Last week in my life:
Apr. 22nd, 2026 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
witchpoetdreamerFinished reading The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne today. It was an entertaining read, but most of all, it gave me fodder for a new (and absolutely empty) fandom XD The characters were really interesting and I wished to have stayed with them for much longer, so I'll do just that I think! Not before I am done writing the Terra X Cinderella fanfic though, but I'll write down a few ideas for sure!
I've completed another notebook/journal, the first of the year. I started it at the tail end of 2025, so it lasted me more or less 4 months, which is pretty regular for me, although a lot of the time they last more like 6 instead. Considering I've been writing a lot more in general this year, I'm pretty pleased with this. That journal was an A5 (a pretty standard size for my notebooks in general), but this new one is an A4 with blank paper that I begun as a sketchbook and wow, I love how easy it is to make collage in it and just fill it up with more than just my writing. I've also pulled out my typewriter and I've really enjoyed typing stuff on it and sticking it in my journal, it allows for a good amount of freedom on my favourite medium: paper.
Speaking of typewriter, I've taken the decision to sell the other two that I've got. I've started a small collection a while back, and turns out what I really like collecting is writing paraphernalia, but only as long as I can use them. I've fully repaired one of them, a Smith Corona Skyriter from 1951, and I think I'll be able to get a good price for it. The other, a 1920-30's L.C. Smith heavy desk typewriter works well mechanically but I haven't gotten around to install a new ribbon on her at all (the lack of space to actually use her made the whole endeavour pretty moot to begin with). We'll be having a garage sale in two months more or less, so I'll offer it there first. Knowing the quality of them, I'm pretty confident they'll sell well.
Funnily enough, the typewriter that I'm keeping is the less collectible of them. Not because of it's quality (it's actually great!) but because of its brand: it's a Sears typewriter. Those are not the ones collectors tend to go for, which is a shame because Sears machines are just rebranded Brothers (in the case of mine) or Smith Coronas, so their innards are just as reliable, having been made in the exact same manufactures. The one I got was sold on Ebay as being in mint condition, and damn, the seller didn't lie! It still smells new! Or what I assume a new typewriter would smell like, a mix of ink and new car. And considering it's from the 1980's, a lot of the machines made around that time didn't get much action because of the overlap with electronic word processors, so they tend to be in really good condition regardless. The platen is still soft, and all the mechanic is working really well! I'll just need to clean the typeface soon cause ink have been gunking a few of the letters with use. Nothing that some love and care won't help with (and I do really enjoy taking care of these machines. I've learnt so much through many, many months of research before my first purchase. It's relaxing, and so fascinating to get into a typewriter's innards, figure out which screws goes where, how the springs work when pressing the buttons, what makes the bell rings, what makes the carriage move forward, etc)
As an aside: if any of you is in the market for a typewriter, do not, I repeat, DO NOT purchase from Classic Typewriter Co. I've gotten (and returned) a typewriter from them and, while the mechanism was working well, the platen (the rubber roll onto which the paper wraps) was so hard that the typeface pierced the paper through. Platens are the most expensive parts to replace on a machine (unless you get a full garbage piece I mean, like, if it's otherwise working, that's the part of restoration that is pricey), and getting a machine with a rock hard platen means it's going to cost you a lot real fast (both the platen and, if not wary, the keys themselves, as they might get damaged through repeated use). So if you're looking for one, if at all possible, test the platen! A good one should have a bit of a give when pushing a nail into it, not necessarily to the point of indenting, but you feel it. And, if you don't, ask the seller before purchasing about the quality of the platen. Rust and gunk can be clean with a heavy dose of TLC and some amount of products (the most expensive of which would be mineral spirits, and even then you can get some under 10$ most of the time), and typeface can be bent back into shape with a good pair of pliers if they are not broken. Platens though? Nah, you don't wanna mess with that, especially not if you are a newbie getting into it. A long time collector might think differently, or even someone who restores them, but for someone who just want to invest in one typewriter, always check the platen.
Anyway, that's what my machine looks like, except that the keys are black rather than white:
Last week has been pretty quiet. The slow internet experience continues to do me good, even though I sometimes struggle still with the self-pressure of *being* online. Nothing anyone can do, I just ride the waves of discomfort and get better when the next one rolls around. Obsidian has become a constant fixture in my computer usage, always there when I feel the need to type something without wanting it to be on the internet. I've been very fond of the mono font I'm using on it, the same as DW's HTML post format. For coding or for writing, it's certainly a good font that whispers "create" whenever I see it (not that I've started coding yet, I just know it's the kind of font I always see when I see code XD). It's honestly impossible to ignore.
I think that's all for now! I'll probably come back with a longer review of the Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne soon, there is a lot to say about the book but I want to put some order in my thoughts besides "I like those characters" before sharing more about it.
I hope the week is treating you well! What's something that made you particularly happy today?
I've completed another notebook/journal, the first of the year. I started it at the tail end of 2025, so it lasted me more or less 4 months, which is pretty regular for me, although a lot of the time they last more like 6 instead. Considering I've been writing a lot more in general this year, I'm pretty pleased with this. That journal was an A5 (a pretty standard size for my notebooks in general), but this new one is an A4 with blank paper that I begun as a sketchbook and wow, I love how easy it is to make collage in it and just fill it up with more than just my writing. I've also pulled out my typewriter and I've really enjoyed typing stuff on it and sticking it in my journal, it allows for a good amount of freedom on my favourite medium: paper.
Speaking of typewriter, I've taken the decision to sell the other two that I've got. I've started a small collection a while back, and turns out what I really like collecting is writing paraphernalia, but only as long as I can use them. I've fully repaired one of them, a Smith Corona Skyriter from 1951, and I think I'll be able to get a good price for it. The other, a 1920-30's L.C. Smith heavy desk typewriter works well mechanically but I haven't gotten around to install a new ribbon on her at all (the lack of space to actually use her made the whole endeavour pretty moot to begin with). We'll be having a garage sale in two months more or less, so I'll offer it there first. Knowing the quality of them, I'm pretty confident they'll sell well.
Funnily enough, the typewriter that I'm keeping is the less collectible of them. Not because of it's quality (it's actually great!) but because of its brand: it's a Sears typewriter. Those are not the ones collectors tend to go for, which is a shame because Sears machines are just rebranded Brothers (in the case of mine) or Smith Coronas, so their innards are just as reliable, having been made in the exact same manufactures. The one I got was sold on Ebay as being in mint condition, and damn, the seller didn't lie! It still smells new! Or what I assume a new typewriter would smell like, a mix of ink and new car. And considering it's from the 1980's, a lot of the machines made around that time didn't get much action because of the overlap with electronic word processors, so they tend to be in really good condition regardless. The platen is still soft, and all the mechanic is working really well! I'll just need to clean the typeface soon cause ink have been gunking a few of the letters with use. Nothing that some love and care won't help with (and I do really enjoy taking care of these machines. I've learnt so much through many, many months of research before my first purchase. It's relaxing, and so fascinating to get into a typewriter's innards, figure out which screws goes where, how the springs work when pressing the buttons, what makes the bell rings, what makes the carriage move forward, etc)
As an aside: if any of you is in the market for a typewriter, do not, I repeat, DO NOT purchase from Classic Typewriter Co. I've gotten (and returned) a typewriter from them and, while the mechanism was working well, the platen (the rubber roll onto which the paper wraps) was so hard that the typeface pierced the paper through. Platens are the most expensive parts to replace on a machine (unless you get a full garbage piece I mean, like, if it's otherwise working, that's the part of restoration that is pricey), and getting a machine with a rock hard platen means it's going to cost you a lot real fast (both the platen and, if not wary, the keys themselves, as they might get damaged through repeated use). So if you're looking for one, if at all possible, test the platen! A good one should have a bit of a give when pushing a nail into it, not necessarily to the point of indenting, but you feel it. And, if you don't, ask the seller before purchasing about the quality of the platen. Rust and gunk can be clean with a heavy dose of TLC and some amount of products (the most expensive of which would be mineral spirits, and even then you can get some under 10$ most of the time), and typeface can be bent back into shape with a good pair of pliers if they are not broken. Platens though? Nah, you don't wanna mess with that, especially not if you are a newbie getting into it. A long time collector might think differently, or even someone who restores them, but for someone who just want to invest in one typewriter, always check the platen.
Anyway, that's what my machine looks like, except that the keys are black rather than white:
Last week has been pretty quiet. The slow internet experience continues to do me good, even though I sometimes struggle still with the self-pressure of *being* online. Nothing anyone can do, I just ride the waves of discomfort and get better when the next one rolls around. Obsidian has become a constant fixture in my computer usage, always there when I feel the need to type something without wanting it to be on the internet. I've been very fond of the mono font I'm using on it, the same as DW's HTML post format. For coding or for writing, it's certainly a good font that whispers "create" whenever I see it (not that I've started coding yet, I just know it's the kind of font I always see when I see code XD). It's honestly impossible to ignore.
I think that's all for now! I'll probably come back with a longer review of the Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne soon, there is a lot to say about the book but I want to put some order in my thoughts besides "I like those characters" before sharing more about it.
I hope the week is treating you well! What's something that made you particularly happy today?
