Address books frustrate me. They never give me enough space. I don't want to just keep track of contact information. I want to know the last time I got in touch with someone and what our conversation was about. I want to know people's birthdays so that I can send them cards. I want to write down lots of little details about people.

When I found the Contact Log form in the D*I*Y Planner Classic kit, I knew I wasn't the only person with stalker-ish tendencies. The Contact Log form's great: plenty of space for notes and a built-in conversation tracker. Using one sheet per person means you can arrange your contacts in any way you want, instead of being confined to the usual alphabetic order.

The catch: the form's designed for 5.5"x8" planners. I have an 8.5"x11" planner and 3"x5" index cards, but I don't have a 5.5"x8" one. I thought about getting one just for that form, but I realized I'd be juggling too many things.

I've been using index cards to keep track of my contacts. I can sort them by name, interest, or birthday. I can shuffle the cards to pick a random person to write or call, and I keep stationery in my binder so I can write anywhere I want.

Index cards can hold a lot more than contact information and conversation logs, too. At my send-off party, I asked my friends to write down their contact information and two-year plan on one side of an index card. I also asked them to write a short encouraging note on the other side. Having a deck of cards I can flip through for quick warm-and-fuzzy memories makes living away from home much more bearable.

So why don't we have a Contact Log form for the Hipster PDA yet? A few minutes with the D*I*Y Planner Widget Kit and voila! D*I*Y Planner Hipster Contact Log!

Now if only my printer could do index cards... <wistful sigh>