Other Peoples Notebooks

I was wandering around Brooklyn on a recent weekend and surreptitiously snapped this photo:

It's funny, but seeing this guy writing in his large Moleskine made me want one! I don't tend to use that size these days, and I am not sure what I'd write in it. I used to use larger notebooks when I was involved in some writing workshops, but now most of my writing is either online blogging or journaling in small notebooks. There is no logical reason for me to buy a notebook like that-- but I had one of those covetous moments.
I think there's just something about other people's notebooks-- you know, that "grass is always greener" thing. Whenever I see people at work with notebooks, I kind of zone in on them. Sometimes they're battered and bent and stained-- even better! It's like a pair of jeans-- someone else's that are totally worn in always seem nicer than the pair you already own or just bought.
Anyway, I have no idea what this guy was writing about-- I'm curious but I'm not that much of a snoop! At one point, he got up to get more coffee, which allowed me to snap another photo:

The friend I was with was watching him the whole time and said he kept turning around to check on his stuff while he waited for his coffee-- I wasn't surprised. I would never leave any of my notebooks open and unattended like that in a public place, I'm way too paranoid! But I'm glad I come across other people who don't have that hang-up.

Blog entry by guest blogger Nifty from Notebookstories.com