I’m sitting in the university library, staring out a window again. Apparently, this has become one of my favorite ways to procrastinate. There is something about sitting by a window, watching the world move around you while you remain still, that makes it easy to lose track of time.

Tommy had to work this morning. Normally, he has every other Friday off, but today was one of those exceptions when he had to go in. Once he picks me up from the library, we need to take the car in for an oil change. We brought our Kindles along so we would have something to read while we wait.

This morning, I spent some time looking for jobs and watching YouTube. A little productivity mixed with a little entertainment. Now that the time is getting closer to when Tommy will pick me up, I’m finding myself becoming increasingly restless. I’ve reached that point where I’ve done what I wanted to do, but I still have time left before I can leave. So here I am, looking out the window, watching people walk by and finding just about anything more interesting than what I should probably be doing.

Earlier, Tommy was asking me if there was anything else I wanted to see in Japan besides a stationery shop and the Eorzea Café. Honestly, I just want to experience Japan. I want to walk around, take pictures, see the scenery, explore the shops, and take everything in. I don’t necessarily need a packed itinerary or a list of famous attractions to visit. I want to experience the little things, too. The streets, the architecture, the vending machines, the convenience stores, the food, and all the little details that make everyday life in Japan different from what I’m used to. I want to capture those moments through photographs and memories. Of course, visiting a stationery shop is still very high on my list!

We started talking about stationery because Tommy mentioned that Chris might want us to pick up some stationery for him while we’re there, too. Somehow, that conversation turned into a discussion about paper. Tommy jokingly teased me about how much I know about it. Hey, paper is important! It might seem like a small detail to some people, but the type of paper you use can make a surprising difference in your writing experience. Especially when you’re using a fountain pen.

Not all paper is created equal. Some paper handles fountain pen ink beautifully, while other paper makes the ink feather, bleed through, or show too much ghosting on the opposite side. Japanese papers are particularly interesting because many are designed with writing in mind and work wonderfully with fountain pens. Then there is GSM, which refers to the weight of the paper. A higher GSM paper can sometimes provide a thicker, sturdier writing surface with less show-through, although paper quality and coating matter just as much as thickness.

And did you know watercolor paper can actually expire or go bad? It can! The sizing used in watercolor paper can deteriorate over time, affecting how the paper absorbs and handles water and paint.

Even my planner uses Japanese paper: Tomoe River paper. It’s well known among fountain pen enthusiasts for how beautifully it handles ink and allows the colors and shading to show through.

I’ve always found paper and pens fascinating. I’ve accumulated notebooks upon notebooks over the years, along with pens, different types of paper, and all the little accessories that go along with the hobby. Sometimes the paper is so pretty that you almost hesitate to use it because you don’t want to ruin the first page. I know that feeling all too well. The anxiety that comes with not wanting to ruin a notebook because it’s pretty. So you hesitate to use the notebook. I kind of feel that way about my media journal. The notebook is so pretty. I’m careful when I use my notebook.

The funny thing is that I now actually use my notebooks. For the longest time, I collected them, admired them, and saved them for the perfect occasion. I think I was always waiting for something important enough to deserve the pages. But what better reason is there to use a notebook than simply having thoughts you want to put somewhere? Journaling, planning, making lists, writing down random ideas, or even recording little moments like sitting in a university library watching people walk by. Of course, the journaling I do now I usually do digitally. Well, I still have a couple of notebooks that I haven’t used yet. Apparently, I’m not completely cured of my notebook-collecting habits.

For now, I’ll sit here a little longer, watch the people passing by, and enjoy this quiet stretch of time before Tommy arrives. As much as I like having time for myself, I’m not very good at filling that time productively. I’m not even sure if my time to myself at this moment is supposed to be productive. It’s like when I have time for myself, my brain decides that all it wants to do is zone out.

I was going to post this now, but I wonder if I will have other things to talk about later. I still have to fill the pill boxes when I get home. And put the laundry away. Oh! Usually it’s Karissa’s job to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. But she’s in California, so it’s up to me now to do the dishes. Last night it took me a half hour to clean up the dinner dishes. And we didn’t even have a lot of dishes. I was going to use the dishwasher, but I couldn’t find any Lemishine. When you have hard water, you need Lemishine, or there will be hard water spots all over your dishes. Chris asked me if he had to do the dishes. I told him that he sucks at washing dishes and I will do them myself.

Oh, it’s Friday the 13th. I’m not superstitious; I just think that’s cool.

I’m back home now. After getting the car an oil change, we went to Costco for lunch. During the oil change, I read more of Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s still pretty interesting. We bought a few things at Costco and then we went to Walmart to pick up my medication and then headed home. It started raining while we were at Walmart. Merlin and Everest are inside. Much to Merlin’s dismay. Lol.