More Miquelruis

Miquelrius A5 notebooks are my everyday notebooks, because the paper is interchangeable with the paper in my A5 Filo. I especially love the plastic-covered ones (the cardboard covers are too thick and stiff for my taste), designed by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

The only drawbacks are the expense -- US $7 or US $8 per book -- and limited availability. I used to have to go to a large chain bookstore or The Container Store to find them. Imagine my surprise when I found them at the Fed-Ex Kinkos store just a few blocks from my house!

This Kinkos has increased its office-supply and book stock and cut down on space devoted to self-service copiers and computers. I guess they've decided they make more money from retail sales. In addition to Miquelrius in A5 and A4 sizes, I also found Mead notebooks and composition books (well made, but the paper is way too thin), Cambridge notebooks (Mead's high end), Black and Red notebooks, and a rare (in the US) A4 Topps notebook.

I bought 2 each of the red and blue patterns shown here, plus a dull, professional pinstriped one for work. I wanted to buy them up to encourage the store to continue carrying them.

I still can't find Miquelrius A5s at less than $7, but I figure it's the price of a glass of wine in a nice restaurant, or 1.5 glasses of wine in a lousy restaurant. Well worth the price, since I can use each notebook for a couple of months, while the wine lasts me maybe 1/2 hour per glass.

Daylight Saving Time 2009

Here's Filofax's kindly reminder to me to turn my clock an hour forward. The USA and Canada (but not Mexico) are again observing an extended DST period - March to November. That means 8 months DST -- twice as much as Standard Time! Maybe we should call this Standard Time and the other four months Winter Darkness Time!

I was listening to the BBC in the middle of the night, and found that, after the time change at 3:00 AM, that the east coast of the U.S. is currently only 4 hours behind GMT, since the UK (home of the Filofax) doesn't change to Summer Time for another month. Somehow, 4 hours feels like a much smaller time difference than the usual 5 hours.

Menstrual Calendar Insert

Here's another find from the 1980's, printed in England. I'm not sure why old inserts like this turn up in online or brick-and-mortar stores from time to time, but they do. Where have they been sitting all this time?

I don't plan on using this product, just keeping it as a collector's item. I bought this Pocket 1980's one (copyright 1988) and a newer Personal one. They were marked down, probably because the item has been discontinued. I can't find it on either the UK or USA Filofax website.

I've uploaded photos to Flickr, and since I can seem to embed a picture right now, here's a link to get you started.

Free for All Friday No. 26

Have at it, folks!

—Inky (feels good to by typing that again!)

Inky's Here

Hi everybody.

I would like to thank the kind reader who emailed me at my work and home email addresses -- good detective work.

I'm sorry I worried or alarmed some of my longtime readers. Part of the reason for my absence had to do with family illnesses, house and automobile repairs, and other challenges, but part of it was simple neglect.

I really appreciate everyone's concern. I have been stocking up on new and old leaves and still using my Filofaxes to conduct my life.

I love all the wonderful comments everyone has been leaving, and hope to get even more lively discussion going as I start posting more often again.

Here's one of my recent acquisitions -- a 1988 England printing of a leaf I'm sure is discontinued, the Traveller's Checklist. Don't forget to pack your Embrocation! I'm reluctant to even open it.