Ever since I can remember, I've been fascinated with office supplies. Not just pens and pencils and paperclips. I love paper and notebooks of all kinds. Diaries, journals, and calendars. Account books and ledgers. Rulers, erasers, staplers. Notepads, sketchpads, scrapbooks, file folders, scissors, letter openers, pencil sharpeners and glue. If it can be written on, written with, or used to produce, enhance, or store writing, I'm a fan. I surf Flickr, looking for photos of Filofaxes, well-appointed desks, and eye-catching stationery. I peruse the Levenger's catalog like some gardeners study Burpee's annual. I can very happily spend the afternoon just wandering the aisles of our local Staples store, or lose track of time in the office supply section of Wal-Mart or Target.
Fortunately, I'm married to a man who shares my fetish to some extent. Years ago, during a move from Austin TX to Baltimore MD, the moving company managed to lose several of our large packing crates. Very sad - gone were some of our favorite clothing, my collection of 45 rpm records (including much original Elvis and Jerry Lee), and most of my jewelry. But the thing we mourned the most was that box of cherished office supplies that never made it to its new destination! All our writing equipment, Scotch tape, and Liquid Paper - LOST. Probably delivered to someone who wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much as we had. Or worse - piled in a storehouse somewhere along the way, never to be unwrapped again. Sad, scary thought.
OK, you can see I'm obsessed with "supplies." I guess it all started with that first list of school supplies back in the First Grade, and just grew from there. I remember being so excited at the end of every summer vacation when my mother would take The List (and me) out shopping for a new stash of pencils, tablets or notebooks, construction paper and crayons. I was thrilled and just couldn't wait to use the new STUFF. Now that I think about it, that may have been one of the reasons I always loved going to school! School supplies made me literate!
So I've decided to start a blog devoted to my obsession (I already have a book blog, devoted to my other obsession). I haven't quite figured out exactly what shape it's going to take, or what sort of posts I'll come up with. That will all emerge over time. So stay tuned - more to come.
This is interesting. I love office/school supplies as well. I particularly like blank note cards and I buy little yellow lined note pads in large bunches. And colored pencils. Genetics?
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ReplyDeleteYes, I think it must run in the family. My mother used to hoard composition books and pens of all kinds. PaPa, too - but then, he hoarded all kinds of things, as we know.