What I Carry In My Pockets

Posted On: November 28 2023 / Last Modified: December 27 2023

Written by Julian Lopez

Phone Stuff

In my front right pocket I carry my phone (a white-blue iPhone 15) which has a USC branded sticker wallet (which I got for free!) on its generic clear case I bought at Best Buy. The two cards that are in there are my student ID and California State ID. I strongly prefer using Apple Pay as a payment method and here in LA most places accept it (especially after the pandemic).

My back right pocket houses my wired earphones (Apple 3.5mm EarPods with a USB-C adaptor). To be frank, wireless earbuds aren’t worth it for me. It’s a hassle to always keep them charged, they’re extra fragile, and above all else super pricy for something that has to be replaced every 2-3 years. Maybe someday I’ll be wowed by the convenience offered by AirPods, but for now I’ll stick to wired audio.

Now my front left pocket is where things get interesting.

Pen/Notebook Stuff

First, I have a fountain pen to write stuff with. My pen of choice is a modified Platinum Plaisir (the body is a Plaisir but the internals are of a Preppy with a fine nib) with Sailor Shikiori Shigure (dark purple) Ink. I used to carry a Brass Kaweco Sport with me, but I found that too heavy despite its small size. This Plaisir is bigger but considerably lighter which makes it perfect for one handed use.

Next, I have a passport sized Leather cover with two notebooks inside held together by bands. This cover was given to me as a gift so I don’t know where to buy it, which is a shame because I would love to get more! Initially I just had one notebook in there, but after watching a video on how the bands work for the Traveler Notebook I added another notebook to it.

My first and favorite notebook is my Rhodia notebook. Inside the pages are grid lined, have a header for titles/dates, perforated for easily tearing off pages, ink doesn’t bleed through, and it has a band to keep it closed. However, what made me fall in love with it is its durability.

Several months ago I was visiting NYC and had a breakfast appointment with a friend from a summer job. Unfortunately, the city was dealing with some of its worst flooding in years that morning. After getting stuck in a bus inside Central Park, I stupidly waded through several waist high flooded tunnels to make it to my appointment (I was still late by 1+ Hour). In doing so I killed a portable battery I had with me and my iPhone started boot looping (so much for being waterproof). My Rhodia notebook was perfectly fine though! There is zero trace of water damage to the pages which is just astonishing considering what they went through.

My other notebook isn’t quite so great. It’s a ForestChoice notebook with squared paper, and if I’m being honest I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not bad, but ink bleeds through it more than I would like. Apparently it uses extra special “forest friendly” paper (it’s not recycled tho) but that doesn’t make it worth it in my eyes.

Conclusion

To round things out, I keep my back left pocket empty. Sometimes I put a wallet in there, but I prefer not to. I’m a believer in always leaving extra space/resources for whatever might arise.