Tuesday, July 8, 2008

My little notebook

I carry a notebook in my back pocket. It's a Moleskine, the famous notebook of Hemmingway and Picasso, as they claim so pretentiously on all their notebooks. It's a good notebook. The paper takes ink well and it's a good size to jot down random ideas. I love Moleskines.

Unfortunately, someone called it a diary. Being a reasonable young man, I took offense to that.

Teenage girls have diaries. I bought the notebook of Hemmingway, a manly man. I stated this and reiterated that it wasn't a diary, it was a notebook. They are two very different things.

The problem was that I was arguing with a young lady and all the proof and logic I provided meant nothing to her.

I thought that maybe if I put some things in writing she would understand.

Of course it accomplished nothing, but here it is all the same

A case for the Moleskine as a Notebook not a Diary

First let's define Diary.

Diary - noun
A daily record, usually private, esp. of the writer's own experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc.
So what similarities are there between the definition of a diary and the tasks my Moleskin performs? I do record my attitudes and observations in the book. I do not daily record my experiences or feelings. Therefore while the Moleskine contains similarities to a dairy, it cannot be one since it does not meet the majority of the requirements.

Let us now define Notebook.

Notebook - noun
1. A book of or for notes.

Great, Dictionary.com just defined notebook as a "book" of "notes". That is tremendously helpful. I'm guessing they define douchebag as a "bag" of "douche." Well done.

We'll move on to the definition of Note.

Note- noun
1. A brief record of something written down to assist the memory or for future reference.

2. An explanatory or critical comment, or a reference to some authority quoted, appended to a passage in a book or the like: a note on the origin of the phrase.

3. A brief written or printed statement giving particulars or information.

4. Notice, observation, or heed: to take note of warning signs; to be worthy of note.



That is what my Moleskine contains. My Moleskine is full of notes. It is, therefore, a notebook. I, therefore, am not keeping a diary. I am, therefore, still a man, like Hemmingway and Picasso.

Which is why I bought the book in the first place, to prove my manhood.

K. Tuttle

3 comments:

The girl next door said...

I use a notebook as my diary.

Shawn said...

Thanks for letting me read your online diary!

Unknown said...

I'll admit it, I'm the young lady who has caused this commotion. Don't worry Tuttle, your diary doesn't make you any less of a man!