365 Journal Entries

I love the Moles (That’s what the “in” crowd calls the Moleskines.) They are handy, durable, ubiquitous, if not expensive.

When I used up all the pages in my Moleskine Reporter Plain I decided to rebind it with my own paper. Besides I can't get them where I live here in China.

It took just about an hour and now my Mole has a second life. In a nutshell, I just folded A4 paper in half lengthwise, sliced it in two, punched some sewing holes, and stitched 10 signatures together and voila, I had a book block.

Next, I tore out the existing book block from my used up Mole, inserted and glued my new one and now I have another few months of use out of the same cover.

Now I know, to most people, this may seem like a lot of bother for a Mole but I assure you that it’s worth it.

I hope the picture helps demonstrate that it’s a simple process that anyone can do. So go ahead and try it with your choice of paper.

You’ll be glad you did and your Mole will thank you too because he gets another life before he's shelved.

...dave
If I had my life to live over again, I'd be a plumber. -Albert Einstein

Labels: moleskine hack

• You can journal anytime, even when away from the Internet. In fact, this may be best. You'll never be distracted by email or Skype notifications of incoming calls or mail.  Nor will you be distracted by other online sites.  That is, provided you have disconnected from the Net.
• You know your words are private. When you journal offline you know that your entries are for your eyes only. Most journaling software programs have password protection that discourage snoopers. The better journaling software packages include "encryption at rest" which means that even if someone steals your computer, they can't access the content of your journal. (MacJournal works this way.)
• You'll have lots of choices of journaling software for both Windows machines and Macs. There are specialized programs for daily journaling, dream journaling, gratitude journaling, and more. Some journaling software programs also allow you to "tag" the type of journal entry. Then you can keep all types of journals in one spot.

• If your computer crashes (and it will someday) you'll lose everything. Some avoid this by emailing themselves the content of their daily journals. If you do that, you'll lose the encryption built into the software. And mailing yourself everyday is a maintenance headache. Where do you put it? Is it secure from curious people?

• You'll never lose your entries. Large servers on reputable sites keep backups and redundancy. What that means for you is you can journal on any computer (including Internet cafes). Or if you lose your machine, you'll still have all your journal entries.
• Beter sites have encryption. What this means is that your entries are always safe. Not even the people that work for the online journaling companies can access your private data. This is a good thing.

• More advanced features require yearly payment. Sometimes insignificant but in these economic times, annoying.
• Your entries may not be safe from curious people. Some of the "free" online journaling sites don't offer complete encryption. They all have password protection but if someone finds your computer, they can simply hack your password, or worse, login without your password if you've clicked the button "keep me logged in."
• Often need an Internet connection. Some sites allow you to recored your day's journal entry offline and the connect and upload later. But most only allow you to enter your entries while connected to the Internet. If you keep a travel journal, this may not always be possible. Often in remote parts of the country the Internet is not available. Often hotels charge for Internet access. Also, if you are not careful and use the WIFI in coffee shops or hotels, you could be opening your entries up to snoopers.

The Vest
Originally uploaded by daveterry

I've had this vest for over 20 years. I've used if for photo gear, travel trips, and now sketch outings.

It was an ugly military green color but I dyed it a chocolate brown.

Now I can carry all my sketch tools in it.

It's most handy and I don't have a sore back at the end of the day.

...dave
If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen. - my wife

Labels: sketch

I sketched this while on the phone with AT&T . . .  for an hour and a half!

I was cut off three times. Once by an operator who said their system was down and she couldn't access the records, then she hung up. The second time I called, someone put me on hold, then eventually the call was abandoned. When I called the third time a message said the phones were off-line and that I should call back tomorrow.

I called a forth time and got a very helpful account rep. He said that my account was suspended by my request, which I knew.

But I asked him: "If it has been suspended, why am I still being charged $122 a month?"

He left me on hold and returned in about 5 minutes. Said that that is what AT&T does with suspended accounts.

"Wait a minute" I said "you mean to tell me that I can't make calls while it's suspended but I still get the same charge a month. Why would I ask for the suspension?"

"That is the policy here at AT&T, Sir. This is what was done with your account."

"But then why would anyone "suspend" their account? It just doesn't make any sense."

I gave him the details and history of being away in China for months at a time, calling AT&T to ask what could they do for me while I was away. How they recommended that I "suspend'" the account. I told him I was told that I would not get charged. "I mean, why should I be charged?" I reasoned.

"Just a minute." and he was gone again.

After what was another 10 minutes he came back and told me that there were two kinds of suspensions. The kind I was on and a "Vacation Suspension." With the later type I only get charged $10 a month for the privilege of keeping the number while away. "Let me see if you qualify for this." And he was gone again for another 10 minutes. Long story short he put me on the "Vacation Suspension".

In the end, when I calculate it all up, I saved about 732 bucks over six months by persistently calling AT&T and asking cogent questions. Not bad for an hour an a half of my time.

And here's the best part, while on hold I got a sketch done in the new sketchbook.  (Cool cover, no?)

...dave
Hallmark Card: “I’m so miserable without you, it’s almost like you’re still here.”

Labels: sketch, sketch journal