i've closed my eyes and my bank account, and gone west

I'm going to Denver tomorrow. Well, more like in a few hours on an obscenely early flight. The last (and only) time that I've been to Denver was for a different pathology conference; this is an even nerdier specialty meeting but I am excited to have a more active role as an attendant. In my preparations, I have been betrayed by Excel and Powerpoint so many times that I vow to use transparency sheets for all future presentations.

Anyways, here I am, feeling like sharing with whoever is out there, but still sorting out content issues. I'm sure you have noticed this thing that I'm trying - music references as titles. I figured it's the closest to a cohesive theme for my random and scattered entries (i.e. life). Also, I've been spending time with albums that meant a lot to me in years past, because this season can be melancholy in that nostalgic way. I probably terrified my officemate with PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love, but I still think this album is amazing, though some of the subtleties probably escaped my naive fifteen-year-old mind.

I made a pleasant discovery while packing: wine bottles fit perfectly in boot shafts! Martha would be so proud of me.

*Liz Phair - "Go West"

if there's something you'd like to try ask me ask me ask me

Exaclair sent me a Habana notebook to review! I am a huge fan of Clairefontaine paper, as many of you are aware of my obsession with Rhodia notebooks. However, I've never used Quo Vadis or Exacompta, though Sarah has me pretty much ready to convert. Given that my current Moleskine has started to fall apart after using only 25 pages (which is sadly not an anomaly in my long history of Moleskine use), I am welcoming new notebook options. At any given time, I have about 3-4 notebooks going in addition to my planner. One I use for lists for Activities of Daily Living (things to do, shopping lists, ideas for music mixes), one for recording random stuff at work (e.g. tumors that I see at sign out that I want to read about, keeping track of pages), one for taking notes at lectures and while I study, and etc.

The Habana is approximately 6 x 9 inches, and has a smooth leather-like hard cover. The cover is quite substantial; you can tell that it will wear well and sustain knocking around a huge messenger bag or tote. The stitching is well-done, and there is a useful back pocket. An elastic closure keeps it shut so the pages stay protected. I like medium-sized notebooks for studying; some might not find it as easily portable but I carry huge bags so it is never an issue with me.

I like how the notebook lies flat when you open it, even on the very first page.

The Clairefontaine paper is beautiful! It is bright white with light gray lines. The lines are more widely spaced than I prefer - I typically use college-ruled or graph paper because I have small handwriting. The line spacing is certainly not a deal-breaker for me. I use Muji gel ink pens, which makes nice clean lines on the paper and no bleeding through to the other side. This is a deal-maker for me.

For comparison, here is a shot from my current prematurely dying Moleskine, whose yellow-y thin pages suddenly seem so insufficient for my writing needs:

Overall: I love this notebook and plan to incorporate more Habanas into rotation when I am up for new one. Reviewing this notebook in the height of my 2010 planner search has moved the Exacompta 24 higher up the rankings... More on that later!

*The Smiths - "Ask"

I've got the 21st century breathing down my neck

So, what about this blog? I was contemplating why I feel compelled to blog at all, being the type of person who writes handwritten letters and refuses to stop buying Compact Discs, and is always reluctant to share life news with family or friends, good or bad. We had to take the Myers-Briggs at work this summer and I was an INTJ (also, 22 of 26 pathology residents were introverts which made the team building exercises interesting). During med school there were always stock topics to post about - boards, hating and loving rotations, the Match. As residency continued and my personal life became indistinct from my professional life, it became increasingly difficult to motivate myself to write in the same vein as when I was 23. I spend inordinate amounts of time studying disease through a microscope, a lot of which is really sad and horrible. I still want to blog, but with less personal relevance. All I want to write about is the mundane, because I think it's important to appreciate emotions and aesthetics in even the most simple objects. And also, I happen to like pretty shiny things.

*The Smiths - "Frankly Mr. Shankly"

we don't need this dead dead media

Yes, I deleted six years of posts. I thought it would grieve me more to do so, but the act was impulsive and inconsequential. It is now apparent to me that a) I still want to blog after all and b) this needed to happen to get me out of my writing rut. Here's to new beginnings!

title from "Dead Media" by Hefner