Why there are more blank pages in my Cousin lately: I originally bought it to track my paycheck job work, then I got laid off.1 Anyway! Apologies in advance for any repetition that appears below:
The Hobonichi Cousin Techo is larger than the better-known Hobonichi Techo Original. The Cousin is an A5, which is roughly 5x8”. The Techo Original is an A6, which is roughly 4x5”. I still let notebook sizes confuse me even though I’ve been doing this for a while. (Explanation pages from Goldspot and JetPens that I keep bookmarked.)
The slipcover on this planner is not one of the very nice, expensive Hobonichi covers — it’s an A5 fake leather one that I got for $10. I got it because I mostly use Kokuyo Systemic covers for my notebooks but since this is my actual planner, I need the Cousin to look different from my other notebooks.
I really like having space in my notebooks to spread out, and this year discovered that’s true for my planner as well. Especially because using a fountain pen in a Hobonichi is truly enjoyable — it’s just the right ratio of smooth and what pen people usually call toothy. For me, this goes a long way toward justifying the price point.
As a result of everything I’ve discussed above, what used to be in my Original has crept over to my Cousin. So in 2024, I’m going to use a Cousin as my regular planner, and demote the Original to my everyday carry notebook.2
Along with Swifties and and perfume influencers and John Fetterman and guys who are perfecting the ultimate toilet plunger, turns out there are pen/paper themed accounts on TikTok. It’s a big enough world that a good place to start is visiting the well-known brands and stores — they all have accounts — and check out who they’re following. Fixing my camera/desk lamp has me thinking about doing videos myself, especially since I’m left-handed and have OPINIONS about what the actual pen challenges are. I’m not sure I’ll go the TikTok route but try out shooting video of sample writing is in my planner — if it works, I’ll see about uploading it here.
I was genuinely not expecting the Varsity to be identical to the Metropolitan. But, here it is — more proof that the Pilot Varsity is an affordable, low-stakes gateway drug.3
More soon,
E
P.S.
P.P.S. Tinfoil hat: Pilot Metropolitans are still easy to find, but I keep seeing the relatively new Pilot Explorer and wondering what the deal is. Same price point, same marketing, similar to a familiar Lamy pen4. An alternative to the metal Metropolitan or…an eventual replacement?
P.P.P.S. Cat update: Cookie and Roaster are officially friends. They groom and, um, smell each other. They work together to ask for food. During the day they’re never more than a couch apart. They’ve picked up some of each others’ quirks, and their relationship is not much like Roaster and Willoughby’s was. All of this has made me realize why writers like cats — mystery and clarity that are both useful to think about.
P.P.P.P.S. As you might guess, I’m looking for a new job. Resume available upon even the lightest of requests! Also, I have a thing going with friends and good acquaintances. Because I now have to spend time on LinkedIn5, I keep an eye out for work they’re looking for, along with the work I’m looking for, and they do the same. Also, I’m happy to look at anything if you need a fresh eye. If this kind of casual arrangement appeals to you, feel free to contact me over there. Please send a message along with a connect request, even if it’s just “Hey, you really need a Pilot intervention,” so I know where you came from.
Season’s greetings, HR reps who check socials to make sure people adhere to their NDAs!
I used to have a little spiral notebook for this. Last week I spilled cherry soda all over the kitchen table and it was a casualty.
Why isn’t there a broad nib Pilot Varsity? There’s such a badassery that comes with using a broad nib. Maybe it’s fear of new users smudging and getting disillusioned? If so, I hope someone is working on this.
A footnote to represent the dissertation/manifesto I could write about LinkedIn but (hopefully) never will.