@rnv so have we talked about what you use your "Field Notes" for?
@greghiggins I think I may have discussed it in passing before, but I don’t think I have any dedicated blog post or anything that describes how I use them, probably because it’s all so boring. They’re mostly filled with my daily to-do lists, or words I want to look up, or just random scratch-pad stuff. Also doodles. And I have some that are dedicated to specific writing or note-taking projects. There’s one tucked in my main guitar case, for example.
@rnv You should. It’s good for the soul and handwriting ;) Seriously. I like the FN form-factor and various editions.
@Archimage I did try fountain pens, actually, several times over many years — and I disliked literally everything about them. I found them annoyingly precious: fussy, fiddly, smeary, messy, and expensive. They had a catastrophic effect on my handwriting. I couldn't use nearly any of my notebooks because the inks and nibs behaved so badly on so many different types of paper. My stress spiked, worrying that the stupid things would leak... To be honest, I am genuinely mystified by their popularity.
@rnv Hm. Yes, they are finicky if you don’t know how to use them (I’m not saying you don’t). Most paper we get here in the US is useless with FPs. Messy? The old ones are, for sure. The new cartridge ones are pretty clean, but you do have to clean them, unlike disposables. Nib size affects how your handwriting looks. They certainly aren’t for everyone Personally, I enjoy using them. There is less pressure on the pen. The ink, being water-based doesn’t need to be jabbed into the paper. That allows less fatigue while writing. You almost glide over the paper, not on it. That lets me get into what is almost a meditative state when I write.
@Archimage Oh, I'm sure that I had no idea how to use them. I'm confident I pressed too hard, and held the pen wrong, and used the wrong-sized nib, etc. I was simply never able to move beyond being aware of the pen. It was like looking at the window instead of out the window.
@JMaxB My freshman roommate called me Antichrist, so I've been heretical for a very long time. Pilot V5s are fantastic pens!
@rnv yeah I looked to see about ordering that one and they're all sold out. Apparently a lot of people like it!
@Archimage This has often bothered me too. There are a few companies that make pocket notebooks in a similar form factor, but with better paper for fountain pens. Lochby comes to mind as a source for these that uses Tomoe River paper with lay-flat stitch binding and a variety of lined/dotted/plain varieties. You don't, however, get the variety of covers or "collectability" factor that FN is so good at.
@chrisaldrich The closest I’ve found that has good paper and “editions” are the Hobonichi Techo line, but they are more journals than notebooks that use Tomoe www.1101.com/store/tec...
@Archimage I had a cousin this past year which I quite liked, but you're right that the personality is built into the separate covers. I do love their A6 grid notebook, which is slightly larger than the Field Notes and with a slighly smaller square grid, and far more pages. The small grid works well with my penchant for EF nibs.