Quality simplicity is hard to pull off but makes for fabulous notebooks and reading tools
Quality simplicity holds powerful appeal for me. There is joy to be had writing with a F nib in a notebook with a precisely printed, simple grey grid on white paper. A simple thing done well is quite extraordinary.
Now, I appreciate complex, sophisticated filling systems and planners that are designed down to fragments of a milimeter. Intricate notebook closures and clasps, beautiful cover artwork, and integrated scanners all shine in their intended specific circumstances.
But a simple, straightforward thinking tool that fulfills its role without question? That’s awesome.
My partner gifted me three items that started me reflecting on quality simplicity; each in a different way.
Simple and clean layout
This Graphilo notebook sports an unassuming light grey cover and simple bound stitching. The simple 4mm grid is printed in dusty grey lines — inside a four-sided margin that keeps notes looking tidy. A single signature notebook with paper that shows off inks qualities.
Markers in use, markers soon-to-be-used
My partner’s gift taught me that Field Notes makes thin metal page markers the likes of Book Darts. And I deeply appreciate my Book Darts. A scan of any nonfiction book on my bookshelves will reveal colonies of metal page markers setting aside passages I know I’d like to return to in the future. A simple, no frills thin metal pressing. Easy peasy.
And lastly, I asked for reusable mascara brushes. The better to clean crud and stubborn ink stains out of pen caps with. They’re especially useful for spaces a toothbrush is too large to access. A plastic handle and wound pipe cleaner end. That’s all they need.
For un-Captain-Jack-Sparrowing pen caps
Three happy manifestations of ‘straightforward and fabulous.’
This week’s Inked Tines update includes last week’s currently inked writing tools.
Toolset
Pens. The Sailor Pro Gear Blue Train is my unabashed standout from last week’s load out. The MF nib routinely balanced granular, small letterforms and steady, smooth ink flow — a feat given Lost’s dryness. Journaling, teaching reflections, lesson plans, meeting notes, and D&D notes. 1/5 remaining.
Pilot Prera Slate Gray (M) — Feed. A no-nonsense pocket carry. Moderate shading and clear writing on every paper I use: Stalogy, Tomoe River, and even copy paper. Pocket notes, scratch notes, meeting notes, and journaling.
Franklin-Christoph 03 Antique Glass (EF) — 1/3. The combination of an EF nib and bright Grapefruit ink suited detailed accent writing: in meeting notes, teaching reflections, task management, and revising my writing.
Nahvalur Nautilus Caldera Sea (BBG) — 1/4. A large pen staves off hand pain over the course of long writing sessions. This BBG nib lends shading and a M line to my writing. Together, this was my longform writing pair: journaling, lesson plans, and creative writing.
Franklin-Christoph 03 Ghost (M SIG) — 1/2. I returned to this pair again and again throughout the week. The M SIG kept Shogun flowing generously, and the ink’s shimmer prominently displayed in my dried letters. Lesson plans, journaling and some teaching notes.
Franklin-Christoph 45 Diamondcast Blue (B SIG) — 1/2. Wide black lines worked well for headings during meetings, for sketching out teaching ideas, and for sketching out D&D ideas. However, this pen saw use rarely last week.
Sailor Pro Gear Slate Blue (EF) — 1/2. Earl Grey is lubricated enough to smooth out the roughest feedback of this narrow EF nib. The result is glorious. This pair worked wonders for task management in a tiny 3.7mm grid, meeting notes, lesson plans, scratch notes, and some manuscript revising.
Notebooks. Work bujo. Odyssey Neptune 400 (A5). I planned my week’s teaching out across twelve more pages in my Odyssey notebook. The regular two-page weekly, four pages of lesson plan outline, two pages of meeting notes, and a four-page end-of-year letter.
The end of this notebook is nigh
I end every school year with a letter to each class. I highlight what I’ve learned from them about myself — and my teaching — from working with them for ten months. And I share lessons from the class that I hope they act on in their near futures.
I used Sailor’s MF nib for the job. MF is a goldilocks line width for rare presentation notes like these, which I read verbatim. Squeezing a lot of words onto each line minimizes the number of pages turns needed between the beginning and end of the letter.
And Grapefruit for the thesis lines. Grapefruit’s bright pink-orange stands out easily against Lost’s subtle blue hues. Nice.
That Grapefruit is undeniably visible
Journal. Midori MD (B6 Slim). I wrote a diverse septet of journal entries last week. All my scribbling and reflecting and planning and plotting amounts to ten new pages in my diminutive Midori journal.
Small? Yes. Mighty? You bet your pants it’s mighty.
The week’s journaling was bookended with two one-page entries. I started with a one-page Sunday morning reflection. A short reflection on an upcoming move. The Nautilus’ large section was comfortable in the hand, Mr. Lax’s BBG grind offered consistent M lines, and Warped Passages’ mid-toned blue pairs pleasingly with the cream Midori paper. Stationery collaboration.
I took advantage of a personal day on Thursday to compose a four page targeted reflection. My Sailor MF nib proved narrow enough to squeeze plenty of options on how we might plan out our family move. All in two-and-a-half pages. Morning plottings.
Then I tapped the Franklin-Christopher’s M SIG for a celebratory follow-up on the decisions my partner and I settled on. Shogun’s multicolor shimmer seemed suitably celebratory.
Appropriately shimmery
Two more two-page entries round of my week’s thinking-through. Both are messy planning sessions for my friend-group’s D&D campaign. Performed with a blend of the same Franklin-Christoph 03 and the last of the Prera’s Harahara.
Written dry. One pen’s ink level reached feed-only status last week. The Pilot Prera saw use over and again throughout the week as my pocket carry.
Marking students’ homework. Recording notes as students and colleagues catch me in the halls. Meeting notes during one impromptu disciplinary meeting. The Prera’s round nib handled it all gracefully.
Well served, young Prera
Newly inked. I stuck to the plan last week. Seven pens and seven inks — three of which were chosen by my friends and family. Triple excellence.
The collection
Incoming / new orders. My partner made a recent work trip to Virginia. They managed to find a stationery shop while there and put together a surprise care package for me.
A no-nonsense Graphilo notebook with new-to-me legendary paper. Page markers a la Field Notes that have become key tools in my nonfiction reading process. And reusable mascara brushes for cleaning stubborn ink out of the threading inside fountain pen caps.
Someone knows me real well …
Outgoing / trades or sales. My used pen auction timed out in the Pen Addict’s Sell-Trade channel. I sold two of six listed pens. A 33% sale rate is a happy number.
Currently reading and listening
Fiction. I made an intentional effort to finish Towers of Midnight instead of watching YouTube videos last week. I’m proud to share that my non-reading screen time dropped 20% percent as a result. Positive attention.
I read 283 iOS sized pages from Jordan and Sanderson’s final Wheel of Time trilogy. An outsized volume of fiction reading for me. I journeyed from Chapter 44 (A Backhanded Request) to the end of the Epilogue.
It’s encouraging to see Perrin’s storyline take center stage repeatedly throughout the novel. He is finding his footing as a leader against his personal misgivings. Watching self-esteem rise is engaging.
Nonfiction. My attention was focused on closing the penultimate chapter of Wheel of Time. Nonfiction reading took a back seat to a personal accomplishment. Ebb and flow, my friends.
Music. I spent warm and fuzzy time with The Shins last week. Their The Worm’s Heart album reimagines a great album from 2017, called Heartworms.
It’s rare that an album with prominent vocals resonates with me such that I’m able to concentrate on my grading, writing or reading. The Shins’ instrumental arrangements just fit — subjective and effective. Fun energy that did, indeed, sit in the background enough that I was allowed my thoughts.
The Shins are polarizing amongst my friends. Some love them. Some have strong preferences otherwise. For me, I’m curious what you think.
Wink: start with the reimagined track, Heartworms.
