Memorial Day Holiday

Memorial Day is an American holiday, one of the few days that most Americans don't have to go to work (although those in the retail and restaurant industries have to work, but get higher pay). The TV news carries images of soldiers paying Taps, which I think are heart-wrenching no matter what side of the political spectrum you're on. Local neighborhoods often have parades.

Americans are also expected to place flowers on graves that they've neglected throughout the year.

Was today an important day in your culture? What did you do in rememberance?

Tempta-a-a-tion

Sung to the tune of "Anticipation," of course.

This is the time of year, when the new 18-month Moleskine diaries come out, that I'm tempted to stock up before they sell out, in case I have a change of heart later this year. In fact, in 2007, I bought 1 large and 2 pocket Moleskine diaries, in various weekly/daily configurations. It was my first full year of using Filofax, and it was important to me to have the Moleskines there for me in case of emergency, despite the expense. I didn't end up using them at all.

These days, I think using Moleskines sounds more difficult and tedious than using the loose-leaf Filofax, but I'm still tempted by the likes of this, from the excellent Moleskine supplier, Ship the Web: http://tinyurl.com/6fmua5.

This year, anyway, at the risk of getting set in my Filofax ways, I think I'll resist.

Slim my Filo

A reader recently asked me about the capacity of the Slimline Filofax -- the same paper size as Personal but with a smaller ring size (7/16") for a thinner, flatter shape. I've never used a Slimline -- I don't think I've ever bought a smaller ring size of anything!

Has anyone who has used a Slimline fill us in (sorry) on his or her experience? Did you come up with any tricks to deal with the reduced capacity, or did you find it simply inadequate for a daily organizer? How many leaves does it hold compared to the usual Personal 7/8" rings? Does it come with tabs?

More UK items

My recent order from The Daily Planner contained an interesting mix of leaves made in the UK and newer ones made in China. As I write this, world conditions are changing, and increased Chinese wages and petroleum/shipping costs may eventually make Chinese manufacture less economically advantageous than it has been in the early 21st century. But until then, UK-made leaves are a precious find to many of us Philofaxers.

Two of the items I ordered—pink lined paper and Cotton Cream to-do pages—were made in the UK. The pink leaves are marked ©1996, and the back of the package is marked "Made in England." This pink paper is both thinner and smoother than Chinese-made pink Filofax paper, which to me means that the English one is higher quality.

The Cotton Cream leaves were a mistake on my part—I clicked the wrong item. My everyday Personal Filo is red leather, and I prefer white leaves for my diary and to-do pages. But I've decided to keep the Cotton Cream ones. I want to experience using them. Also, if Cotton Cream is no longer being made, I want to have them. These leaves are marked ©2003, and the package reads "Made in the UK." I love the fact that it also says, "Manufactured by environmentally friendly paper mill."

Does anyone know whether the Cotton Cream paper is still being made in the UK?

Order arrived!

Recently, I ordered a bunch of refills from The Daily Planner. Along with the things I really needed (To Do pages in both A5 and Personal formats), I ordered several items I didn't need. Why? I wanted to experiment with Filofax products I'd never used before to round out my experience and collection, and to report to all of you on this blog.

Today I'll start with an insert called "Erasable Marker Memo" on the Web site and on the invoice, and "Most Used Telephone Numbers" on the package. It's a single sheet of plastic, about the same weight and flexibility as a dishwashing-liquid bottle. In other words, quite a bit thicker and stiffer than paper.

The insert is ©1995, and the packaging seems to be from the same era. (The more recent packaging is mostly white with only a little dark blue.) Also, it was made in the UK, which makes it a rare find these days.

The front of the form reads "Most Used Telephone Numbers" (as shown), and the back says "Messages," with just a page of blank lines below.

The instructions read, "Write in pencil or non-permanent marker. Erase with rubber eraser or damp cloth."

Just testing it briefly, pencil marks look lighter than on paper, and erase easily. Marker also appeared fainter, and rubbed off easily with just a finger -- no water needed! That leads me to believe just as I suspected -- that marker would smudge more easily than pencil.

I would love to use a form like this as a To-Do list for ad-hoc tasks, or capturing temporary notes. But it would also be great for its intended purpose, since the numbers we call most often change from time to time, as family and friends' phone numbers (or relationships) change from time to time.