Managing Your Passions

Computers are wonderful—they've certainly changed our lives. But there are still times when putting things in writing is the only way to go, especially when you're away from your desk. Blackberries and iPhones are really not designed for serious note taking. I even hate sending emails on my Blackberry  (the keys are too small and hard to read, even with glasses). I guess I'm just from the wrong generation.

A friend recommended that I try using Moleskine's new Passions note books, designed to help record and recall information about—well, things we have a passion for. Moleskine, the Italian manufacturer of those black note books that architects and designers swear by, has currently six journals in the series and is about to introduce more. For someone who is as disorganized as I am, they seem heaven sent.

Each journal in the series has a hard, black vinyl cover and 240 pages of acid-free paper.  Sized 5" by 8 1/4" they fit handily into a bag or jacket pocket and have three ribbon place markers and a double expandable inner pocket (perfect for stashing receipts).

I'm a book club member; in fact I belong to two of them. So I really like the Books version. It's a perfect place to jot down titles that you want to read, separating fiction from general non-fiction, biography from history, design from art— and recommend to your group. Before this helper came along, I'd just sit there in meetings while my mind went blank when it came time to select the next book.

The Recipe journal includes a food calendar, measures and conversions, and food facts along with themed and tabbed sections and additional blank pages for more notes and thoughts. All the journals come with about 250 labels, making it much easier to organize information.

For oenophiles, Wine Passions includes a glossary of terms along with measures and conversions and sections for Sparkling, White, Rosé and Red wines as well as Fortified/Sweet and Spirits. The Film journal includes alphabetized tabs to list and annotate all your favorite flicks, as well as an international film festival list. Fitness fanatics will like the Wellness journal, which offers food calendars and food facts along with sections to record your weight, goals, and diet. The Music journal even has music notation sheets, along with blank and tabbed sections—and of course all those stickers.

If none of the above interest you, the ones to come include journals to record memories of your baby, commemorate the lives of your cat and dog, and record and organize your gardening ideas (that's the one I'm waiting for!)