tucking it into my pocket and catching a subway to an incredibly important event in a fabulous city like Paris, London or New York. For now, I'm about to tuck it into my jeans (if it'll fit--stupid tight pants obsessed culture!) and go to the lake for a campfire party on the beach that hardly counts as a beach because I live in Northern Canada. Not super Northern but cold enough that I don't think "beach" is the right word for it.

That said, I'm totally psyched for some new experiences, all recorded, no doubt, in handwriting (because cursive needs a revival) in my brand new friend. My Moleskine.

Love,
Erika

PS: Just discovered they're also called "Mollies"--yes, I think s/he has a new name.