Uncalendar Planner

This past fall I had a calendar/planner crisis. I run into trouble with planners because I have to keep my daily schedule in Outlook. My boss requires it and my coworkers need to be able to see my calendar. I don't want to keep a paper and Outlook calendar because of the inevitable discrepancies that will appear. Planners that have appointment times in them are pointless for me.

I do like to have a written to-do list and due to the number of voice mails I receive I found it best if I keep track of them to make sure I return calls. I hated my system of keeping track of my daily to-do list, voice mails, etc. because everything was in separate books. I had used the uncalendar planner in several years ago. I was hesitant to go back to it because I wanted to try something new. I searched all over the internet and in stores, but I didn't find what I wanted. I even tried to create my own calendar pages to have them bound at staples, but to no avail. So I went back to the uncalendar.
Here is the instruction page of how to use the uncalendar. I don't use the system like this, but I thought others may find it interesting. This system is capable of many more things than I use it for. Each section explains how to maximize the usage of that section, but I ignore most of that. That is the main reason why I do like using this, because I can do whatever I want with it, despite the instructions. This is a shot of what one week looks like for me. I use a section for voice-mails, notes, and on the right side where appointments would go, I use it as a to-do section. There is also plenty of room for doodles, which is critically important.

The pens used on this vary. On Monday and Tuesday I have a purple slicci and a blue/black one, Tuesday the words PTO4 are written with a fountain pen, it didn't do well on the yellow color. (In my experience fountain pens do bleed a bit on this paper but are typically too wide of a point to make them usable for this planner.) Friday, that is a Hi-Tec-C multipen. The maroon color that appears all over is a .4 Zebra Sarasa Red/Black, which is currently one of my favorite pens.

There is some bleed through from the following week on the lower right. That is from a preppy sign pen and a liquid Sharpie highlighter. I don't notice a ton of regular ink bleeding through, problems only occur with markers, highlighters or elaborate doodling.

It has a blank calendar in back, which I never use.

Some sort of goal planning sheets.

Notes pages. I actually have a whole notebook like this that doesn't seem to be made by the company anymore. I think it was called the notekeeper.


Overall, I really like this system for the flexibility it has. I can use it differently every week if I wanted to, and I know my usage of the system will evolve over time. If I could change anything, it would be higher quality paper and less use of primary colors. It will be nice if there were other color schemes to choose from.

How many pens do I have?

The answer to this question is: A LOT! I thought I would take a pic of what I carry in my purse. These photos exclude my pens in a rubbermaid container in my office, in my desk at work, and in my desk at home.

Most of these pens are from jetpens, but a few have been purchased at a pen store in the mall or at department stores. The pencil bag is something I picked up at the local university book store a couple of years ago.
The case is pretty full, but I could probably fit a few more in....


Pepino was very interest in pens today as well and watched intently as I laid them all out. I have some Gelly Rolls, brush pens, Pilot Choose, Slicci, G2, Zebra Sarasa, several Preppy fountain pens and a Lime Green Lamy, Hi-Tec-C multi-pen, Tradio, Uni-Ball Signo, Pentel Hybrid Technica, and a few others... I am not sure I have enough pens to do reviews about. I better do some pen shopping just to be safe.

PenAddict.com is having a giveaway!

Hey if you haven't done so already, go and leave a comment at www.penaddict.com as there is a giveaway for some great Pilot FriXion Color-Pencil-Like Erasable Gel Ink Pens. Plus the blog is filled with wonderful pen info!

Sharpie Accent Highlighters --Review

First order of business--if you click on the picture you can see the whole thing, Blogger keeps cropping it. I am sure it user error, but until I figure out what I am screwing up, click the pics for a better photo.

I purchased the 10 pack of Sharpie Accent Highlighters. I picked this up from Wal-Mart and I assume they can be found at any mass market department store. To assume I did not need ten highlighters would be a correct assumption, but I really wanted these because they came with "new colors!" The word "new" is basically a mandate to buy the product.

I compared the colors in the Piccadilly notebook. Keep in mind those pages are a light cream color. The new colors are the 2nd, 4th, and 8th. With the two purple colors, I couldn't really tell which was the traditional purple and which was different, I think it is the 10th color. In hindsight, I should have numbered these in the photo to make it easier. I'll remember for next time.


The 2nd color, is really a pure red. It can make things a little difficult to read at times and appears kind of like you are highlighting with a red crayola marker versus a highlighter. On regular paper, the second blue has a much different appearance than the pictures show. The 3rd color is the traditional highlighter orange, but the 4th color is my favorite. It is an unique mix of orange and pink that still allows for the writing to be read easily and is much prettier in real life than the picture shows.

The pen I used was a Uniball Jetstream, black 1.0 ballpoint. The liquidity of the Sharpies made this pen smudge easily in my opinion. Non liquid liners haven't been quite so rough on this pen. As I was taking a pen picture, I dropped it. Obviously Pepino the Chihuahua has a pen addiction as well.

I've been journaling since 1992. I began during the summer between my 7th or 8th grade year. I remember that I had a diary even before that, but it was the kind little girls have, with a lock and keepsake box. Someone read it and that was the end of that diary. I think I threw it away or it is in my mom's basement. Either way, it isn't included in my collection. In junior high, I also changed my outlook on keeping a record of my days. Instead of a thinking of it as keeping a diary, I called it journaling and didn't feel as bad when I didn't do write daily.

So here are my journals that I have been keeping since 1992. They are in order by date, from left to right.
Sadly, I don't know much about each type of journal. Most are obviously the ones you buy in the stationary section of a mass retailer. In the second row, I have two of the same books, used several years apart. I really liked that journal and I had received the first one as a gift. Once I saw it again a few years later, I knew I had to buy it.

The first five books in the top row are cloth cover books that you would find at Barnes and Noble or Borders. I had tired of the off the shelf look so I decided to make each journal more unique. I used things I printed from the web, magazines, scrapbook/altered book papers, and modge podge. A lot of those journals have some extensive collages on the inside pages as well.

The last two books in the row are a Miquelrius and a Quo Vadis with the Robert Le Heros cover. Paper wise, I find the Quo Vadis to be superior, especially with the 0.3 pens available from jetpens.

The journals and notebooks below are the ones I have on deck. But don't let the small selection fool you. These are just the ones I pulled off of the living room book shelf.

There is a large plain Moleskine and a large lined Piccadilly. The blue one is from Barnes and Noble. The two Jem journals are ones I will never write in, I just keep them because they remind me of my childhood. I am excited to use the two Apica brand books for something, but I don't know what yet. The Clairefontaine in the bottom right is a notebook I bought specifically because it was labeled as "French Rule." I haven't learned to write on that type of rule yet, but I plan to.

This last group was also on the bookshelf and as I was sorting journals to post, I realized I will never use these. I gave a few away to my cousin but got rid of the rest. I have had some of the books for over 6 or 7 years so it was difficult to part with them, but it needed to be done.

My first review. Pilot Hi-Tec-C Venet

I will be using a plain medium sized Piccadilly notebook for all my pen reviews. I bought it for super cheap at borders and I think it should do just fine for these pen practice runs. In general I find the Piccadilly pages to be rather thin. Maybe it is just because it is brand new, but it doesn't lay open flat.


My first review is of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. 0.3 Color: Venet.


I am still working on lighting and I have never been too good with the camera. So here is the text:

This is a Hi-Tec-C from the European colors. Found it on my favorite website jetpens.com!

This pens seems particularly scratch and cuts out quite a bit in the notebook. I know this is just a piccadilly notebook and that may be impacting the quality of ink flow as well, but this 0.3 really seems to struggle.

I do like the color though! Its a nice change from some of the darker colors I've been using lately.

All-in-all I will probably not use this pen often unless it is on much better paper. On the bright side-- I've completed my first review!

Why is does my pen/paper blog have such an awesome title?

Like a lot of pen and paper addicts, I have far too many items. My addiction has gotten to the point several times where the stored pens and paper products have outgrown their containers. When this happens I take everything to work and I give stuff away. Obviously there are a few favorite items that I never part with, but I have contributed many items to the communal office reserves.

Why do I give up my supplies to others instead of buying more containers? Because of the school supply dance. Back when my husband (mistakenly) thought humiliation could deter me from purchasing supplies, he instituted the school supply dance rule. If I wanted to buy supplies when he was with me he made me do a truly embarrassing dance and sing the words "school supplies" repeatedly. Luckily, if I keep my addiction limited to a few select containers, I don't have to do the dance in public when I want to pick up a pack of highlighters with four brand new colors or the latest incarnation of the mead 5 star. I do have to do the dance when making a jetpens.com order from home, so I order from work most of the time.

Like any addict, embarrassment alone is not enough to deter me from acquiring new supplies. So I embrace the school supply dance and am happy to share it. I would do anything to get to buy more pens and paper!

Pensational News!

Welcome to School Supply Dance!

I am excited to start doing a pen and paper blog as I am an addict! I have a lot to learn about the whole blogging thing but as long as I can have my future readers put up with me, I have tons of great pens from www.jetpens.com to review. I also have a serious paper habit, whether journals, mead 5 star or memo pads, so I feel like I have a lot to say on the paper front as well. It might take me some time to find my voice, but I am ready to start. My first review will be coming soon!