Analog geekery

My husband, for Christmas, gave me an empty fountain pen box with a note that when I was ready to pick one that was right for me, we'd get it. So when I recently realized that digital planning and I don't work so well together, I figured now was as good a time as any to start looking at pens.

I started my research at Neil Gaiman's blog. He's a pen geek. He writes his novels longhand. I love him. Anyway, a post of his pointed me toward a Lamy 2000. Researching it led me to something I'd not yet encountered online:

Consensus.

Apparently, the Lamy Safari is regarded as a great starter pen by, oh, everyone. It was freakish in the genuinely good reviews that did NOT accompany freakish cult properties. Sure there were debates about nib sizes, heated exchanges about inks, but as a pen, the Lamy Safari was pretty well received by everyone from students to pen geeks. It can be found for under $30 as well, which makes the universal support even stranger.

So, what to write in? I'll spare the long process of elimination and tell you I chose a daily page 5x7 journal from Paperblanks. It's gorgeous. The paper is quality. Did I mention it's beautiful? I went with that format because I was never so organized in the midst of insanity as when a previous boss forced me to use an At-a-Glance red hardback "Standard Diary". It's almost exactly the same, except sadly, Paperblanks uses one page for Saturday/Sunday.

But that's okay. It's pretty. See?