New Journal

I recently bought a new journal. My old one had been serving me since the fall of 2000. I'm not an every day journaller, quite frankly, it just didn't work for me any more. It's only about half full and while I feel odd leaving it in its current state, I know that I just cannot write in the thing. The new journal is a Moleskine which has quite an interesting history, found here. I've helped people pick out journals and it really is quite an intimate thing. The senses need to be considered, as well as the purpose of the book. Color choice is huge, not only for the pages themselves (as they do vary) but also for the outside. A brilliant red might suit your mood at time of purchase, but will it do in the dead of night when recording your fears and dark thoughts? I don't imagine any publisher would put out a book that is horridly ugly, even as a journal, but certain looks appeal more than others. I cannot abid a journal with a picture on the cover. The solidity of black or tan is my journal cover. But the section is huge and its looks should appeal. The binding is equally important as the colors used. Spirals mean that a page can be torn from between it's protective covers with none the wiser. Whether or not it is a desired feature is something else all together. I am very tactile when choosing a journal. Shopkeepers must hate persons like me who open the plastic wrap. I have to feel the leather (as I won't settle for anything else on my cover) and the fibers of the page. I know just by touching them if the kind of pen I prefer to write with is compatable. For, if they are not, I won't purchase it. Leather is a must for the cover. The smell holds many memories for me, even though it only lasts for a short time before absorbing the smell I carry every day. Taste is one that doesn't quite fit in with the purchase, exactly, but I'm nostalgic for the days when I could spend hours in a coffee house, sipping a latte flavored just so. I think of that when I review "taste." I'm nuts, I know, but if I'm not happy with it, I won't use it. I'm just as bad when choosing a pen, only it doesn't take me as long, as I have three or four that I consider staples and can purchase them almost everywhere. Those I've shopped with generally want my answer for "the best journal" only to find that I ask too many questions and convert the question into "the best journal for you."