A5 vs. Personal Filofax…Decision made???

(NOTE to all the picture people...pretend...)

As most of my posts (and many of my comments on your blogs/videos) have shown, I have been struggling with the “A5 or Personal?” question. I am not alone in this. Someone ought to do a study of the percentage of blogs that touch on this all-consuming dilemma. (Really, this is not my fault. I blame you. Every time I watch your videos/read your blogs, I want what you have.)

In my last FF-related post, I had the brilliant idea to take the diary out of my Personal since it wouldn’t be needed when at work or out ‘n about. I was committed to sticking with this for the month of July. Well, I should BE committed for even thinking that was possible. You foolish girl! In the first 4 days I needed the calendar three (!) times.

So while I was adding the diary pages back into the Personal, I had another brilliant thought. (because I’m full of ‘em.)

It occurred to me that for all of my whining about how much I love the A5, “but it’s just too big, it’s just too heavy”…I had never actually carried my A5 out of the house. What? How can you make assumptions then? That’s right, into my handbag went the A5. I was very good. I actually did carry it everywhere for the whole week.

A funny thing happened, tho. I didn’t like carrying it with me. But not because it’s big. I carry big bags, so that’s not a problem. And, believe it or not, not because it’s heavy (2 lbs. vs. 1 lb. for my Personal). I mean, really. If you’re carrying a 6 lb. bag, what’s another lb.? (Why can’t I say that when I step on the scale?!)

I wish I could describe this in a way that won’t piss off all the A5 lovers. The A5 just felt cumbersome and…uncool. It was like pulling a textbook out of my bag. It was like it didn’t belong there. It was like…pulling out a flip phone instead of a smartphone. (If you’re keeping track, that’s 2 groups I have now pissed off.)

Now the Personal…a completely different feeling. When it is stuffed, it’s like the Pillsbury Doughboy of Filofaxes…it’s small and happy and it’s got that cute little belly.

So I will keep my A5 at home as a home management binder. Sitting on my desk is where it should live…it looks right at home there. I do love it and plan on using it every day. (More on that next time.)

I have made the decision!! I am committed to the Personal FF being the everyday FF that I carry with me. “Uh huh. Sure, Allee.”

Tick Tock…Movers…Tick Tock

I am sitting here waiting for the movers to show up. Rather than pacing and wondering where the hell they are, I thought I would start blogging. Figuring that as soon as I get on a writing roll, they’ll pull up, right?

No, I am not moving. But that’s a pretty good assumption because a) why would I be waiting on movers if I am not moving? and b) I move often…in just the last 10 years I have moved 9 times. Fun times.

I am rearranging my house. I like to rearrange my furniture within a room. I don’t necessarily plan these changes. So when the mood strikes, things start moving. And with the help of THESE, I can move even the big pieces all by myself. Cause here’s the thing. When I want to do something, I want to do it NOW. I have no patience. And I certainly can’t wait on someone to help me.

So why am I sitting here WAITING?

When I rented this house, I decided to downsize. For the most part, I am happy with that decision. But, I did have to combine my office and my home gym into one room. (Yes, I realize that there are far worse problems in life.) The result is an 11' x11' room that is just way too crowded and claustrophobic. So I don’t want to be in there. And that just makes another excuse why I can’t workout today. Before you know it, it’s a storage room.

I got lucky with the master bedroom here. At 15' x 15', it is a pretty good size. Even with all of my furniture, there is space.

Light bulb! Switch the rooms. I don’t really need all that space. I know many people spend a lot of time in their bedrooms doing all sorts of things. I am not talking kinky here. Things like watch TV in bed, read, play with the kids, just hangout. Not me. I do those things elsewhere. So I’ve got this big room that I don’t really utilize.

So I went to work moving furniture. I hit a wall (literally) when I tried to move the treadmill out of the smaller room. No matter what I tried, it was not going through the door. Then I sorta remembered that the movers had picked it up and turned it on the side to get it into the room. I’m pretty strong, but no way could I do that. About that time I also realized that they had to do the same thing with a couple of the bedroom pieces. So I wouldn’t be able to get them out of the master. Hence, the movers.

Well my plan didn’t work. I have finished this blog and no movers yet. So here I sit.

Pretty in Pink

I LOVE nail polish! I have been doing my own mani/pedi for years.  It’s a ritual with me. Every Sunday night, out come the tools of the trade and I get down to business. The hardest part is choosing the color. I don’t do designs…only because I don’t have the patience nor the natural artistic flair. I could come up with designs in my head, but executing them on that teeny little canvas…no way.  So the most creative I get is alternating colors. I have been known to wear a different color on every nail. Gotta mix it up sometimes! (And yes, I am sure the nail police would say anyone over 19 is too old for that look. I have two words for them…anyone who knows me, knows what those two words are.)

I love this combo:

 

On the left is Maybelline Express Finish in #250 Berry Boucle. On the right is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in #11 Strobe Light.

I have been rockin’ the short nails since…I don’t know, a long time. At first, after years of long nails (but not dragon daggers), I wasn’t so sure I could make the switch. Now, no going back.

OK, this pic doesn’t really show short nails. But they are usually shorter than this. Trust me. (Here’s a piece of advice. When someone says “Trust me”…don’t trust them…except me, of course.)

From Chicabooda to Aimless Allee

A quick post to clear up some confusion.

I started a YouTube channel around 2010 called Chicabooda, along with a blog. The videos were removed last year and the blog was the victim of indecision and procrastination.

However, I continued to comment on blogs and videos under the Chicabooda name through the end of this past May. That is when I started this Aimless Allee blog and a coordinating YouTube channel (don’t rush over there…no vids up yet).

So, how does this affect you? Well, hopefully, it won’t. But when you see Aimless Allee pop up in a friend request or in a comment you will know that it is just the reincarnated Chicabooda.

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Is a Planner a Planner with no Calendar?

If you have been reading my recent blog posts (and who hasn’t?!) you know that I have been struggling (for months) with the A5 vs. Personal issue. Instead of constantly changing back and forth, I decided it was time to “have a think”. (No, I am not from the UK, never even been there. But being obsessed with all things Filofax for the last 6 months, including Philofaxy, I have all of these lovely English expressions in my brain. So far, I haven’t pulled a Madonna, with the fake accent.)

In my last post I mentioned how I love the Filofax A5 WO2P vertical calendar, which I now call a diary (UK speak again?). The size is perfect for my large handwriting.

I even like the feel of the paper. I don’t know what the paper weight is, but I like that it is not as thick as cotton cream. I know, I know, everybody loves the cotton cream. Not me…don’t like the feel, don’t like the color, don’t like anything about it. And ironically, every FF I order seems to come with cc inserts!

Since A5 is too big and heavy to carry everywhere, I carry a Personal. In my futile attempts to use both, regardless of the diary format du jour, I have to “sync” them everyday. I use a monthly and a weekly (or daily) diary. That means I have 4 calendars to sync! Who has time for that?!

So here’s my latest plan. No calendar in the Personal! Blasphemy! Isn’t a calendar part of the definition of a “Planner”? It is. Until it becomes more trouble than it’s worth.

I have a typical office job…Monday-Friday, 9-5. My work calendar/notes/to do is kept, at work, on my work computer. So my Personal FF is just that, for personal stuff. While I am at work, do I really need to know what my weight was last Wednesday? Or what day I vacuumed the lampshades? Or even what days my migraines decide to mess with me? No, no and no. Many of the things on my calendar are things I need to know…when I am at home. And the other things? Well, I would know beforehand that I have a doctor’s appointment and can bring the A5 on that day.

What I need, when away from home, is lists and notes. I need a To Do list of things to do while at work (not that I would ever do personal things on company time J), of things to do & errands to run after work. I need information while I am shopping online or locally…that’s a nice rug, but will it fit in my kitchen…is that really a good deal on printer ink, how much did I pay last time…I think I already have this cookbook.

I need a place to corral all of the genius ideas that pop in (and oh so quickly out of) my head, instead of having sticky notes stuck to other sticky notes.

What I don’t think I need is a calendar. When I am sitting at my desk at work, I am surrounded by calendars…one on my computer that is always open, one on my physical desk top and one hanging on the wall. And if I get up and walk 8 ft. there is another one hanging in the hallway. When I am out ‘n about, my iPhone has a calendar (useless as it may be).

So I have pulled both calendars from my Personal. This may not be a traditional way to use a Planner, but this is my plan and I’m sticking with it…at least for this week…

Personal or A5…Why Can’t I Make Up My Mind?!

When I decided to go back to a paper planner, specifically Filofax, I kinda thought it was a no-brainer. I have big, sprawling handwriting so the Mini and Pocket sizes were not even a consideration. The A5 is the perfect size, writing-wise, but just way too heavy. I carry large handbags so it would fit. But many of my bags are 2-3 lbs, empty. By the time I add all my junk, we’re up in the 5-6 lb range. To add an A5 to that would be like carrying luggage everywhere. So that leaves the Personal…like I said, a no-brainer.

Could I be any more wrong?!

Over the past few months, I have switched back and forth between different models of Personal FF and between different calendar formats. Don’t moan, I am not going to chronicle all that here. I will, however, show you a couple of pages so you can see my dilemma with the calendar formats:

Here is a sample of my writing on a Personal size blank sheet:

I wasn’t kidding. That is my normal handwriting…I’m lucky to get 3 words on a line. Now I can write smaller if I am forced to. But I enjoy the writing experience and when I have to write small…no joy. So the Week on One Page didn’t work at all. Here’s the Week on Two Pages:

Yes, I can make this work, but no joy! And I have to use a Notes page in between for those days when a lot is going on. AND, Filofax, what’s up with Saturday and Sunday?! I have more going on on those days, not less! NEXT! Day on a Page:

I spent way too much money on this one…and I don’t like it! I don’t like the feel of the paper and the lines are too close together. I bought this one because I love color, but these colors don’t do it for me.

Maybe I need to just suck it up and carry the A5. LOVE the space:

Oh, this is nice! Plenty of room to write. I even like the feel of this FF paper.

But it’s sooo heavy!  Do I really want to carry that around everywhere? And whip it out in a store when I need a quick measurement? That’s like whipping out a phonebook! (Ok, that reference may not make sense to some of you…Phonebooks used to be made of paper and delivered to your house. Everyone had one.)

I then went through a frenzy of weighing everything. Different Personals...empty, full, ½ full.  A5, same thing.  Different handbags...with the Personal, with the A5, with no planner. Did this help me make a decision? NO. I am still switching. And, frankly, I am a little tired of it. I know from reading other blogs and watching videos, that this is a common problem. But I don’t want it to be my problem. I want to be part of that Filofax group that has found the perfect planner with the perfect format. If such a thing really exists…