Agendaphilia

It all started with my mother, doesn’t everything?

According to Wikipedia, when I was 10 Post-It notes began to be sold throughout the US.  From that point forward I could count on two thing in my Christmas sock: an orange, and a pack of post-its.  Although I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her actually use one, my mother is addicted to Post-It notes.  Actually, her addiction extends to nearly any kind of office supply; it also extends to my little sister and myself.

Seriously, if you want to cheer one of us up just take us to Staples or Office Depot, stick a cup of coffee in our hands, and let us wander the aisle, stare at the pens, and stroke the notebooks until closing.  If you want us to squeal like little girls, give us money to spend.  My mother may have ensured that each of her daughters  fell prey to her office supply addiction, but of course I have to be special.  As my mother likes to put it, I have “champagne tastes on a beer budget.”  Yep.  Stick me in a room with 3 of anything, tell me to choose, and 9 times out of 10 I’ll pick the most expensive of the bunch.  I could probably even do it blindfolded.

So, while the DH might find pleasure in the more traditional internet porn sites, I click on over to Levengers. I might not need, or ever be able to afford, a $100 pen, but sometimes a girl needs to dream.  The only thing more useless than an expensive pen is probably an expensive notebook.  Of course the Levengers product I most covet is the Circa Notebook.  Even I can’t justify those prices for just a notebook, but long ago I convinced myself that I could justify the expense if I got a planner that I could use again, and again.  Once I paid the outrageous price for the initial set up, I could just by refills.  I know. I know.

The good part of this story is that several years ago Staples tried to get into the customizable notebook racket with a system they called Rolla.  Same idea, the ability to move your pages around, and all that.  At the time I bought a couple of notebooks, and really did find them useful when I was studying for comps. The Cajun Princess even received one from me as a study aid.  For some reason, Staples decided Rolla wasn’t doing it, so they re-branded the whole system Arc.  You can probably tell where this is going.

In an effort to get myself out of the funk I’ve been in for the last few days, I went to Staples earlier this afternoon to look for a 2012 planner.  One of the effects of accepting the administrative nature of my position, and taking the additional work this summer, is accepting the fact that I am no longer on an academic calendar.  Instead of planning from August – June, I need to be able to chart my  year from Jan – Dec like everyone else in the world.  Hence, the need for a new planner 1/2 way through the year.

Of course the Levenger weekly/monthly planner was on my Christmas list, and of course no one else in the world was foolish enough to pay that much money for it.  I’m glad no one got it for me because Staples finally came to their senses and created a weekly/monthly planner refill packet for the Arc system.  Yes, it does  still fit the Rolla notebooks I have.  Look:

Here is the  cover.  The 1″ discs that came with the notebook were just slightly too small, so I had to get 1 1/2″ discs that are now a little big.  I’ll just have to fill the space with notebook pages.  🙂

Monthly View

Here is the monthly view.  The only problem with the refill pack was that it didn’t include tabs to separate the months.  I bought a couple of divider packs, and now my planner is all multi-colored.  🙂

Weekly ViewHere is the weekly view.  You might not be able to see it, but the week is divided over two pages horizontally. (Mon- Wed on the left, Thurs – Sunday on right)  Personally, I really prefer a vertical organization to my week, but I liked everything else enough to give this a try.  Since I’m trying to organize my work more by smaller tasks than big projects, I like the shaded column that divide up the days.  One column can be for appointments, the other for tasks.

The best part of this all is that the Arc refill was only $9.99.  Even after buying new rings, and two packages of dividers, this was still cheaper than any other planner there.

After Staples I hit the nail place next door to get my eyebrows waxed, so all I have to do is trim my bangs, and I will be ready to go back to work on Monday. The funk is not completely lifted, but going back to work will at least distract me enough to keep me going for a while.

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