As many of you know (if there are many of you), I’ve been keeping a journal off and on for about 20 years in many forms. My latest journaling effort involves the Everyman’s Journal from Lee Valley Tools. My grandmother gave me one a number of years ago but I was always afraid to write in it. It was so nice that I didn’t want to spoil it by getting ink all over it.Â

When my grandmother got married (July 9, 2004), I decided that I would use this lovely book that I’d always liked but was afraid to use. I did a little research and found a Lee Valley Tools in Toronto so I took a really long bus ride out to the boonies and bought a couple more copies. Once I had a couple fresh, clean untartished books, I felt comfortable enought to actually start using it.

For anyone looking for a great book with solid binding and acid-free paper at a really good price, I would highly, highly recommend this book. Lee Valley is not a stationary company by any means and they absolutely do not inflate the price of this book. I have never, ever found a book that is any where near as good as this one. I’ll bet that if Staples sold something like this, they would charge $60 or $70.

I started this book on Sunday, July 11, 2004 and finished it last night. There are 153 entries spanning 388 pages. I’m actually very proud of the fact that I finished it. I very rarely actually finish anything I start.

As I am prone to do, I went a little overboard. They opened a Lee Valley Tools just down the street from where I used to live, so I ended up buying 12 more copies of this book. I started to get worried that the great quality and cheap price would mean that they would discontinue production. I just had to get them. Now I have a whole bunch of them sitting on my shelf. I figure that if it took me three years to finish the first one, I should be all set for the next 42 years…. shit, I should get some more. In 42 years, they probably won’t be making them any more.

Now all I need is a fire-proof safe to keep them in so I don’t have to worry about my place burning down and destroying them all.

~ Jason