A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

Hello Lovelies,


"Don't you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."


~Joe Fox in email to Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail


Well, its not fall and I'm not in New York... but I do feel exactly the same way about fall! I have to say in the four falls that have passed since I graduated undergrad, there has been an empty sort of feeling as I've walked by the displays of school supplies, knowing that there wasn't a single reason I should buy school supplies.


This fall lovelies (or rather summer as I start school in just over a week), I get to buy school supplies again, and I'm just tickled. The feeling of finding just the perfect item to put a smile on my face for each class. Saving my favorite items for my least favorite classes so that I might always have something worth smiling about, even if the lecture is terrible. Filling each binder with a folder and the proper amount of loose leaf college ruled paper. Filling each mechanical pencil with led, sharpening one or two regular pencils just for the sake of smelling the sharpened lead and wood. Opening those pretty pink erasers. And happily tucking them all into my new back to school bag. The ritual has been part of my life for over a decade and I am so tickled that I get to engage in it for at least two more years!


The challenge though is what school supplies should I buy? I want my supplies to be both pretty and professional. I am a firm believer in dressing (even dressing your homework) in the manner appropriate for where you want to be in life. So, I find myself wondering what school supplies are appropriate for a future doctor?


We have these Russel & Hazel binders at work. I love that they are made from recycled materials (although when they first arrived at the office they were kind of stinky). The inside of the binder is a dry erase board, which also comes in handy. However, I am a big fan of having pockets on the inside of my binders... I know I can always put a folder in there, but I definitely use the pocket space when I have it. The ever crafty Maggie from Random Occurrences blog has put scrapbooking rub ons on the outside of her binders here at the office to spruce them up a little bit, and that definitely helps dress up cardboard-looking outside of the Russel & Hazel binders.

Also, I'm on the hunt for the perfect day planner... these are the things I absolutely have to have in a planner... small thin size so I can easily slip it into any bag. I love those large folio ones, but they just aren't practical for a girl who has over 30 required text books. I also need a pocket on the inside... I don't know why, but I just need one.... so I can slip reminders to myself in there, my school ID, $5 for lunch, whatever else may end up in the pocket or folder pocket, and I particularly like the ones that have an elastic band that wraps around the whole thing... if that makes sense. Any suggestions? My local target has plenty of day planners for the 2010-2011 school year but none of them meet these qualifications.... Apparently I am day planner high maintenance :)