Searching for Sanity

Dear Reader

My collection of Moleskine notebooks that I've had for ages.

I'm a writer, as many of you are well aware by now. I keep a journal, and I write on here. I have a vivid imagination and I have enjoyed writing poetry (though I haven't done it in absolutely ages).

I may have written before about how fussy I am when it comes to the tools I use to write. I love to journal; more to the point, I've discovered that I need to journal regularly t0 maintain a healthy mind set. Usually I'll end up writing several times a week, for several hours before or after work, depending on what shift I'm down to be doing, about everything that happens to me both at work and away from work. It's been a huge help with keeping my mind free to focus on my work and on the relationships I have, with Andy and with my friends. If I don't write, then my energy goes into a mental vortex, or sorts, and I start getting lost in my head. Writing helps keep my mind clear. Writing allows me to vent, in a safe place, about everything that happens to me. By writing, my mind is kept clear and unclouded. Andy can tell when I haven't journaled because my sentences don't always make sense, as my brain struggles keeping up with what I'm saying. I hope this makes sense to you. I don't want to come across as crazy or anything as I'm writing this so you can understand why I find it so important to write, to journal.

Now I've discovered that my ease of writing is based on what 'tools' I use to journal with. The notebook plays a massive part, of course, if you would believe it. Over the years since I started journaling, I've discovered that there is one brand that's quality is far superior to all the other brands I've used. That brand is Moleskine. The reason I've been using Moleskine is because of the quality of the product as a whole, as well as the smaller details that contribute to the product's whole. The paper has a lovely feel to it and doesn't react to fountain pen ink in the same way that other brands would. I've been writing with a fountain pen for years. So its important that paper isn't too think that the ink feathers on the paper (basically running slightly before it dries properly) or that the paper is too think that the ink doesn't dry on the paper, The Moleskine lined notebooks' pages are the right thickness for my large amount of writing. I have tried to use other notebooks, from other brands but I've struggled with the page thickness, or the spacing between the lines. That plays a huge part of my decision to write in that book. If a notebook's lines are too widely spaced, I find it harder to write comfortably because I feel like I'm wasting space, because I feel like my words are too big. The lines in Moleskine's notebooks are perfect, no matter what size the books are.

The Vector (Silver) and the Jotter (Red and Silver). Both are fountain pens, both are made by Parker Pens, one of the best pen making companies out there, I've found.

In a way, the pen someone uses when they write can play a huge part in the ease of writing. My writing tool of choice is a fountain pen by Parker Pen. I'd broke my favourite fountain pen a few weeks ago, so went and got a cheap fountain pen from a British stationary and book shop chain. I couldn't keep using it so went back to using the Parker Vector Fountain Pen (the c0mpletely silver pen in the picture). As I kept writing, I discovered a Parker Jotter Fountain Pen (the red and silver pen in the picture) lying around that I've decided use and I've really enjoyed using it, as it writes better than the Vector does, or so I've found thus far.

The Moleskine journal I started today

I'm planning to keep writing for as long as I can hold a pen. I finished my second journal this morning and have moved on to the blue Minion Moleskine that I bought when Andy and I were away on honeymoon in Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm not planning to buy any more Moleskine notebooks until the five in the picture (above) are full. These Moleskine notebooks were either on discount or were extremely cheap to begin with. So I had to get them. I'd rather have a surplus supply of notebooks to use as journals than risk running out at any point. I'm the type of person who will buy a limited edition notebook if I can afford to and then hang onto it because I'm that type of person. I do also love the original notebooks that Moleskine do, because of the quality isn't effected by what product is being made. That's what I love about Moleskine as a company. They never cut corners when it comes to quality control and constancy across their brand. When I buy one of their products, I know what I'm paying for, a good quality that can take the battering of day to day use. Moleskine Notebooks are made for the traveller, they're tough, built to withstand the wear and tear of life in a bag, on the road, with barely any sign of damage.

I'm sitting in the library as I write this post. I needed to get out of the flat, as its my day off and I didn't want to spend the entire day at home. Though I think I would have stayed at home as I didn't realise that there would be so many youngsters (GCSE and A level students) here to revise for their next lot of exams. Its supposed to be quieter than it is at the moment. There's a lot of talking and its begun to bother me, just a tad.

So until next time. XX