the hills are alive.

i'm so good at NOT blogging, it's really a shame that i try and break that cycle.

i need to just take the leap and not put so much pressure on myself to be this awesome blogger, when in reality, i just want to show off fun stuff i find.

ANYWHO.

we got this notebook in at the store recently, and it caught my eye. now i can't wait to buy it.

{she climbed until she saw composition book. $5.95}

i know, i know, we all need another cute notebook like we need a hole in the head, but there is something about this that really strikes me.

firstly, it's nature-y...which, i love. (in my head i'm really nature-y.) as a result, it reminds me of camp, which is always ideal/essential on rough days.

secondly, i feel like it really speaks to how i approach many things in my life. i climb until i see. i have climbed, i do climb, and you damn well know that i'm climbing in my future. and even if you're not to the top, even if the peak seems eons away, the view doesn't seem all bad from here.

thirdly, this notebook reminds me of one of my greatest accomplishments. it also happens to be the inspiration for my hypothetical future tattoo -- which would be the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the peak of mount whitney. i backpacked the west side of whitney with a group of diabetic 16 and 17 year olds in summer 2004. at 14,505 feet, it's the highest peak in the contiguous united states. we did it in ten days, hiking over 110 miles. when we started, my pack weighted nearly 90 pounds, and i think it was the sixth time i had ever backpacked. not too shabby, eh? it was truly one of those "i'm just flattered to have been asked [to be staff on this trip]" moments. it was so much fun, and so challenging, and an experience i look forward to repeating. soon.

when cancer is over, i'm doing it again.

so, here it is...the hypothetical tattoo:

36 34'42.9 N

118 17'31.2 W

it will be in honor of past accomplishments and future goals.

now i just need to figure out all those "minor" details including how to get over my crippling fear of needles and whether or not i want to commit to something for the rest of my life.

man, for a notebook that's only $6, i've done a really good job of justifying the purchase.

(the website for the parent company, compendium, has some really cute books and paper goods on it.)

one liners.

one of my new favorite things is this book called

one line a day: a five year memory book.

of course it's a brilliant product of chronicle books, and i totally adore it.

found on chronicle books.

i have always tried to be a diary-keeper, though it has never, ever been successful. we're not even talking about slacking off after a couple of months, weeks -- we're talking about days. i've always found it so high-pressure and i hate forcing myself to write, especially when there's pressure to have it be obnoxiously meaningful or something.

SO, this is the perfect book for me. incredibly portable, a great color, and lines that don't take much to fill. while it's not exactly "one line," it is a perfecctly brief amount of space for a witty sentence or two,

or just enough room for me to say that it was a pretty boring day. (which is perfectly okay!)

the book starts on January 1st, so in a perfect world, everyone would pick this book up on the 31st of December and we'd be a wonderfully journaling population. though, in reality -- not so much the case. since i was delayed and didn't get it until after the first of the year, i decided to start it on my 25h birthday, simply 26 days after the start of the year. the coolest part is to think about finishing it on my 30th birthday. so far i've kept it up, which is saying a lot...that's like, 7 weeks or something.

i would strongly recommend it to anyone who has attempted the whole diary thing before. it's amazing what two sentences can tell. and i honestly go throughout my days thinking to myself, "what am i going to write tonight? how will i sum this up?" it's a fun game to play.

maybe tonight i'll write about how i essentially just ate an entire jar of trader joe's sandwich pickles. eek.

parcel.

i got a package today! 

it was from my dad and stepmom, you recently did a little california coast road trip, making a few stops along the way. when they were in santa barbara, they found this little journal for me that i have fallen in love with. the turquoise leather is so incredibly soft, and the stone closure is a gorgeous grayish-blue color.

found on white feather.

as stated in my last post, i'm making more journaling attempts, and i'm so so very excited to get writing and listing!

list it.

admittedly, i've been a HUGE blogging slacker recently. all apologies.

though, i have been keeping myself busy with this book every night, doing a bit of personal chronicling before turning off the lights. (thank you BM for such a fantastic gift!)

i love the topics they give you to "list," everything from "List Your Proud Accomplishment" (10-day backpacking trip to summit of Mount Whitney, California -- 14,496 feet) to "List Your Personal Fashion Trends Over the Years" (brightly colored men's polos from Abercrombie, circa 2003/2004). 

as someone who would love to be disciplined enough to journal on a regular basis (trust me, i've tried), these lists are much more my style, and so accessible. i find myself brainstorming throughout the day of items, events or people i may have left off the list and i can't wait to get home to write it down.

they also have done a Love Listography: Your Love Life in Lists and Music Listography Journal. i know that CP would most certainly enjoy the latter, and even the lovey-dovey one would be fun for us. 

(there's a kids' version and an engagement calendar for 2010 too!)

though it's not the same as the tried-and-true pencil and paper, there is also a website: http://listography.com/

in the same realm, i also really enjoy 43 Things: http://www.43things.com/

it is quite similar, though more of a "bucket list" mentality it would seem. but heck, we can all think of 43 things to do in our lives. a nice, non-threatening number in my opinion.

who knows, maybe a grand combination of lists, post-its, various journaling attempts, unsent postcards, quote books and ideas scribbled on the backs of receipts will one day lead to a riveting memoir!

done right.

while cruising around the blogosphere, i came across the card society. 

it is a "card-a-month" stationary club that sends its members two hand-letterpressed cards a month, both exclusive and never-to-be-printed-again. this will most certainly be a new subscription of mine.

found on port to port press.

on their website you can find the past months' cards, and i have quickly fallen in love with both the concept of the shop as well as the cards themselves. 

i am someone who very much appreciates well-thought-out and beautifully conceptualized ideas, especially when it comes to small businesses. i strongly support beautiful stores, though typically over-priced and unnecessarily frivolous. small details like pink shopping bags, free temporary tattoos, creative floor coverings, impeccable packaging and unexpectedly shaped business cards are all reasons i go to various shops around san francisco.

as someone who dreams of their own well-done business, i pay impeccable attention to detail in all the things i do. when my business does materialize, you better believe that i'll have creativity shooting coming out my ears. i can't wait until that day comes.

take note.

these new moleskin volant mini ruled notebooks are my new favorite thing.

perfectly sized, wonderfully blank and amazingly durable.

i'll take one in every color.

found on moleskin.