Notebook Hunting

My name is Melissa and I HATE shopping.  Well, I take that back.  I hate shopping for groceries, clothes, churches, boyfriends, and booze.  There are some things I enjoy shopping for - mostly electronics and school supplies.  Yesterday I went out shopping for school supplies.  With only two classes on the schedule, the list wasn't terribly long, but it was specific:

• 1 binder big enough for both classes, but small enough to fit into the laptop bag
• 2 Mead 3 subject college ruled spiral notebooks - preferably to match the binder

Attached to my list was this note to myself:

You DO NOT need highlighters.  Don't buy them.

You DO NOT need Sharpies.  Don't buy them.

You DO NOT need a 3 hole punch.  DON'T buy one.

You DO NOT need pens.  I'm not going to bother telling you not to buy them because you will anyway.

You DO NOT need flash drives.  Same as above, though.

Best Buy was my first stop.  Not specifically for the shopping list, but for entertainment purposes.  It was like Christmas, actually.  I found 8 GB flash drives for $6.99.  JACKPOT.  Walked around, looked at the new iPad minis, MacBook Air and Pros, and checked the Mary Chapin Carpenter inventory.  Walked out with three more flash drives and proceeded to Office Max.

I found the binder and purchased an insert to divide the classes.  The notebook selection was a complete disappointment.  You might think you're getting a great notebook because it has a plastic cover and ready-to-tear-out pages, but you're not.  You're paying $9 for paper that won't stay in the notebook and rips out while you're taking notes.  Looseleaf paper is cheaper.  Use it, but get a real notebook.  

The Perfect Notebook

Office Max did not have my Mead 3 subject college ruled spiral bound notebook that I needed.  Shame on Office Max.  How can you be an office supply store and not have the best notebook?  I went to Target thinking I would have better luck there.  

Nope.

I was ready to go chop down a forest and make my own notebook at that point.  But, I didn't.  I decided to try Shopko.  While they did indeed have my Mead 3 subject college ruled spiral bound notebook, they only had it in green and red.  Freaking Christmas and it didn't match the soft lime green of the binder I had just purchased.  What's a girl to do?  I sucked it up and purchased the two notebooks because I was fed up with shopping at that point.  

I guess now that I have all my stuff, I can start school.  On the roster for my 17th semester of college: Behavior Disorders and Alcohol & Drug Abuse Professional Skills II.  I plan on fulling all 240 pages of those notebooks!  BRING IT!