Would you ever hand someone your Filofax and let them open it? Would you trust them to just ogle the well-burnished leather and not peek at potentially embarassing sections like your phone numbers, to do list, or weight chart? Well, I did it today. My vocal coach caught me taking notes for an upcoming singers' party in my red Finsbury with a red Waterman pen, and demanded to examine the pen. (She loves cool pens, but then who doesn't?) "In fact, let me see that whole thing," she said. So I handed her my Filo and held my breath as she flipped it open. To her credit, she didn't leaf through the pages, but I'm sure she got a gander at my tabs (To Do, Projects, Ideas, Lists, Fitness, and Tel).
Why did I give it to her? Well, again this is my vocal coach. I can't possibly humiliate myself in front of her even more than I already have. The entire first lesson, I couldn't even sing and keep my eyes open at the same time.
I think I do things like let people look in my Filofax because I know it's probably going to happen anyway, and I want to stay prepared for it. In my career of using planners and handhelds, I've had plenty of embarassing moments. I left my DayRunner in a nightclub, and my brother, who was performing, found it and returned it to me by slipping it in my car window while I slept in my apartment above. My mother once checked out my Palm and found a packing list for a trip. She found it hilarious that I needed to write down a count for the number of slacks, sweaters, and dresses I was packing. One time I left a Palm at work, and called a co-worker to see whether it was there. When she found it, she started reading my To Do list to me: "Call Ford dealership. Pay your bills." These days, I figure anyone who has nothing better to do than read other people's organizers is no threat to me.
In other news, I'm going to pick up an idea from Philofaxer. I attended a wine tasting the other night and found myself taking notes on wines I wanted to purchase later. I think I'm going to resurrect my old Pocket Filo for a wine journal...and for other travel stuff, too, like hotel and restaurant reviews.
I dread the thought of anyone looking through my filofax, I find it so personal... Not that there's anything majorly private or secret in there, I just find it intrusive if someone even looks at it inquisitively... At work, I have a desk which everyone leans over and touches some item or another, this irks me no end. I dread the day someone touches my filofax as I may just cease to be polite and tell them to leave the "*ahem* thing alone..."
ReplyDeleteNan, your voice coach sounds like she's OK otherwise you would have been very unhappy... I'd be okay with my brother, Significant Other or best friend looking through my organiser.
Regards,
Miss Anon E. Mous
I think it's part of human nature to be morbidly curious about anything that resembles a diary or journal. I'm a little creeped out by people looking over my shoulder, too. (And yes, my coach is very cool. I can think of very few people I'd simply hand my Filofax to.)
ReplyDelete"She found it hilarious that I needed to write down a count for the number of slacks, sweaters, and dresses I was packing."
ReplyDeleteOh good, I'm not the only one to do this (altho probably not as organised as you are).
I don't know about you, but I just don't want to find myself without sufficient sets of relatively clean clothes halfway through the trip.
Yes, I try to plan my clothes for a trip really carefully, too. And if the trip is a week or less, my goal is to bring one small suitcase, or maybe even just a carry on. One of the things I loved about my Palm T3 is that I could attach a keyboard and do email, Word, and Excel on it instead of bringing a laptop.
ReplyDeleteOne time my system fell apart -- I didn't account for the fact that one outfit would get totally dirtied by horseback riding, so I had to send it to the hotel laundry so I wouldn't run out of clothes.