Celtic Colors Journal (Peter Pauper Press): Product Review

I purchased this journal, my fifth Peter Pauper Press journal, for our recent two-week trip to Scotland. It was perfect for what we needed. It's larger than a typical journal, which was great for all the detailed writing we did from our trip and all the extra souvenir-type things we added (ticket stubs, business cards, pressed flowers, etc.). The paper is smooth, and accepts ink very readily, but it dries quickly so you have fewer smudges. (I prefer to use free-flowing fountain-style ink pens rather than roller ball pens.) The paper is a bit thicker than everyday writing paper, so the ink doesn't bleed through the other side. The pages are faintly lined, to keep your writing straight, without being too bold. The book lies (lays? I never know!) flat so you can easily write on either side with no frustration. This particular journal has a subtle Celtic design at the top of each page too. Love it!

I highly recommend Peter Pauper Press for any journals you may need. At the time of this review, the Celtic Colors Journal was available on Amazon for $7.49 (Amazon Prime). You just cannot beat that. Click here to get your own!

More Dumb Signs

Saw this in the airport in Baltimore, I believe. Be relax, huh? Yeah, you do that.



These gems were spotted in a public parking lot near Boone, NC. (We were on our way to try out Black Cat Burrito - YUMMY!) "Free one hour only. Not a pay lot. No long term parking. Not a pay lot. No ticket needed. One hour only free. Long-term parking at end of lot, at pay meters. Not a pay lot. No ticket needed. One hour only free. Long-term parking at end of lot. At pay meters. Questions please come around." Wait. What am I supposed to do again? And if your questions try to go around, they will see the same signs on the other side. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. And why are you yelling at me?

How to be More Scottish: Book Review

This is a good "first look" at Scotland, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the land and its people and wants to know more. It's accessible, light, and a practical introduction to all things Scots--including a brief history, the culture, dialects, the people, the food, the land, weather, common words and phrases (as well as how to properly pronounce them), and various points of interest. It was also full of useful tips on what to do and say and what NOT to do and say (for instance, NEVER call a Scot "English," and always carry a brolly, er...umbrella). I found the travel/tourism part of the book less useful than the rest of it; there is so much history, too much to see and do there. It's just not possible to cover it all in a book like this, and that was not the authors' intent. But it was somewhat frustrating to me that so many place names were thrown out with not even a two-to-three-word description of what they are or why they were mentioned. I had no idea what most of these places or points of interest were, so I found myself skimming this section with plans to refer to my Lonely Planet Guide to Scotland or the Rough Guide to Scotland instead. The book could have used some better editing. Some sentences were awkward and difficult to understand. I was reading the book on my Kindle, and it felt as though it didn't translate well to the Kindle format. For instance, the paragraph indentations were odd, margins weren't consistent, and end punctuation was often left out (which made it trickier to read). All in all a good, fun read that feeds my excitement about our upcoming visit to the country. And it's only $1 on Kindle! Ye canna beat that!

Buy it on Amazon.