This Moleskine Validates Me

        I went to a forum this morning called 2014 Foro Latinamericano: The Politics of Memory and Forgetting in Latin America. Before I left to go, I saw my small Moleskine notepad sitting on my desk. I'll be honest, when I got that notebook during winter term, my intention was to have more than 8 pages filled a few months later. But, as with me and notebooks, I don't tend to stick with one. As I was packing my backpack early this morning, I saw the blue Moleskine notepad sitting on my desk and decided this Foro would be a prime opportunity to break it in.         
        Fast forward to a few hours later. I'm sitting in the athenaeum listening to the second speaker. So far, my notes consist of interesting quotes, articles and books to read, and some nonsensical half sentences. At this point, I have a few pages full of notes but I'm beginning to tire and lose my enthusiasm of a fews hours earlier.         
        I also have to pee.         
        The following thoughts occurred during the second speaker's talk:        
        I don't even know why I began taking notes. I'm not in a class for this. I don't have to write a paper on it. I'm not going to be given a multiple choice exam. Maybe because the student next to me (an older frisbee teammate of mine) also has a cute notebook, although hers is more weathered from her recent trip to Guatemala. *Jealousy*        
        Maybe I should go to Guatemala. That sounds fun.         
        I'm going to pee in my jeans. That's not socially acceptable.         
        Listen, keep taking notes. What was that she had up on the slide? "¿Dónde están? La verdad sigue secuestando." No, no wrong verb tense. That doesn't even make sense. It was "secuestrada." Okay, keep listening.         
        *Flip to blank page, begin writing to-do list, text Mom, take more important notes*. I'm so professional with this Moleskine. Maybe even a bit conceited because Moleskine is kind upper-echelon in terms of notebooks. I wonder if people are judging me because this is an expensive notebook.       
        I bet this is what professional writers do when they hear people talk. I bet this is what books come out of. I'm going to write a book. I'm basically a professional writer.
        College is so cool.
        I love Latin American studies.
        Bladder is going to burst. 
        I should take a nap today.
        Wait, did she just take down notes? That must have been important. Zone in, zone in! "Counter-memorials: mourn dead, spur politicization."
        This pen is really nice and flow-y. 
        Oh, remember to email that professor back. Check how old she is because it's a mystery that eludes me.
        *Flip to next page*. I'm really breaking this Moleskine in. I'm a writer. I write. This Moleskine validates me. 
        *Picture office in 20 years with piles of my writing notebooks, smile*. Imagine what this notebook will be when it's full. I should use this more often. This is like when I would go to Starbucks over the summer to write because I felt like a real writer. 
        Maybe I should blog about this. 
        *Begin writing opening to post*.