This post contains a pencil case which my guest blogger was gifted, with no obligation to review. It also contains an affiliate link.
Welcome back to my new series: ‘What’s in my pencil case’. You know how you can find out a lot about a person when you look through their bookshelves or DVD collection? Well, I love having a nose through someone’s pencil case, so I’ve started a guest blogger series. I’m so pleased to have Lydia from Mademoiselle Women as my fourth guest blogger.
When I first started to read Emma’s What’s In My Pencil Case series, I liked her logic, the what-can-we-tell-about-a-person-from-their-stationery maxim. As a younger interviewer – at the age of thirteen or so – I used to ask my interviewees what was in their handbag for a day at the office! Because I felt the same way, in terms of the handbag (apparently) showing a lot about someone.
Anyway: presenting exhibit one…
This is a pencil case from ChewiGem. Over at mademoisellewomen.com, I blog to document life with Asperger’s Syndrome. ChewiGem sells a litany of products – from wobble cushions and Tom Tags, to Lava Lamps and ‘chews’ – in order to deal with a host of neurodivergent conditions. They gifted me this pencil case, with no obligation to review. (And you can buy it here.)
The thing about this pencil case is that it arrives with a host of chewable products inside. I’m not really a chewer – rather, when I’m nervous or stressed, I tend to ‘stim’. This is short for self stimulation – and it’s a way for me to ‘regulate’. (So, if I’m nervous, for instance.) For me it takes the form of tapping fingers. However, you can probably notice that the pencil case has ‘poppable’ bumps on one side – which is a great tool.
Wherever I go, I tend to always take a notebook with me – and it has everything I need inside. Write now (geddit?), I have a matching black Moleskine notebook. It’s kind of like a bullet journal – with sections, daily spreads, etc – but is not a ‘proper’ version. I tend to use only certain pens for this:
I love a Uni-ball pen; the nib is thick enough for me to write (semi) neatly and coherently. Whether it’s a day to day diary entry, or taking notes from a phone conversation, they would probably be my favourite pen. As a journalist, I write by hand a lot – and yes, I am a Luddite, even if I have a blog!
Next up are the pens from Muji. A little while ago, there was *that* tweet that went viral, and it discussed the ultimate stationery set up. There was fierce debate – Moleskines vs the Leuchtturm, Fountain pens vs Muji. I had a meeting in London recently – where I had to talk to a source – but I was early. (Not something that happens a lot, when it comes to the trains!) So, for the first time in my life, I just had to go inside a Muji store. I prefer the erasable cobalt blue biro; with the standard black pen, I have to focus far more while writing.
And where would we be without the highlighters?
In my notebook, there is sometimes a *need* for highlighting. Whether it’s making details stand out for me to remember (such as when in conversation with a source), or ticking something off, it’s helpful. Executive Functioning is something I sometimes struggle with – and it’s something that dictates organisation – so this is a strategy in place to get around that. I also have a few ‘trackers’ for December. ‘Spoons’ measures the energy levels of somebody on the Spectrum; it’s a kind of shorthand, in a way. I’m also keeping track of my blog views, pitch rejections, and more.
As for January? I’m hoping that I will find this notebook from Papier under the tree – along with this green fountain pen.
What’s in your pencil case?
Want to write a post for this series? Contact me via my About page.