Now and Later
I like Moleskines, but I appreciate that the Field Notes website says, “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.”
notes to self
If there’s something that I want to remember, there’s no reason I should risk forgetting it. Ideas, quotes, phrases, things to do, directions, buildings, phone numbers, grocery lists, song names, memories, epiphanies.
it is not connected
My notebook has no wifi card and no cell antenna, so I cannot use it to transport myself into a conversation with some other person who is in some other place. I can write in it while listening to you, and it will remain clear to you that I am still where you are, and that I still want to be where you are.
you can write in it
Not only is a notebook an excellent place for me to write things, but it is also a reasonably good place for you to write things. It’s always a little awkward to hold and use someone else’s phone, but I can put the notebook on the table, spin it around, hand you the pen, and everything’s cool.
my pockets are full
Phone, wallet, keys, headphones, Fitbit, gum. A 8.3 inch by 5.3 inch notebook fits much more easily under my arm than a smaller notebook would fit in my pocket. If I have too much to carry then it usually fits inside or on top of something else, and the extra paper real-estate is worth a lot.
post-processing is optional
Text files grow forever and eventually need to be dealt with; they feel like to-do lists. Notebooks fill up and can go on a shelf; they feel like accomplishments.
“walk walk,
It acts as a sort of keel or outrigger when I’m walking quickly around the city, listening to something with a beat, tapping along on the hard black cover.
fashion baby”
Notebooks in general, and the brand I prefer in particular, have certain cultural associations and consequently signal things about myself to others, just as any other fashion accessory.
faster, faster
I can write faster than you can type on your phone, especially if it has a touchscreen. I’m more than happy to race.
post-it protector
I use post-it notes to jot down more urgent ideas or tasks, and I keep a few of them in a stack inside the front cover. When one fills up I can reattach it elsewhere, and then transfer them all to my desk/computer when I get home. Also, their yellow very nearly matches that of the paper in the notebook, so they blend right in.
it has no on-off switch
Airplane take-offs and landings are fantastic times for epiphanies, and the FAA insists that you not make note of them on your phone.
it has no backlit screen
I can scribble down thoughts I have in movie theaters without feeling like I’m shining a flashlight and ruining the experience for everyone else.
batteries not included
My iPhone battery lasts less than a day. My ability to remember the things I want to remember should not be mutually exclusive with having long phone conversations with my mother or being caught up on Twitter.
no one will steal it
I can leave it on a table unattended, and people consider that table to be reserved. I cannot leave my iPhone on a table unattended. The notebook is a placeholder for my self.
my fingers stay warm
When it’s cold outside, I can keep my gloves on while writing. (Although I still might buy a pair of these.)
