a passion for highlighters
I am sitting in the back of our minivan (as I write this – I’ll post later during a Starbucks break) – today we’re taking my mom to BWI airport after she stayed with us for the holidays. It’s about a 5 hours round-trip from Richmond to BWI (if you don’t hit traffic), and my DH was nice enough to create a mini-office for me in the back of the van – powersupply, my laptop, study books, most recent Billboard issues, and most importantly: lots of highlighters. I am almost obsessive about using highlighters. I prefer yellow and orange (blue and green and pink tend to be too dark for my taste), and my favorite brand is Sharpie Accent. I have tried every other brand, it seems, and I can make it work, but Sharpies……. Love ‘
em.
I highlight whenever I read for work or study. I absorb information quicker and more effectively (maybe because there is an action associated with the reading?). It’s the one thing I hate about reading ebooks – I can’t use my beloved highlighters. (I know. A computer can highlight. It’s not the same.) So when I get an ebook, invariably I will print it out on 3-hole-punch paper, put it in a nice sturdy D-ring binder, and read/highlight. The big advantage: it’
s easy to skim over later and find passages that really hit me. I also highlight setlists (well, actually I never have setlists, more like master song lists that I choose from during a concert). I highlight songs I am considering playing. In a different color, I highlight songs of different tempos. I write to do-lists. And highlight the most important tasks (or the ones that I think are most important at that particular moment).
I have a little Sharpie highlighter that fits on my keychain. I don’t think I have ever walked out of an office supply store without buying highlighters. One can never have too many. Insane? Maybe. But hey, at least it’s not an expensive insanity.
Hi Jeanine,
Mary
I’ve often read your posts on the Berklee discussion site, and this blog is too funny to resist responding to! Yes, highlighters are great, and indispensable. Though my obsession isn’t as severe as yours: I can get out of a store without buying some. But what’s this about a mini-office in your van? My DH would call that obsessive, if I were to follow your example, since I already have three desks in our little house, and one of them is in his den. When we’re on a trip I ask for the radio to be turned off, so I can play my music in my head without being distracted. I’d do more than that if I could read/write in a moving car, but that doesn’t work for me. Anyway, greetings from another Berklee online student! Here’s another product you might like: Book Darts. Check them out at bookdarts.com
Thank you Mary!
I am going to have to order Book Darts now.
Yep, the mini-office in our van is slightly obsessive – but here’s the catch: my hubby set it up and came up with the idea! It’s not permanent, of course, but it was a blast for the five hour round trip – all I needed was internet access. Now if I only had that iPhone……
Jeanine