Welcome! I also finally am returning to such a forum, though am new to this new one. I have a similar tale to your own.

That notebook idea is genius and wish I had had a friend or two in classes with which to do it. That would have been sick.

I, too, have never played a WoD game yet, but really want to, and [i]love[/i] a couple of podcasts I have found for it. 

Welcome back, and perhaps we will write together here sometime!