daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
I didn’t bring my Canon Selphy photo printer to Japan with me, so now I’ve got over 30 photos to print, cut, and glue into my Hobonichi. Once I catch up, I can finally close the book on my A6 Hobonichi (pun intended) since I switched to my A5 Avec Cousin for the rest of 2026. Next time I take a long trip to Japan, I think I’ll just bring the printer along. It’s not too big, and it weighs almost nothing, so it should be an easy addition to the bag. 🧳
I’ve been using the Hobonichi Cousin Avec for a couple of weeks now, and I’m really enjoying the bigger size. My little A6 techo is compact and cute, but the A5 is just a better writing experience overall. The pages lie flatter, so I can use my Clampy, and I get to write at my normal size instead of concentrating on keeping my letters tiny. There are still spots where small writing is a must, like the daily timeline in the photo, but even there I’ve got twice the space to work with. And on the free-writing pages, I can just write without worrying about size at all. As a bonus, I’ve got more room to print bigger photos too. Overall, I’m happy with the mid-year switch to the Avec ✏️
I made an Aperol Campari Spritz in one of the glasses we brought back from Mexico. I love the color combination so much. And then the pen is my beautiful new Zento Signature. Just for fun. 🍹✏️
I made a quick trip to Kinokuniya today on a bit of a long shot, hoping to track down the Zento Signature pen. I honestly wasn’t expecting to find it, so I asked one of the clerks behind the counter. Turns out they had a few in stock, just not out on the floor. ✨ I looked at the silver one and decided to just go for it. It’s a little spendy for a gel pen, but it feels like a genuine buy-it-for-life situation. No rubber parts to degrade over time, and refill cartridges are easy to find. I’m already thinking about swapping the stock .7 mm Zento ink for a .38 mm One cartridge, which is my go-to ink.
I also picked up a multi-pen Juice Up with red, blue, and black inks, which means I can finally retire two separate pens for one sleek little thing. It’s so pretty too! 🖊️ Really happy with today’s stationery haul.
I finished another Morning Pages notebook, and honestly, it feels like a small victory!
One of my long-term goals is to actually use the notebooks I’ve collected over the years. If you’re a stationery lover, you know the struggle. Beautiful notebooks everywhere, and somehow they just accumulate. My daily morning journaling practice has been the perfect way to work through them, one page at a time. It’s actually fun to see how many blank pages are left (and see the amount getting smaller).
This particular Rollbahn notebook was a good one. It served me well through a lot of mornings, and I’m saving the cover as a keepsake. Do you do that? Save little artifacts from journals you’ve finished? I love looking back at them. This notebook is special because Mariko bought it for me when she was in Japan.
Now I’m moving right into the next one, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s another Rollbahn that Mariko gifted to me!
Let’s keep the streak alive. 🤙
What notebook are you currently writing in? I’d love to know.
Today’s daily photo is a simple snapshot of my Sony headphones and my Hobonichi. That reflection coming off the Tomie illustration is pretty cool though, right? 📸
Three months into my Hobonichi Techo A6 and still really enjoying it. 📓
Writing small has been a challenge, but I’ve slowed down and started paying more attention to how I form my letters. It’s a different kind of writing than my morning pages, which stay big and loose since that’s all about getting thoughts down fast.
The slow, deliberate approach has been a nice surprise. Turns out I like it a lot.
