tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48630324313204191932024-02-07T17:12:40.521-08:00/ one place for tobya place to collect things
including, but not limited to:
writing; pen, pencil, paper, notebooks, stationery stuff; bicycle stuff; health stuff; music, art, books, movies; random bits; links; etc., etc./ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-58563388426706588722014-11-24T01:41:00.000-08:002014-11-24T01:41:24.548-08:00World War Pocket NotesHi.<br />
<br />
(TL;DR= pocket notebooks: knockdown, drag-out showdown, with lots of pictures, numerical scores, and opinions.)<br />
<br />
So, in my quest to be more, well, lots of things, I vowed long ago
to carry a notebook with me as often as possible. The
things I wanted to "be more of" include, but are not limited to: more
mindful (and hopefully less forgetful), more consistent in the writing
of various things (journaling, common-place bits, tasks, etc), and
ideally more creative through jotting down bits of inspiration, ideas,
story elements and what have you. Great. Notebook on-hand at (almost) all times. Now what?<br />
<br />
If you spend any amount of time in the hip think-space of analog writing, you will inevitably come across the "pocket notebook". Particularly if you want to carry it around all the time, right? Hah. Anyway, this refers not just to a notebook that is pocketable in size, but in the more current usage it refers to a notebook of a somewhat specific size and make. I don't want to spend a great deal on this, because if you happen to be reading this, you likely are already aware. So, as far as I'm concerned, we'll just say: the first is the hardbound, <a href="http://shop.moleskine.com/en-us/notebooks-journals/classic/classic-notebook-pocket-ruled-hard-cover-black-6816" target="_blank">Moleskine-style little black book</a>- hard cover, pocket in the back, bookmark, and elastic closure strap. Great. The second is the thinner, softbound style, often sold in packs of three. They are commonly referred to as <a href="http://shop.moleskine.com/en-us/notebooks-journals/cahier/cahier-journal-set-of-3-pocket-ruled-soft-black-6891" target="_blank">"cahier"</a> or <a href="http://fieldnotesbrand.com/shop/" target="_blank">"utility books"</a>. By and large, both sorts of these "pocket notebooks" are 3.5" x 5.5", give or take a millimeter or 1/32" or two.<br />
<br />
I have for the most part sworn off the first of these types. I've gravitated to the utility book style for a couple of chief reasons. First is- they're shorter. The typical hardbound pocket notebook is 192 pages. It's not a monumental task to fill one up, and I have my share of them. But what I have run into is durability problems. Even if I go through a period of manic insomnia and fill one in a few days or couple of weeks, I just beat stuff up too badly. The recent Moleskines and Piccadillys I've had suffer binding and cover issues after I molest them. With the utility style being thinner, I fill them much more quickly, they see less road time and so tend to last better. This dovetails into the second reason I have moved to these- the Traveler's Notebook idea. I can keep two or three books with me, have a very durable cover, and swap them out as needed. I also get the added superstitious nerd benefit of it always being "my notebook", with the characteristic marks of use, regardless of the contents. I also get more frequent moments of "yeah man, filled another one!". Further... (shut up and pictures already!) it allows me to keep a couple of different books for specific things- journaling/common-placing, tasks, dedicated story notes, etc.<br />
<br />
SOooo, that then leads us to... WHICH ONE do I buy? If you write often enough, you start to fill them up, and you have to buy more of them. So which one shakes out as the best value? There are now many competitors in this space, and they are all good in certain ways, and all relatively comparable in price, size, and features. <br />
<br />
So you end up, like me. scraping around the web for reviews, good pricing, whether or not it's good for fountain pens or certain media, etc., etc., etc.<br />
<br />
Then you end up, like me, with a bunch of pocket size notebooks of varying degrees in a stack on your desk.<br />
<br />
That's when you pit them into a match all against every other, to the death, cage not opening until there is only one left. Or maybe two, but stubbornly standing on opposite sides of the cage, refusing to approach each other.<br />
<br />
So here we are.<br />
<br />
The contenders:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Moleskine Cahier</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack</li>
<li>192 total pages per pack / 64 pages each</li>
<li>$8.95 per pack</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Miro Utility Series</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>2-pack</li>
<li>136 total pages per pack / 68 pages each</li>
<li>$1.98 (close-out price, if you can find them. They are discontinued.)</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Wilson-Jones Line Memo Book, Dollar and Cents Format</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>single notebook</li>
<li>144 pages each</li>
<li>$4.99</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Military Memorandum</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>single, or 3-pack</li>
<li>144 pages each</li>
<li> $5.95 each, 3-pack for $9.98</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Doane Paper Utility Books</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack (or in 6-packs now)</li>
<li>144 total pages per pack / 48 pages each</li>
<li>$9.99 (6-packs are $20.00)</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Banditapple Carnet Peewee</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>(Now, I have to take a moment to let you know- the group photo contains the "PeeWee" Banditapple. The writing tests are done in a "Handy" edition. It is slightly larger, but same construction and paper. This is because between taking this group photo and actually getting around to <i>finishing</i> all the writing samples, I had filled the two PeeWees already..... sorry.)</li>
<li>single</li>
<li>64 pages each (192 pages if you get three)</li>
<li>$3.50 (which becomes $10.50 to make a 3-pack)</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Field Notes</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack</li>
<li>144 total pages per pack / 48 pages each</li>
<li>$9.95</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Scout Books</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack (also comes in a boxed 12-pack for 24.95; kinda cool)</li>
<li>96 total pages / 32 pages each</li>
<li>$8.95</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Word.Notebooks</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack</li>
<li>144 total pages per pack / 48 pages each</li>
<li>$12 to $14, depending on cover style</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMgDKu7QlrIR9Z7ntmLNi8I_iCtiQBnJE_ddMSEECHzNFID3Qatnd3oPcwJiiqbtHe_8FwPuUuTQ7AriIsxwzt9pXkEm-9r_9RJ1DkKSR2QgtX_UQFWGv5r9F4QWtNW1yClyobsktL8JE/s1600/group1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMgDKu7QlrIR9Z7ntmLNi8I_iCtiQBnJE_ddMSEECHzNFID3Qatnd3oPcwJiiqbtHe_8FwPuUuTQ7AriIsxwzt9pXkEm-9r_9RJ1DkKSR2QgtX_UQFWGv5r9F4QWtNW1yClyobsktL8JE/s1600/group1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
WAIT.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, a new contender approaches the cage.<br />
<br />
Updated group shot, including the Furrow Books Founding Supporter single edition (numbered #407 incidentally):<br />
<br />
<u><b>Furrow Books Pocket-Size</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>3-pack (normal editions)</li>
<li>144 total pages per pack / 48 pages each</li>
<li>$9.99 (normal editions)</li>
<li>(in this pic, it's between the Doane and black Miro)</li>
</ul>
<br />
(This pic also displays the afore mentioned and infamous Banditapple swap- the big green thing on the left there.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsdtseUQ8aAJX52_jTV2B8djVhHggwraIb-sbmTq8B0ZvsoALKHVQSfOgMgUzo5BCgwQadH028OnVeHqOqKpPpiwQzCCWT3us8TjABTbJsg7n7Yzslbr_OF4wHAlvzPf9fR-XKYjnuRoz/s1600/group2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsdtseUQ8aAJX52_jTV2B8djVhHggwraIb-sbmTq8B0ZvsoALKHVQSfOgMgUzo5BCgwQadH028OnVeHqOqKpPpiwQzCCWT3us8TjABTbJsg7n7Yzslbr_OF4wHAlvzPf9fR-XKYjnuRoz/s1600/group2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here we have a stack comparison, just to highlight the differences in edge, thickness, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eFimk7jo3b286NE_1VHQxTw_NU2-Zxh9krQLsczO3RGiwrHbuPnfvMBnBOTTcXKUSugxGBl7qxj5rwt3u24hBpbeUTxApVgLtFtgKrRkEmONzfvcxiDtNMivaXDjnAWnLQSjZgXMB8HV/s1600/group4_stack2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eFimk7jo3b286NE_1VHQxTw_NU2-Zxh9krQLsczO3RGiwrHbuPnfvMBnBOTTcXKUSugxGBl7qxj5rwt3u24hBpbeUTxApVgLtFtgKrRkEmONzfvcxiDtNMivaXDjnAWnLQSjZgXMB8HV/s1600/group4_stack2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Alright, so who wins?<br />
<br />
It was an arduous battle.<br />
<br />
Now, I pretended that I wanted to be as completely unbiased as possible during this comparison, so I fabricated 12 categories with which to grade each contender. Things that sounded like things that people who care about notebooks might care about. Later on, I was made to admit that this was probably a bad decision. Anyway, the categories are:<br />
<ol>
<li>Show-through / ghosting (the visibility of a written stroke on the back of the page)</li>
<li>Bleed-through (ink actually soaking through to the surface of the back of the page)</li>
<li>Relief (the tactility of the back of a written page)</li>
<li>Spread (the tendency of an ink line to expand after soaking in)</li>
<li>Feathering (the tendency of ink to spread into individual fibers, giving a "feathered" edge to a line)</li>
<li>Tooth (the "grit" or texture of a page)</li>
<li>Smoothness (very closely related to tooth, but some toothy papers can still be smooth, and some smooth, gliding papers can actually have some tooth. Splitting hairs, I know, but like I said, I'm making this up as I go.)</li>
<li>Color (basically, whether or not I liked the color of their paper)</li>
<li>Pattern (my completely reasonable opinion on the efficacy and utility of the printed patter on the page)</li>
<li>Layout (binding, pattern, and dimensions, and how they affect lay-open, whether it could be turned sideways effectively, etc.)</li>
<li>Build (binding method, materials, execution)</li>
<li>Cover (whether I liked it, good thickness, etc. Probably didn't need to be separate from Build, but it allowed me to score the aesthetics of the cover too, so deal with it.)</li>
</ol>
<br />
Each of these categories was scored from 1 (dismal failure) to 10 (starlight shining in your heart), for a possible perfect score of 120. I took anywhere from 5 to 12 pictures of each, depending on my whim and impression of the book's overall feel. Again, this is not science. This is pretend, Internet science.<br />
<br />
<u><b>The ammunition was thus:</b></u><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZJ4qojTq-QqSKoNXNngYzGvF9eezNvmH6wc12P7qykgBqfSV_Y1_9zz8QZaDpY71Gd_Q6KYARk7k20Yja81Tfv-MIckVl-bJm4QWB_rSyg-NA5TsH4DRCBfv8QsutFiWTZ91-eXEnDzJ/s1600/pens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZJ4qojTq-QqSKoNXNngYzGvF9eezNvmH6wc12P7qykgBqfSV_Y1_9zz8QZaDpY71Gd_Q6KYARk7k20Yja81Tfv-MIckVl-bJm4QWB_rSyg-NA5TsH4DRCBfv8QsutFiWTZ91-eXEnDzJ/s1600/pens.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li>Nemosine Singularity Medium with Noodler's Liberty's Elysium (and in many cases, a Kaweco AL Sport Medium taking the pen slot here, same ink. Very occasionally a Noodler's Neponset thrown in for kicks, same ink. I really love this ink.)</li>
<li>Zebra ballpoint</li>
<li>Uniball Vision Micro, black</li>
<li>Pilot Precise Grip Bold, black</li>
<li>TÚL Rollerball Bold, black</li>
<li>Uniball Vision Fine, black (yeah, this guy's not in the pic. WTF, on a smoke break or what?)</li>
<li>Uniball Vision Elite Medium, Red</li>
<li>Pentel Sign Pen</li>
<li>Sharpie Fine</li>
<li>Pentel Rolling Writer</li>
<li>Pilot Varsity fountain pen</li>
<li>Uniball Signo Impact 207</li>
<li>Chart-PAK design rendering marker (A.K.A., the paper slaughterer)</li>
<li>Sanford Col-Erase sketch pencil</li>
<li>Dixon Ticonderoga #2 HB</li>
<li>Papermates Naturals #2 HB</li>
<li>Pilot Metropolitan Medium with Pilot blue cartridges</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>All right. That's a lot of ground to cover.</b></u><br />
<br />
First in the ring:<br />
<br />
<b>Moleskine Cahier</b><br />
The veteran warrior. I got my first set of Cahiers in college ten years ago. (What. Ten years ago? Ugh.)<br />
<br />
Now for some pictures. Finally.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Woo. The Moleskine, quite honestly, scored far better than I was anticipating. I had not purchased any in a while due to lackluster performance with fountain pens, but this time around, "trying to be unbiased", the one I tested came out rather ok.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 3 (many visible from the sample pool)</li>
<li>bleedthrough: 3 (also many culprits in this category)</li>
<li>relief: 4 (could sense many of the lines)</li>
<li>spread: 7 (surprisingly, not much spread, which was nice)</li>
<li>feathering: 6 (better than I was expecting...)</li>
<li>tooth: 7 (somehow, their paper feels really good, for all its faults)</li>
<li>smoothness: 8 (see tooth...)</li>
<li>color: 9 (I still love their shade. Sue me.)</li>
<li>pattern: 10 (It's a perfect line-weight on the shade of the paper in order to be usable but not in the way)</li>
<li>layout: 10 (This they really get right. The thickness of the paper combined with the stitching and cover make it usable in many positions and orientations)</li>
<li>build: 9 (all things considered, quite decent here)</li>
<li>cover: 8 (quite plain, which is good, and with a pocket. woo)</li>
</ul>
Total: 84. Not bad for the world-wearied old man.<br />
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<br />
<b>Miro Utility Series</b><br />
I came across these in a random bout of Internet notebook mania. I <i>think</i> I first heard of them via reddit.com/r/notebooks, but I am not certain. Anyway, I picked up a pack. The Miro differs from the norm in a few ways: they are slightly narrower at 3.25", they come in 2-packs, and they are out of print. You may be lucky enough to find a vendor that carries them, but I am not going to share this information. I like them too much, I am selfish, and you have to find that vendor the same way I did. Hah. I am very impressed with the quality of these books. It's hard to see in the one shot of the edge, but the cut edge is exceedingly smooth and even, especially compared to some of the others in this bunch.<br />
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The Miro scored quite well, even though it got a really disappointing Show-through score:<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 2 (disappointing, really, but...)</li>
<li>bleedthrough: 7 (bleed-through was mostly absent; really good here)</li>
<li>relief: 4 (eh, not the best, not the worst)</li>
<li>spread: 9 (fantastic pen handling here)</li>
<li>feathering: 7 (except for a slight dip here)</li>
<li>tooth: 10 (something in this paper just feels SO right- good for pen or pencil)</li>
<li>smoothness: 7 (not too much resistance, but not the glassiest thing ever)</li>
<li>color: 10 (a really lovely shade of cream here)</li>
<li>pattern: 7 (dot-grids are awesome, but they are ever so slightly too faint here)</li>
<li>layout: 9 (I am honestly not a fan of the 3.25" width)</li>
<li>build: 10 (fantastic stitching in a nice blue contrasting thread, perfectly smooth edges all round, nice embossed logo)</li>
<li>cover:8 (par for the course; no pocket though)</li>
</ul>
Total: 90. The upstart comes out swinging, knowing it's got a looming horizon.<br />
<br />
A really solid all-around contender. Everyone else should be scared, but as the Miro is sadly out of print, its time at the top will be brief at best.<br />
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<br />
<b>Wilson-Jones Line Memo Book, Dollar and Cents Format</b><br />
I picked one of these up on a whim after seeing a short comment about them somewhere in the recesses of the notebook wormhole on the 'net. Eh. It measures 6.5" x 4", in-between the Utility Book size and the full size Traveler's Notebook or Banditapple Handy, and sports a ledger-style line pattern.<br />
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<b> </b><br />
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<b> </b><br />
This notebook did not score that well overall, with the exception of a couple of categories.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 1 (scoring lower than the Miro here, and not making up for it)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 3 (double as a Kleenex in a pinch? Maybe not, but not far off)</li>
<li>relief: 2 (even some of the wetter pens with really light pressure could be felt on the back of the pages)</li>
<li>spread: 5 (not <i>that </i>bad here...)</li>
<li>feathering: 2 (but <i>that</i> bad here)</li>
<li>tooth: 6 (decent feeling...)</li>
<li>smoothness: 5 (run of the mill... get it...? paper...)</li>
<li>color: 8 (really pure, bright white here, which is nice if you want it)</li>
<li>pattern: 5 (it would really server the stated purpose, but as a pocket journal, it's obviously a bit intrusive. Particularly if you'd want to turn the book to write.)</li>
<li>layout: 6 (too big to be truly pocketable, but the stitching, binding and flex make for a decent lay open or turned orientation.)</li>
<li>build: 9 (edge finishing was not up to the group leading Miro, but the cloth tape over the fully stitched spine is a nice touch. Shame this is wasted on such flimsy paper.)</li>
<li>cover: 6 (no pocket; slightly thin side of the group)</li>
</ul>
Total: 64. Mid-level pack-fill, truthfully. But, for the page count vs. cost, the final score is surprising here. More on that at the end.<br />
<br />
<b>Military Memorandum</b><br />
So this book, in the form that I obtained from Amazon, is basically a rip-off of mil-spec pocket notebooks that were handed out to service-people for on-duty notational needs. Many people in the reviews rave both about the originals and these copies, but there are some naysayers as well. I am in the latter camp.<br />
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<br />
Uncle Sam's distant nephew did not fair well on our training course. Gunny would be disappointed.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 1 (read front or back! woo!)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 4 (not as terrible as expected, but not good either)</li>
<li>relief: 1 (Daredevil could read this with his toes)</li>
<li>spread: 8 (What? Surprise category performance here)</li>
<li>feathering: 7 (and here, too. Wow)</li>
<li>tooth: 6 (ok, is the platoon coming back strong?)</li>
<li>smoothness: 6 (ok, chalking up some decent showings here)</li>
<li>color: 7 (a nice strong white with a strong blue line. If lined is your thing, these are ok)</li>
<li>pattern: 6 (but... the line is honestly a touch too bold, and lined paper is obviously kinda wonky if you try to write in any other orientation)</li>
<li>layout: 3 (the perfect-bound style is crap for lay-open, and makes for a tough time turning the book to write, or holding open to get a full line in)</li>
<li>build: 2 (really not that good... the glue is suspect, the paper is mostly crap, and the back sheet as you can see was torn out)</li>
<li>cover: 2 (flimsy, with hokey logo)</li>
</ul>
Total: 53. Even before we're all the way through the bunch, I'd say give these a pass. The final value score is deceptive here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Doane Paper Utility Books</b><br />
I will admit up front here- I have some issues with these, which you'll see in the tests and scores. But even so, I cannot help but love these books. There are a couple of factors here. Chad Doane has made a fascinating and aesthetically near-perfect company and product lineup. His <a href="http://doanepaper.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr</a> feed is fan-freaking-tastic. His product design partnerships (bags, clothes, etc) are spot-on, making for some really drool-worthy gear. The Utility Books naturally sport the signature Doane feature: Grid+Lines. I have seen some folks criticize this pattern for having too-small squares and too-far-apart lines. I fall in the middle- the grids work for me, and I can use them for writing guidelines as well. My handwriting can fit single-space if I have a fine enough pen and want to make it fit. However, when I use the bold horizontal lines as intended for regular writing, I do find them a bit too far apart. Nevertheless, I love the visual appeal of a page of Doane paper, and again, Mr. Doane's visual presentation is hard to beat.<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 2 (one of the issues I mentioned above)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 4 (not terrible here, but not great either)</li>
<li>relief: 5 (respectable)</li>
<li>spread: 4 (another one of my issues noted earlier. I would like to see a notebook this cool perform a tad better with many pens)</li>
<li>feathering: 6 (despite more spread than I would like, it does well enough here)</li>
<li>tooth: 7 (really good feel though...) </li>
<li>smoothness: 6 (but not as "fast"...)</li>
<li>color: 9 (again, I really like what they're doing)</li>
<li>pattern: 9 (need I say more?)</li>
<li>layout: 10</li>
<li>build: 9</li>
<li>cover: 9</li>
</ul>
Total: 80. A solid showing in the group. Won't go down without a fight, and will look fantastic while doing it. Cheers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Banditapple Carnet Peewee</b><br />
I found these books through their awesome free sample promotion. From their headquarters in South Korea<b>, </b>they will send a free sample for the cost of shipping to anywhere in the world. I got one, and have been hooked ever since. I've filled up three or four PeeWee size books since that first order. They are wonderfully simple yet very well made, and boast far and away the best paper for fountain pens out of any of the books here. (Remember though that the writing tests shown are in a Handy size, not a PeeWee.)<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 8 (almost none, but some of the heavier lines peaked through)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 10 (the only bleed I got was the massacre of the Chart-PAK marker)</li>
<li>relief: 8 (really going at it can make a line be felt, but it's not easy)</li>
<li>spread: 9 (a really wet combo in a fountain pen can get some spread, but none on average)</li>
<li>feathering: 10 (almost completely absent)</li>
<li>tooth: 9 (really good feel for me, though I have seen some folks say there is a tad more resistance than they would like)</li>
<li>smoothness: 8 (same here)</li>
<li>color: 9 (I really like the subtle greyness to the white, and the grid is a good balance of bold yet out of the way)</li>
<li>pattern: 9 (sometimes, I feel the grid could be a tad more faint, but that feeling usually passes)</li>
<li>layout: 10 (executed all the marks of this form factor perfectly)</li>
<li>build: 10 (can't be more pleased)</li>
<li>cover: 7 (excellent card stock, good texture, but a pocket would be nice I guess)</li>
</ul>
Total: 107. The leader of the pack. Don't approach this corner of the cage unless you're loaded for bear, and none of the others here are loaded for anywhere near big enough bear. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Field Notes</b><br />
These are the quintessential "it's not a Moleskine, and you wish you were this cool" notebook. They have a really great thing going with the Colors editions, and I really appreciate their practice of printing at various U.S. based print houses. They, like Doane Paper, have a really strong design sense, and their marketing is honestly top-notch. Sadly, the paper tends to leave a lot to be desired. Also, because I am awful, I did not purchase a new pack of these for the review, and you'll have to make due with some pics from a filled sample. Sorry.<br />
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<b> </b><br />
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<b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 2 (this is a common complaint for Field Notes)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 2 (as is this)</li>
<li>relief: 8 (surprisingly little here though)</li>
<li>spread: 3 (a wet pen will soak in fast and be bolder than you intend)</li>
<li>feathering: 5 (not too terrible here though)</li>
<li>tooth: 6 (but a good feel here, and does well with pencils. I suppose that's good, since they also sell pencils.)</li>
<li>smoothness: 7 (an overall nice feel though)</li>
<li>color: 9 (a great shade of off-white, and the color of the grid in the standard kraft edition is perfect)</li>
<li>pattern: 9</li>
<li>layout: 8 (I would prefer a stitched binding, as I find it gives a more consistent lay-open when turning a book)</li>
<li>build: 7 (staples take a couple knocks off here, but overall, they are well done for what they are. Though, the edges could be cleaner here)</li>
<li>cover: 7 (ditto)</li>
</ul>
Total: 73. Another solid showing here. The one sticking point that you will see often cited for Field Notes is a poor handling of fountain pens, and my experience has borne that out. I would honestly put them below Moleskine Cahiers in this regard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scout Books</b><br />
I had not heard of these until I finally decided to do a "shoot-out", and went looking for any stragglers that I might be able to get. I found them on Amazon one day just hanging out in the stationery section waiting for someone to pick them up, so I gave them a go. <b> </b>All told, I think they're on the right path but in the final tally I was a bit underwhelmed. They do have some stand out characteristics, both good and bad. They come in three packs with various page patterns, but they also have a 12 volume box available. This is actually a really cool idea. They are also dimensionally a drop-in replacement for Midori Passport size refills. However, where most books in this group sport 48 or 64 pages, the Scout has only 32, and for a similar cost. Combined with the lost vertical half-inch, you're losing significant cents-per-page value here.<br />
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Here you see the 5" vs 5.5" form factors.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Note the Scout Book a touch wider than Field Notes here.</div>
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<ul>
<li>show-through: 4 (not awful, but could be better, especially for their cost-per-page)</li>
<li>bleedthrough: 7 (good showing here though, because the paper is actually thicker)</li>
<li>relief: 7 (also here)</li>
<li>spread: 7 (doing well so far)</li>
<li>feathering: 5 (but... a little too absorbent in this area)</li>
<li>tooth: 5 ( felt a bit rough, really)</li>
<li>smoothness: 4 (yeah, that...)</li>
<li>color: 8 (a good white, and I dig the grey of the printed pattern)</li>
<li>pattern: 4 (they have a good idea going but the margins, while meant for a title or other heading data, miss the mark. This function could easily be drawn in over the grid here (which is not too bold) if needed, and then you wouldn't lose the grid on pages where you don't need the header)</li>
<li>layout: 7 (decent, but loses a couple marks for the grid issues)</li>
<li>build: 6 (only two staples, and they use a thicker card stock for the cover. This is nice at first, but it makes for a bit stiffer lay-open than most here)</li>
<li>cover: 6 (I see the point if the much stiffer cover, but it's just a little too stiff I think. Also, two staples here kinda bums me out.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Word.Notebooks</b><br />
These are another player in the hip pocket notebook crowd. They bank on the novel Bullet Journal task list format. If that's inline with your methodology, then you may love these. I don't use that system, so the pattern is lost on me. But leaving that aside, the real disappointment for me with the Word books was the paper performance. There was a lot of feathering, spread, and show. Also, like Scout Books, they have a quite higher cost-per-page than the rest of this group.<br />
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<b> </b> <br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 2 (yep)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 3 (much more than I would expect for the cost of these books)</li>
<li>relief: 4 (not great...)</li>
<li>spread: 2 (any moderately wet-ish pen will have spread)</li>
<li>feathering: 4 (definitely noticeable in many cases)</li>
<li>tooth: 6 (but a good feel here, and works well with pencils)</li>
<li>smoothness: 7 (despite the other issues, a good feel here)</li>
<li>color: 8 (a good white, and the line color is quite nice)</li>
<li>pattern: 3 (again, I don't use their targeted system, so this is lost on me)</li>
<li>layout: 4 (see previous point, as well as the two-staple problem)</li>
<li>build: 6 (two staples, inconsistently finished edges, and I had two books from the same pack exhibit varying degrees of the aforementioned paper performance maladies.)</li>
<li>cover: 7 (some neat notes on the inside, a good logo, good card stock, but again, that two-staple thing)</li>
</ul>
Total: 56. A fair showing, but not that great considering the price-per-page premium here. And due to the paper's handling of fountain pens, I have relegated these guys to my nightly strike-through task lists at work.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Furrow Books Pocket-Size</b><br />
These are from a lovely startup out of Nebraska, and I was lucky enough to snag a founding supporter copy. The gimmick here is blank pages with an insert that you place behind the current one in order to gain either a lined or a grid layout. (I don't say 'gimmick' in a negative way though- it works.) I do like the functionality of having any of three orientations- lined, grid, blank- available in the same book, and that without having them predefined as to where they would be.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
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<b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>show-through: 3 (though, let's be real- you can't really fault them for a bit of show through when part of the point is that you can see lines from a paper under your current page...)</li>
<li>bleed-through: 5 (though there is that show-through, bleed was not that bad)</li>
<li>relief: 5 (decent here)</li>
<li>spread: 8 (really consistent and not too shabby here)</li>
<li>feathering: 7 (pretty good, but a bit cropped up in places)</li>
<li>tooth: 8 (really good feel here)</li>
<li>smoothness: 8 (quite nice)</li>
<li>color: 10 (great white, but with some of those "quality paper flecks" thrown in; very nice)</li>
<li>pattern: 10 (I find the system really functional and had no problems using the card)</li>
<li>layout: 10 (well done, here. I am pleased with how this idea turned out)</li>
<li>build: 8 (my sample's center staple was a couple mm's off, but from what I understand, this was an issue in the first run of prints that is supposed to be resolved in later batches. </li>
<li>cover: 8 (good stock, cool colors. I hope they come out with further themes in addition to the two they currently have)</li>
</ul>
Total: 90. A very strong finish for the newcomer here. I really dig the small company thing, and Furrow along with Doane and Banditapple are really doing some great things. I sincerely hope they all continue because they each have a great product, filling the need in different but equally interesting ways. Kudos to them all.<br />
<br />
All right. Whew. That was a long slog of hand-writing, picture-taking, and uploading madness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>And the WINNER IS...</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
And now for some hinky math, and my mildly arbitrary "Final Value Score".<br />
<br />
The way I worked this out was:<br />
<br />
Final score out of 120, converted into a percentage. Take that, divided by the cost per page, and this gives a positive integer. This number, the higher the better, is the Final Value Score, or value per page, based on the testing criteria and respective scores.<br />
<br />
<table border="2" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #292929; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Book</th>
<th>Score</th>
<th>Cost per Page</th>
<th>Final Value Score</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Moleskine Cahier</td>
<td>84 = 70%</td>
<td>4.6c</td>
<td>15.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Miro Utility Series</td>
<td>90 = 75%</td>
<td>1.4c</td>
<td>53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wilson Jones</td>
<td>64 = 53%</td>
<td>3.4c</td>
<td>15.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Military Memorandum</td>
<td>53 = 44%</td>
<td>3.6c</td>
<td>12.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Doane Paper Utility Book</td>
<td>80 = 67%</td>
<td>6.9c</td>
<td>9.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Banditapple Carnet</td>
<td>107 = 89%</td>
<td>5.4c</td>
<td>16.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Field Notes</td>
<td>73 = 61%</td>
<td>6.9c</td>
<td>8.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Scout Books</td>
<td>70 = 58%</td>
<td>9.3c</td>
<td>6.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Word.Notebooks</td>
<td>56 = 46%</td>
<td>8.3c - 9.7c</td>
<td>5.5 - 4.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Furrow Books Pocket-Size</td>
<td>90 = 75%</td>
<td>6.9c</td>
<td>10.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Let's note a couple of things:<br />
<ul>
<li>The ridiculous score of the Miro is due to two things- it performed really well, and the purchase price I got it for.</li>
<li>The higher scores of the Military Memo and the Wilson Jones are due mostly to their low costs. The cost savings here are not to me worth the hit you take on the paper in these books. </li>
</ul>
Taking these outliers out of the mix, you can see that there are definitely some winners and some losers here.<br />
<br />
At the top end, we have the Banditapple. As I've mentioned, the product you get for the price you pay is nearly incomparable. It really is that good.<br />
<br />
Then we have Moleskine, Furrow, and Doane bringing in the higher end of the rest of the field. Each of these has clear benefits and drawbacks.<br />
<br />
And bringing up the rear of what I would call "real contenders", we have Field Notes, Scout Books, and Word.Notebooks. As far as raw performance goes, these guys were soundly beaten by the other players, on many levels.<br />
<br />
So there we have it folks. If you found this at all helpful or even <i>mildly </i>interesting, let me know so that I don't loathe my own existence for having spent so much time on these notebooks. <br />
<br />
Woo.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Post Script:</u><br />
<br />
There are some additional examples of the 3.5" x 5.5" stapled/stitched notebook that I do want to eventually test, but have not yet for various reasons:<br />
<br />
Callepino. Reason: I am a cheap bastard and don't want to pay the cost of the books and shipping to get them. However, everything I've seen about them, they appear to be fantastic.<br />
<br />
Rite in the Rain. Reason: They are a niche product, and I don't typically have a use case for the specialized paper. That said, they typically have really good reviews. If you need the durability, this is your man.<br />
<br />
Clairefontaine. Reason: See previous note about being a cheap bastard. Also, I promised myself and my wife that I would not buy any more notebooks until all my currently owned ones are filled..........<br />
<br />
Rhodia. Reason: See Clairefontaine.<br />
<br />
White Lines. Reason: dammit, I really want to get these..... ugh. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-6195259965834894122014-09-22T11:19:00.000-07:002014-09-22T11:19:10.000-07:00Waiting, or, A Series of Possibly Painful but Necessary Resolutions and Vows<u>Waiting. </u><br />
<br />
So what do I do? I feel, as I'm certain many do, that I have "Ideas and Stories" and "Concepts" in my head, trying to get out. How do I let them out? Just showing up and "Doing the Work"? Certainly not by sitting here going, "how, how, how??" Would that I can create something of value that outlasts myself. I must do this.<br />
<br />
So what am I afraid of?<br />
<ul>
<li>That I won't finish, perhaps. The fear of what comes when I am done is sometimes worse than the fear of starting. </li>
<li>That it won't be good. (Though, first drafts never are...) </li>
<li>That I won't be able to publish. (Even if this ends up being true, there are ways around this...)</li>
<li>That they'll all laugh at me. (Oh well.)</li>
</ul>
But then, out of the blue, a coworker says to me, "Do you ever think about writing?" Ha ha ha, all the time, my friend, all the time. Yet I am so afraid. How do I overcome this fear? "This perfect love casts out all fear." Easy enough to say, and even to believe, but much harder to enact. Why is that? I do suspect that many of my struggles are due to little more than my own mental dysfunctions. This angers me.<br />
<br />
But then I sit, try to motivate myself, buck up and get started, drum up motivation and momentum... And instead just fall into a fearful, frustrated, stymied depression. Almost every time. It hurts. I hate it.<br />
<br />
But I always come back. That's got to count for something. Got to mean something.<br />
<br />
Right?<br />
<br />
Waiting.<br />
<br />
Waiting, like that time my car blew its alternator on the trip back to Pittsburgh during college. Middle of the night, side of the freeway, managed enough out of a dying cell phone to get a tow to a shop. Waiting for them to open. Slept in the car of course, reclining in the front seat. This was before my back injury, so it wasn't so tortuous as it later would have been. Sunlight creeping in as the pale morning woke me. Turned over as much as I could and went back to sleep. Might as well get as much as I needed. Already off schedule for the day, maybe even the week, certainly for the Big Picture.<br />
<br />
Wandered across the street to a bar that was open at lunch time. A few characters- the sorts of men who lunch early at bars. I managed to get a sandwich out of the barkeep. After that, scraping together coins for the coin-op coffee machine back in the garage.<br />
<br />
Waiting, watching four guys trying to get an alternator out of a hatchback's tightly packed motor bay. Used parents' credit card for the bill. Back on the road at last, finished the drive.<br />
<br />
Still waiting.<br />
<br />
I'm tired of waiting. But how does one move from "waiting" to "doing"? Ah, that's the great key. If if were so easy to figure, wouldn't we all be "doing"? One would hope. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u>A Series of Possibly Painful but Necessary Resolutions and Vows</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I will not buy another blank notebook until <i>all</i> the ones I currently own are filled.</li>
<li>I will not buy any more keyboards or keyboard accessories. At all. </li>
<li>I will not buy any more books- literature, non-fiction, reference, etc., etc., until all that I have now have been read at least once. No exceptions. (This is a far more monumental task than it may seem, since I have a decent collection of books, and many of them I have never completed, though most have been started.)</li>
<li>I will not buy any more clothing- shoes, shirts, pants, jackets, messenger bags, etc, until all I have now is worn out.</li>
<li>I will not buy any more computer anything unless it becomes absolutely necessary due to a failure. </li>
<li>I will not buy any bicycle stuff, apart from consumables (tires, tubes, pads, cables, chemicals) unless it becomes necessary due to a catastrophic failure. </li>
<li>I will not buy any more pens, ink, or other related sundries until all that I have now are exhausted. The 'exhaustion' refers mainly to ink, but more to pens for the intent. Pencils too.</li>
</ul>
I have been such a typical American Consumer for quite a while. It disgusts me. Poorly considering my decisions, little regard for consequence. No consideration for how to engage in what really matters.<br />
<br />
I think this can boil down into a few things:<br />
<ul>
<li>Make no (or at least at first, fewer) decisions that will negatively impact my family. </li>
<li>Work toward leading a more thoughtfully considered life. </li>
<li>Stop shying away from personal goals and ambitions:</li>
<ul>
<li>Reading</li>
<li>Writing</li>
<li>Art</li>
<li>Family</li>
<li>Spirituality & Philosophy</li>
<li>Friendship</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Simplify, simplify, simplify. We always hear about simplification. But to actually do. That takes something. True resolution. I feel I have been so incredibly lazy in so many important areas, yet I feel so exhausted so much of the time. Where from comes this imbalance? I hope that these resolutions and vows will be a starting point to work toward a more centered, careful, considered life. And thereby, start working toward realizing some long-dormant goals./ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-66208967498208452202014-08-24T11:18:00.000-07:002014-08-24T11:27:07.138-07:00Traveler's Notebook DIY How-To.<br />
So... I have been trying to keep a more regular schedule in writing, and of course one of the things that has really helped me in that is keeping a notebook with me as often as possible. Right?<br />
<br />
A bit of background. Feel free to skip to the pictures down below.<br />
<br />
For a long while, I carried Moleskine. But I have steadily grown irritated with them and their hype > quality stance. They have become a non-starter for several reasons. Anyone remotely familiar with the "notebook world" will no doubt be familiar with this issue. There are many alternatives available of course- Leuchturm1917, Rhodia, Piccadilly, etc, with varying degrees of quality and fountain pen-friendly paper.<br />
<br />
As I wandered through various other options, I became less enamored with the little black book format. Maybe I am being a bit cynical, but it just started to feel pretentious. That's as much my own issues coming out as it is an actual problem with little black notebooks, but this distaste lead me to other things.<br />
<br />
Fast forward a bit, the 3.5x5.5 format has really grown in popularity, and there are cover options all over the place. But the style that really stood out to me was the Traveler's Notebook, made famous of course by Midori. They were tricky to get for a while, and even as they became more accessible, I could not force myself to bite on their asking price. Combined with their slightly non-standard notebook size, they remained admired from afar.<br />
<br />
The internet being the wonderful place that it is, there are DIY's all around for getting the function without so much of the cost.<br />
<br />
The couple that got me started are:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/08/25/make-it-yourself-midori-travelers-style-leather-moleskine-cahier-or-field-notes-notebook-cover/">http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/08/25/make-it-yourself-midori-travelers-style-leather-moleskine-cahier-or-field-notes-notebook-cover/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://theoriginalstevenh.blogspot.com/2013/05/diy-midori-passport-notebook.html">http://theoriginalstevenh.blogspot.com/2013/05/diy-midori-passport-notebook.html</a><br />
<br />
So...<br />
<br />
Ran a few tests. <a href="http://imgur.com/a/ZRXEu#0" target="_blank">First version.</a> <a href="http://imgur.com/a/ZhRSO#0" target="_blank">Second Version.</a> <a href="http://imgur.com/a/3ti5u" target="_blank">Third Version.</a><br />
<br />
By the third one there, I was starting to get a feel for what I wanted, and it started to get a lot faster. There are of course some significant differences between mine and the Midoris. Whereas a Midori has the two loops down the center of the spine, I chose to have four loops straddling the centerline. This has some advantages and some drawbacks. It makes swapping notebooks a much simpler process, but it can have a slightly less clean look if not done carefully. The Midori also uses a tin clip to terminate the cord. I chose to simply tie it off, leaving the ends long enough to serve as the place markers. This to me imparts a couple of advantages over the Midori- There is no bump in the spine when on a flat surface, the clip will never need to be replaced, replacing the cord is simpler, and I get two place markers out of the gate.<br />
<br />
Well, someone expressed interest in a how-to of my process, so here we are. Hopefully it's useful or at least mildly interesting. If you have any questions, comments, insults, etc, please feel free.<br />
<br />
Onward.<br />
<br />
This demonstration is for a standard sized Traveler's Notebook. At the end, I have a couple shots of my most recent pocket sized version.<br />
<br />
Ok, first. A bit of leather. This specimen I got off of Amazon. About 6oz, pre-finished. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, shot of all the bits. We have a scrap of wood, some
elastic cord of various colors, the leather, a cutting device, a
straight edge, and a pencil. <br />
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Sizing up for the notebooks to be used. This is the Banditapple Handy, in Forest Green, grid print. To get the proper width on the leather, you obviously have to make allowance for the thickness of the books. I left about a 1/4 inch on the outside edge, and another 1/4 inch on the inside edge of each (creating a 1/2 inch space over the center line). <br />
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This is a nail. The tip has been cut off with pliers. This creates a sharp, straight edge perpendicular to the driving direction of the nail. This was my solution to not wanting to buy a punch, but wanting better holes than are had with just a plain nail. It ends up making much cleaner punches, and was free. <br />
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Ok, making some cuts. <br />
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Now that I have the center line, we measure to double check, and mark out where to put the holes. For the stringing system I use, there are four holes at the top and bottom. Fire away.<br />
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Here you can see the outside of the holes after being cleaned up a bit. (Sorry for the phone pic quality on these. My camera was MIA during this...) I have found that using the nail, I get a really clean hole from hammering through one side, then back through the other to round it out. I may eventually get a punch, but I am not overly concerned, based on results so far.<br />
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Ok, now we have a bunch of holes here. Ready for some elastic cording. <br />
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The type I got is available from many web stores. I got these spools from the local JoAnn Fabrics however. On the package, it is called "Thick Elastic Cord". For the four loops plus extra for the place markers, you will need six passes. To roughly measure out the length, I just start on one end of the cover, leaving enough for the first place marker there. Then, wrap it around the spine six times. This will bring you back down to end up right next to the first place marker. Leave another bit of extra on this end, and cut it to match. Of course, this being elastic cord, you will end up trimming a bit more at the end of the construction. We'll get to that. <br />
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To start the the threading, insert from outside on the center holes at the top of the book. <br />
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Then, drop down, thread inside to out on the center holes at the bottom: <br />
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Ok, here thread each side outside to in, on each side at the bottom. This will leave you with each end inside the book.(In this picture, the book is upside down, top edge closest to camera.)<br />
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Send 'em up top, thread inside to out up there, and you end up with this:<br />
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Now, to get your place markers on the inside of the book where they make sense, they have to be threaded back through those first two holes. Mr. Mechanical Pencil helps here without damaging the cord. Lead retracted works best. <br />
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Now we have some long bits on the inside. Almost there. <br />
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You don't want a floppy notebook stack, so you will need some tension in those cords. Start with tightening the first two in the center, pulling up on the outside two from the bottom edge of the cover. When those are taught, pull some tension into the place marker ends to tighten up the outside loops as well. <br />
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A good amount of tension in my experience is enough that the cords will keep the cover buckled if you help it up, but not so much that they buckle it without assistance. That tends to lead to odd folding of the spine section of the leather when there are books in it. <br />
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The right tension will also allow the cover to stay flat, but will still look "tight". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVOZcEQp8irmjfLaRR4H9cGgFESs4S9WY4yPnL4Cmk0sM5VfV65UCHFmyHJ40HzH2fSXDo2pkLecfEDjuyNhHxiIGXG6YWWOaztA1yhwVekrYMmt91G7VI6wg8ovz7rfjgUJcNqxr5ndO/s1600/20140615_150635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVOZcEQp8irmjfLaRR4H9cGgFESs4S9WY4yPnL4Cmk0sM5VfV65UCHFmyHJ40HzH2fSXDo2pkLecfEDjuyNhHxiIGXG6YWWOaztA1yhwVekrYMmt91G7VI6wg8ovz7rfjgUJcNqxr5ndO/s1600/20140615_150635.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, tie that bad boy off: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpkS3blnOICsLc69vAENcINj23JsnuSUjWKmRoWcgOVP3Ev0zrM-ZBROXPo4ezYecxYfbfcWdH0oMZqpWuu_7McCvpVDQVhJJLQhJZ-qlDRsUAnlg4Yy5VY77l6k1s6zI5uWgtZVZgnnd/s1600/20140615_150704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpkS3blnOICsLc69vAENcINj23JsnuSUjWKmRoWcgOVP3Ev0zrM-ZBROXPo4ezYecxYfbfcWdH0oMZqpWuu_7McCvpVDQVhJJLQhJZ-qlDRsUAnlg4Yy5VY77l6k1s6zI5uWgtZVZgnnd/s1600/20140615_150704.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Test out the tension here; make sure the book is secure, but not so tight to buckle the pages. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqPk1-u0bJwZqjgMOzjH12fV-penIRgKbRfHegNxyq6mkXCi-sAZwXW2baWe51aQ4yUCQYsmfoQRwoSYrNNc6DaJYY6az4xhiRyuH5qb4NZfG_m_IZWjjbG1ihw0pzRhmtVulS1v3A4Z2/s1600/20140615_150758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqPk1-u0bJwZqjgMOzjH12fV-penIRgKbRfHegNxyq6mkXCi-sAZwXW2baWe51aQ4yUCQYsmfoQRwoSYrNNc6DaJYY6az4xhiRyuH5qb4NZfG_m_IZWjjbG1ihw0pzRhmtVulS1v3A4Z2/s1600/20140615_150758.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For the closure strap, this time I picked a contrasting but not "loud" color. In several later models, I chose the blue. Whatever. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMuqOlHFOWKiKPTUsMt9KFXflmHEhYpZHonJCwdJnSA-eEY1QhHG7bPw7MaU5H6KYB-C5K1exXoPo9JukOuKq_ougxKoiQqnfPtCjOJz_30GI50piPvHf4vhEWd8mtoP2TpjnUeWUVMjC/s1600/20140615_150815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMuqOlHFOWKiKPTUsMt9KFXflmHEhYpZHonJCwdJnSA-eEY1QhHG7bPw7MaU5H6KYB-C5K1exXoPo9JukOuKq_ougxKoiQqnfPtCjOJz_30GI50piPvHf4vhEWd8mtoP2TpjnUeWUVMjC/s1600/20140615_150815.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For placement of these holes, I mark a center X by ruling from each opposite corner of the back to the other. Thread it through the back holes, putting a good amount of tension in this one. Leave enough stretch to get it back over the book to open, but this one needs to be rather tight to hold the book fully closed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5iuefq27A1G6X6f4FdssG3cbte5KZEzmAi-ipmwyHNtrtiPJ1Nn-rDcFVu1WvPGhr_vqYrfg5kkdzPIYueLM_6zUrM2nU4e1eKPDDwBEbpkwTV5flZ6EYonr03Ukmy4Ui_himFxg_fjR/s1600/20140615_151040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5iuefq27A1G6X6f4FdssG3cbte5KZEzmAi-ipmwyHNtrtiPJ1Nn-rDcFVu1WvPGhr_vqYrfg5kkdzPIYueLM_6zUrM2nU4e1eKPDDwBEbpkwTV5flZ6EYonr03Ukmy4Ui_himFxg_fjR/s1600/20140615_151040.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Tie it off, fuse the ends with a lighter, and here we are: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FO0Qd598ru6lhFnOsNSttlOdW6Mil_dxS4f28yk8mRFUbt_A3OMS7PM7rlgvrwXW8g3bSbyMgDTqBdOqREbEgS2sxDDPvaVUbCRlKaKGJSqiyzkOnssWLEQit7O6eP2zUwKriUc1HVrl/s1600/20140615_151224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FO0Qd598ru6lhFnOsNSttlOdW6Mil_dxS4f28yk8mRFUbt_A3OMS7PM7rlgvrwXW8g3bSbyMgDTqBdOqREbEgS2sxDDPvaVUbCRlKaKGJSqiyzkOnssWLEQit7O6eP2zUwKriUc1HVrl/s1600/20140615_151224.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Sitting under a utility-book size version, my wallet, and with my pen bag: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVyS80T2QL8r5JfQWG2sEQdgHVChsY3JsbVmdq1oPQgvGYPsn8ILGwuum0lUD9iq7DMAAser72XZD3b3SaXVXP5hHgo3x4WLjbJrtnY2lji1VHZjHWh7StyD6e84vNN2N-77SUP7le51q/s1600/20140615_154111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVyS80T2QL8r5JfQWG2sEQdgHVChsY3JsbVmdq1oPQgvGYPsn8ILGwuum0lUD9iq7DMAAser72XZD3b3SaXVXP5hHgo3x4WLjbJrtnY2lji1VHZjHWh7StyD6e84vNN2N-77SUP7le51q/s1600/20140615_154111.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Now, a later utility size I did has some improvements. I started with a more well-finished piece of leather which was raw in color. I dyed it with a dark brown matte finish, and did a bit of hand buffing with a soft cloth. One thing that was much better about this approach is that the higher quality leather took a much nicer cut. Dyeing after it was cut also covered the edges, which was really nice. This nicer leather also took an edge finish with only a little bit of hand buffing, whereas the type in the photos above had to be edged with wax and cheating with a rotary tool. (Which hadn't been done at the time of the photos of course.) Anyway, here's the nicer leather. This one is currently my main notebook, and is with me nearly always:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye0WsHWwonyzJ8e9hqDfwSb812JPa4sBTiNn_XmTdbYt34Tb-UH9y4dycd9xcIm7YhKGLsxfszxCtILRGPEHGncb5SvfywEzRXIR3lAukjnPcW4dlbsVji3xN_Z2AdEcLP0GVaB31yJfq/s1600/20140824_125607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye0WsHWwonyzJ8e9hqDfwSb812JPa4sBTiNn_XmTdbYt34Tb-UH9y4dycd9xcIm7YhKGLsxfszxCtILRGPEHGncb5SvfywEzRXIR3lAukjnPcW4dlbsVji3xN_Z2AdEcLP0GVaB31yJfq/s1600/20140824_125607.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYmt8Y5ghH9e9z5Upv32UFtdbsZjuHZEuXE6EPtvKRTwwn1dWs36G87NXyzUeMxYE5Elx6jYJZBOGcIr4SMbTKn2RVUooJyAG-tfs4u-Mn_gqN_Zc7RCu3g-7TExx80IpU7s9jl7J-Mwb/s1600/20140824_125225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYmt8Y5ghH9e9z5Upv32UFtdbsZjuHZEuXE6EPtvKRTwwn1dWs36G87NXyzUeMxYE5Elx6jYJZBOGcIr4SMbTKn2RVUooJyAG-tfs4u-Mn_gqN_Zc7RCu3g-7TExx80IpU7s9jl7J-Mwb/s1600/20140824_125225.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I currently have two Banditapple PeeWee books, a Miro Utility book, and a craft folder I made from some card stock. Note the blue closure strap. Woo. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2NBJfv-PhgsO1QxvZhxCe3jO2WPlk6N3SpR5rgBiDm9pZWdec7OqswiLSAmTFsvShD8o0GEfJvn1XtnE2W5D_HEpVYBM7gPaibqjV4gbrvwcLS1bqCxuDfRnjtid8TJaRf8TF8Gxsgod/s1600/20140824_125246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2NBJfv-PhgsO1QxvZhxCe3jO2WPlk6N3SpR5rgBiDm9pZWdec7OqswiLSAmTFsvShD8o0GEfJvn1XtnE2W5D_HEpVYBM7gPaibqjV4gbrvwcLS1bqCxuDfRnjtid8TJaRf8TF8Gxsgod/s1600/20140824_125246.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2Sn3k069w9VRuvS6fNF4bi1NRFBLxfe91ML1-BlyWXOVrPjyPoHBMxrXx1bSReDknc23Kp4B2XPA_t3xfhkpch_qqF2n-J7LehzcnkCiZ629WPkz04GvKmCVjoKGADuxGZmfLiDlXFes/s1600/20140824_125425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2Sn3k069w9VRuvS6fNF4bi1NRFBLxfe91ML1-BlyWXOVrPjyPoHBMxrXx1bSReDknc23Kp4B2XPA_t3xfhkpch_qqF2n-J7LehzcnkCiZ629WPkz04GvKmCVjoKGADuxGZmfLiDlXFes/s1600/20140824_125425.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As I said earlier, questions, comments, insults, purchase orders (sorry, had to), all welcome.<br />
<br />
Huzzah.<br />
<br />
<br />/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-11993231734591408092013-06-16T22:45:00.000-07:002014-06-05T21:28:18.340-07:00Continuing the process...So here we are again. It's about two months since my surgery. Woo. At this point, I am moving around at nearly a "normal" level in most situations. Driving gives me no significant issues, contrasted against when I first started driving after the procedure. At that point, I was still very stiff and could only drive after much effort of getting into a vehicle. Anyway, as I said, I'm now able to get through most situations in a normal fashion. I can go grocery shopping, pick up the baby, and have sex. (Though we'd made sure that still worked a while ago. Indeed.)<br />
<br />
So now, two months out, my focus has shifted from the recovery mode of making sure there were no major complications from the procedure and regaining the minimal level of movement to now looking to start back on a path to better overall general health and fitness.<br />
<br />
Before the surgery, I had been doing a regular resistance training routine from which I had started to see some good results. I am going to be getting back into that starting this week at the office. Now, some would be skeptical of "starting this week" when said regarding a fitness routine, but in this particular case it becomes easier since there is a nice exercise facility at my office.<br />
<br />
I've also started reading a book called "Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence". This book emphasizes a particular methodology of movement and strengthening of the back, legs, and hips in a way that is supposedly more in tune with how our bodies were intended to move. The authors contrast this against how we Westerners typically move, emphasizing and over-straining the low-back via movement habits and lifestyle (long sitting, poor posture, etc.) I have to admit, from their ground-work laid out in the early chapters, they make a compelling argument. I've started some of the basic exercises they indicate, and I can tell it's utilizing my structural muscles in a different way already, even starting only today. Based on the reviews on Amazon from actual readers and the glittery bits provided by celebrity endorsers in the text itself, I've got some high hopes for this material. Those high hopes also stem from the fact that the introductory material describing how they arrived at their conclusions on structural physiology really resonated with my own experiences during my struggles with back pain. I've always noticed how, even with having my share of physical therapy and medications, my back only got to a certain level of liveability. There were always certain movements that made me nervous because of how they felt; certain elements of my core strength never seemed to stabilize and improve regardless of activity level or attention. These are ideas that the authors address specifically, and indicate marked improvement for all of the users who follow the exercises properly. If all goes well, I hope to provide yet another glowing review. I wish this because if it's true, that means my back is stronger, my movement is freer, and my body is less of a problem for me than it once was.<br />
<br />
Huzzah.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-41390261826318003632013-05-31T12:31:00.001-07:002014-06-05T21:30:11.759-07:00"....uuuuppddaaaaattessssss....", said the zombie blogger.<br />
<br />
Received the bill for my spinal surgery yesterday afternoon.<br />
<br />
Cost of procedure: $53,213.18<br />
Responsible amount: $150.00<br />
<br />
Thank God, sense of relief, +1 for insurance, and all that.<br />
<br />
Now that we've that detail out of the way, on to better news. (Well, better in a certain sense, but to be sure, it was really good news to not be on the hook for 50 grand.)<br />
<br />
But what might to me somehow be better than that? I had a follow up visit with my surgeon last week. During the visit, he indicated things are looking good, right on schedule, healing nicely, etc. They took an x-ray to check the installation's condition, which he said looks good. So he then told me I could start riding my bike again. Granted, it's in a limited fashion at this point, because we're still waiting for a more complete fusion of the two vertebrae and for the muscles to fully heal from the procedure. But anything is better than nothing, especially after not having ridden much at all over the last two years.<br />
<br />
In my excitement, I forgot to even ask him if I was OK for lifting things of any greater weight than I'd been allowed up to that point. You know, like kids and stuff. I called the office back to get that detail sorted out whilst driving to the bike shop. (Parenthetical Insertion: I did roll my eyes at myself. Priorities, right? You should have seen the look my wife gave me. But I'm really quite grateful at how understanding she actually is regarding, well, lots of things, but my need for cycling specifically in this case.)<br />
<br />
Anyway after the good news, I did immediately speed to the bike shop and buy full tune-up materials.<br />
<ul>
<li>new brake pads (kool stops all the way)</li>
<li>new cables and housings- brakes and shifting</li>
<li>cable lube</li>
<li>degreaser</li>
<li>drive train lube </li>
<li>new bar tape</li>
</ul>
I then proceeded to drive back to the house, forgo my usual daytime sleep hours, and work on completely stripping my bike, cleaning every bit of it thoroughly, and putting it all back together. If as a cyclist you've never jumped headfirst into a full tune-up like this, I would highly recommend learning how and going for it. There's a very real, visceral connection that this somehow imparts. Though it's a pile of inanimate objects that have no intrinsic value, there's just... something... about connecting to the bike in this way. And one can easily find examples of this sort of idea all over the web, in bike magazines, etc. It's one of those things that's difficult to explain to "non-believers".<br />
<br />
After reassembling all the bits, I had yet to tape the bars. This is one part that's as much a meditative ceremony as it is a maintenance procedure. Back into the house to scrub the grime, grease, and years of weariness off my hands and face. As the last wraps of tape were coiled on and taped into place, the fuller picture was revealed. <br />
<br />
My noble steed was resplendent in its fresh cleanliness, just begging to go see places.<br />
<br />
That first ride was rather a tenuous thing. At that point, my back muscles were still very tight from the surgery, still very sore, and I could only go down the street and back. I barely managed to get back over the lip at the bottom of the driveway. A pretty sad ride in most respects.<br />
<br />
<br />
If felt like I'd learned how to fly.<br />
<br />
<br />/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-7159145190684172942013-05-10T15:26:00.001-07:002014-06-05T21:30:39.291-07:00So I guess part of "ethos" of blogging is to maintain some sort of regularity. To that end, here we are.<br />
<br />
Today is May 10th, being roughly three weeks since surgery. My overall level of discomfort is much better, and I have been able to engage in some normal activities such as driving. That said, I'm still quite sensitive to various movements and can't bend, crouch, or stay in the same position for long periods of time.<br />
<br />
Luckily at work, I have a convertible desk which affords me the luxury of either standing or sitting at my desk. My employer was gracious enough to provide this, much to my relief.<br />
<br />
So... at this point I'm in a bit of waiting game. Just moseyin' along, waiting for fuller recovery to set in. Once I'm able to start moving a bit more, I am anxious to get back into my exercise routine and start feeling more vigorous again.<br />
<br />
Starting back to work my regular night schedule at work on Monday evening. Did a week of day time this week to 'ramp up', so to speak. So at least starting work again is some kind of progress, and has gotten me feeling a little more human again.<br />
<br />
But... nothing more at this point worth writing. More to come, I'm sure. I hope. Ok, maybe. / tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-71060126021106883352013-04-26T19:53:00.002-07:002014-06-05T21:31:23.135-07:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A brief update. This being Friday night, it is now roughly eight and half days or so since my surgery. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All things considered (you know, like they cut my back open and all), I think I'm coming along well. I had a short ride in the car today to see how I would do, and it wasn't the worst thing I've ever experienced. Getting into the car, and for the duration of the ride, I was actually ok. Getting back out of the car, and for a couple hours after the ride, I was noticeably stiffer and more sore than beforehand. But, that's the nature of recovery- seeing how far you've come, finding how far you've yet to go.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a good note, however, I've definitely noticed that, apart from the pain of the surgical site (which is not insignificant, to be sure) I have felt virtually none of the previous "injury" pain- meaning the stabbing, shocking pains that would trigger on certain angles of sitting or bending with my back. Of course, I've been limiting the bending, as in not, to be inline with my recovery guidelines. Nevertheless, I am very eager to start feeling more of what this is going to be like after the surgery pain has passed and the installation sets up more permanently.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the first glimpses I've had, it looks to be quite refreshing.</span>/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-58909682084673332742013-04-22T07:06:00.000-07:002014-06-05T21:29:40.082-07:00<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Greetings and Salutations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So here we are, almost three and a half years since my last post to this blog. That last post was also only the second post on this blog. That would definitely qualify as "forgotten".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have decided to try to pick up again for a couple of reasons. I </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">am </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">still dealing with all of the issues I had outlined in the first post in which I detailed my goals for this space. Over the last few years, I have made regrettably irregular progress on all those fronts. Here is that original list, with my current status inserted under each:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">persistent back problems</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">this is the most significant issue; explanation following. </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">carpal tunnel syndrome</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">actually better on this bit; I have a standing desk at work, and have taken measures to ensure it's not gotten worse, and is usually better / manageable. </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">excessive weight</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">not doing so great here, due in large part to the back problems. Currently sitting at 210 lbs on the button. At least <i>some</i> portion of this weight increase is due to having started weight training again. I've been making somewhat regular use of our exercise facilities at the office, and have noticed decent progress in my overall strength and tone. However, I do indeed carry far too much excess weight around the middle. I've also been somewhat limited in how much training I could really do, because of the back problems.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">strength</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">see above. Still needs work in several ares, most notably overall back strength and tone. </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">creativity</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">still fighting the everlasting fight. It comes in fits and starts. I've made some decent progress on some of my writing projects, but in a sporadic pattern. I still need to work out some actual regularity and start <i>finishing</i> those projects. </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">stress / depression</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">making some actual, real progress on this front. Several months ago, I had started regular meetings with an old mentor / friend to try to start addressing some of the long standing issues I've carried.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the last few weeks, I have also started seeing an actual therapist on the advice of our family doctor. I had asked for some kind of diagnosis or at least thoughts on "my depression", and based on our conversation he referred me, insisting that he wasn't comfortable making a determination himself. Awesome.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So that's a high-level recap of where I'm at. Referring again to my back problems, which I indicated above are the most significant issue lately, there is progress and new hope in this area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">First, some background on the whole thing... It all started back in nought five whilst I was away at college. I had started a work out routine to "get back into shape", a not altogether shameful goal to be sure. Well, one evening during a workout, I had made the terribly stupid, rookie mistake of not wearing a support belt during some back exercises. During one rep, I felt a 'pop' in my low back. It didn't <i>hurt</i> in the classic sense, but felt "weird" more than anything. I took it easy for a couple of weeks and let it recover. I felt ok for a long time, but over the several years since that initial incident, it has steadily grown worse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It finally came to a head two years ago in the early spring. One morning as I was drying off from a shower I stretched out my arm to put my towel down on the sink. My back had been sore and rather tentative in respect to much movement and as I reached out to drop the towel, I felt a gritty, angry, and intense pop, much more intense than the original incident several years prior. It was audible this time too; sounded just as terrible as you would expect it to. As soon as this eruption registered to the rest of my body, I instantly, involuntarily fell to the floor in excruciating pain. I was unable to stand, and a white-hot, blistering pain spread from my low spine throughout my entire back, down my legs, and made it nearly impossible to think. I somehow managed to crawl into the bedroom and up onto the bed to try to stretch it out, but I could not find a position of any relief. Krista helped me work my way downstairs to try to get to the couch to lay with a heating pad while we decided what to do. However, when I got to the bottom of the steps, which according to Krista had taken almost an hour of backing down on my knees, I could not force myself to go any further. It just hurt too much. She ended up calling the neighbors, and eventually I got assistance (was carried) onto the couch. People have asked me what my "bad back days" feel like, and I always find it hard to describe or relate the type and intensity of the pain. I've heard certain types of pain be compared to child birth, for instance. I don't make that assertion myself, but I've heard it used before. Anyway, I don't think I could ever overstate or over-dramatize the intensity of the pain in that moment. I literally (yes, "literally") could not force myself to stand, could not take a full breath, had tears streaming down my face, and basically wished a train would run me over at any moment to ease the suffering. It was truly that bad. They say that memories of specific moments tend to be stronger when tied to intense feelings. I remember that day quite vividly. Hah.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I ended up in the hospital for several days, had consultations with pain management people and an orthopaedic surgeon. I went through six weeks of physical therapy to get back to a minimally functional state, roughly 80% of pre-incident function. All things considered, this wasn't too bad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fast forward two years. The condition of my back had steadily declined, despite my best efforts to assuage the degradation via exercises and stretching. I had another consultation with the same surgeon who'd seen me initially in hospital and a few times since then. He reviewed the latest MRI that he'd requested, and said that the disk was basically gone, almost bone-on-bone. For a spinal joint, that's bad, mmmkay? He also indicated that since it was only the one disk, others next to it appearing completely healthy, surgery would likely be a good solution. Had other disks in the area been showing signs of degradation, surgery would be much more risky, since there's far less guarantee of where the actual problem is. Being only one bad disk, it's much more likely that it of course is the problem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So this past Thursday, I underwent what is known as an L4-L5 Lumbar Fusion. Short version: remove old, crusty disk material; insert spacer with added marrow to reclaim the gap between the vertebrae; implant screws and plates to immobilize the joint; sew it all back up; don't move much for several weeks. The goal here is to use the spacer/marrow combination to recreate the space between the vertebrae while at the same time initializing a growth process that will eventually fuse the two bones together, making a rigid joint around the spacer. The screws and plates are to keep everything stable while this process (which can take anywhere from six months to a year) completes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am now home on medical leave, spending my time laying down, or slowly walking around to try to maintain my limited range of motion. The first few weeks are the most tenuous and require the utmost attention to not over-doing it in terms of stressing the new installation. Roughly six weeks out, I can start introducing mild activities, and increase from there based on consultations with my doctor. He had indicated before surgery that he was confident I'd be restored to full function after the procedure, strictly based on a couple things: the nature of my injury (just one disk, presented symptoms, etc) and my overall general condition. With that prognosis, we (Krista and I) opted to go for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So here I lie, on the cusp of a new season. I am quite hopeful, if not a bit impatient, for what may be ahead. </span>/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-6789064136998735432009-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:002014-06-05T21:29:03.726-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdQsfHUQviQ5NNqRklrg28NGcZ5wnhh6HYuP8uKUAHOzRqLf59O2YKF0Ure8SNH7HEjSkQ7GBer6a3TXOGs-oJyVjgSnq2rMb4S-lQHtDqM1qcfRKveNnSTpo2GVFTGN_WQ3v1DweArzL/s1600-h/IMG00143.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdQsfHUQviQ5NNqRklrg28NGcZ5wnhh6HYuP8uKUAHOzRqLf59O2YKF0Ure8SNH7HEjSkQ7GBer6a3TXOGs-oJyVjgSnq2rMb4S-lQHtDqM1qcfRKveNnSTpo2GVFTGN_WQ3v1DweArzL/s320/IMG00143.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411997583319339874" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">First update since initial post...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Today rode 30.6 miles with coworker. Covered from my house in Fairview Park to Public Square downtown. Great ride, great day, lots of fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Major drawback though; exacerbated my back problems quite a bit.</span>/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863032431320419193.post-43690613730324060272009-11-29T10:17:00.000-08:002014-06-05T21:29:26.278-07:00And here we go...<span style="font-family: arial;">So this is my first entry in what will be a chronicle of... let's call it my desperate quest to reclaim things that have either atrophied or reared ugly over the last few years. And those are:<br /></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: arial;">
<li>persistent back problems</li>
<li>carpal tunnel syndrome</li>
<li>excessive weight</li>
<li>strength</li>
<li>creativity</li>
<li>stress / depression</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: arial;">To reclaim, as it were, my Cool, I hope to change these things. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe I should back into this a little. I started an eight to five desk job two years ago, and have started to see the classic symptoms thereof. I also was married three years ago, with a baby coming that same year. All of these things happening were such amazing moments- the new job was a great promotion, and of course the new wife and child were the most beautiful creatures I'd ever seen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">But of course the adjustment to the new demands of all of these life-changing events was a little rocky. While I knew that a desk job could be detrimental to overall physical health, I've had only passing fits of activity aimed at abating that negative effect. And I've been so devoted to my family that the "I will always love you!!" in the movies just seems trite and to find a good comparison I have to get all Shakespearean. But in that devotion I have let my own well being suffer at times. So now I sit at 200lbs., where once I was a lean 176lbs. cycling fiend. I once broke a friend's ribs in friendly wrestling, and now I have chronic pain due to musculo-skeletal atrophy. (My own diagnosis, of course.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">SO...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">What's my plan? I suppose the idea behind the "blog" entails a few elements. Of course there's the obvious point that nearly every person with a computer thinks that they should blog and that other people will naturally and rightfully give a damn what's in it. But past the narcissism, I think that it will impart a bit of accountability that has clearly been lacking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">So into this blog I will put links to whatever information and research I accumulate in order to address some of these problems, the plan by which I strive to betterment and </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll also put here details of my progress on the road back to Cool. Details, in order to have any meaning, need a starting point. How far is it to Albuquerque? 113 miles of course. Eh? From Cleveland?<br /><br />My starting point:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Height:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Currently: 6'4" // Goal: Cool</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Weight:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Currently: 200 "bad" // Goal: 190 - 210 "good"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Physicality:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Currently: back trouble, difficulty with things I normally would thing of as easy or routine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Goal: healthy>> restored vitality, lessened pain, increased strength, better mood, restored endurance, renewed enthusiasm for life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">And there we have it. By the time anyone actually sees this, I will have sent the link to several people who are close to me so that they will know about it and I will feel like a heel if I don't carry through with it. Over the next couple of days I will be planning out first versions of the "Action Plan" that will pave my way. I'll have that up as soon as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks for listening.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Huzzah!!</span>/ tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091341489118309141noreply@blogger.com2