Ohio Blue Tip Matches

I love these big boxes of matches. Not only is the size and shape almost perfect, they're practical too. It's so much easier to strike a match on the side of one of these!

I Love My New Blackberry

Here's why:

Old Blackberry:


New Blackberry:



At 2 5/8 x 4 3/8 inches, it's much closer to my ideal shape.

Band Aid Tins

Here's another nice retro item in my favorite shape: Band-Aid tins. Nowadays they come in paper or plastic boxes and it's just not the same! These are from Carol's very awesome collection, posted on her website, and if they were for sale, I'd be buying!

Notebooks, New and Old

From Notebook Stories:

Kikkerland's WritersBlok notebooks (approx 3.5 x 5.5")



Paper King Memo Book (a true 3 x 5", not counting wire binding)

Twine

This was a surprising thing to catch my fancy: a package of twine that was about 3 x 5 x 1 inches.

Waterproof Notebooks

Here's a nice range of notebooks in my favorite size, made by Rite in the Rain.
I like the side-opening type best:

I'm not big on using spiral-bound or lined notebooks these days, but this has a nice retro look to it and I could imagine the waterproof pages coming in handy on some adventure someday!

(I discovered these notebooks via a nice review at deeplinking.net, which I also linked to on my other notebook-specific blog, Notebook Stories-- I'm allowed to talk about non-3x5 notebooks there!)

Favorite PDA Ever: Sony Clie TH-55

I've always been a big fan of Palm PDAs. I've owned quite a few different models, all of which were quite close to the 3x5" form. But none more perfectly embodied it than the Sony Clie TH-55. I stopped using it about a year ago when I had to start using a Blackberry for work, but I still keep it charged up to play with sometimes, and I miss using it daily!

Here's a picture of the Clie in its case.

I should mention that this case, by Sena, was the best PDA case ever: not too much bulk, beautiful leather, and a tidy magnetic closure: no ugly loop and snap disrupting the clean edges. And on the inside, handy pocket for business cards and extra memory sticks. It also came with a small mirror, which I removed. This case was actually designed for a different PDA model, and the openings didn't perfectly match up with the TH55's buttons, but the leather was thin enough that I could still use everything perfectly except the camera.

The Clie was so nice and thin, very easy to slip in a pocket:

I used it for everything-- there are so many nifty little Palm OS applications that go far beyond the basic calendar/contact/task uses.

And here is that lovely full screen calendar view-- with no more appointments, sadly! I used to have lots in there, but with the small font option, it was easy to assess a whole week at a glance.


I wish Palm had been a smarter company and not let Blackberry surpass them. If I could, I would still be using this Clie-- my Blackberry may be the only compatible option for my work email, but it's not 3x5!