Notebook Guy

Living Reminders

Science doesn't have all of the answers - if it did, it would stop.
-Dara O'Breien

So, an oft-spun platitude of mine has been that knowledge is the penultimate good. Things are to be done if only to know how to do them. After all - you can't stockpile knowledge, really. It is a commodity you always carry with you, cannot consume through use, and always has a value. That's probably why I've horded it so obsessively. It doesn't take long for me to from "The New Guy" to (today) "The Short Gentleman with Glasses", and just about everywhere I've worked, I've carried a general aura of knowledgeablity. You can't blamed me; I've been raised on the idea of a "knowledge economy".

As a result, I have a vast amount of information on my fingertips, from the correct usage of any of a dozen elogical compounds, brewing directions for a number of classes of teas, the recipe for the so-called Mother Sauces, and the correct pH balance for eight classes of fish. Unfortunately, I actually need quite a bit more, and my memory is terrible. There are, frankly, some facts and techniques I only need the once in a while, and those gaps are more than enough to get me to remember it.

For example, it is not uncommon (but rare enough) for creatures of relation to lagomorphs and rodents to develop diarrhea, colloquially called "wet tail". This is a simple enough condition to correct given the right diet and environment. Our little friend, top-right, is one perfect example of a survivor! And yet, I would not remember the treatment (rather simple - higher protein diet to firm up stool plus ample hydration) by the next time I need it.

That's why I keep a great number of notebooks on my person, or at least in the locations I need them. For the most part, I favour the moleskine. My experience has shown them to be terrifyingly durable, and given my propensity to abuse my belongings, this is a good thing. They're also easy to carry. I have a tea notebook, a pets notebook, a kitchen note, an Office Note (full of excel, word, and access hacks), and a few other notebooks. I'm pretty sure there's a whiskey book in here somewhere.