Do you tend to carry your life with you everywhere you go?

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

Answers

You must have had me in mind today. pamie. It's my b-day, and my present to myself is a very expensive leather tote bag. You see, I go through a "I must change my bag every 6 months" faze too, and I'm due. Somehow, that expensive, somewhat smaller bag I bought last fall just won't cut it anymore (although, strangely, they are all black bags I buy, no nice spring colours). The former expensive bag is crammed with crap and neccessities, plus, there is the cheap (ie. free gift with purchase) tote bag I have been carrying for the overload.

This time though, I have decided that I will be so clever and get organized - a green Sportsac case for meds, another one for tampons, yet another for makeup, you get the idea (don't you?). Plus, it will hold the tiny, cute purse that I switch to every weekend when I don't want to look like a big geek carrying a loaded-down bag.

So far, shit is just everywhere all over my floor, as I try to sort everything (just about as many pay stubs as you, but I only have one job!... do I really need this receipt for my Costco membership renewal from LAST April?). Wish me luck for when I go back to work after my mini vacation!

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

Oh, Pamie, how did you know this was bothering me today?
I have the ultimate Mary Poppins bag. it used to be a camera bag. And those things - oh, the stuff you can fit inside one.
Usually, you can find all of the usual junk, plus either the CD player or the camera. I can't fit them together that well.
The things that change: a Nikkormat FTn camera, 1973. 2.5 pounds. When that isn't there, you'll find a CD player, with four double-A batteries. Heavy. Headphones. Two CDs - David Bowie's Earthling and the Who's greatest hits. Usually, if the CD player is there, so is a one-liter bottle of water.
The things that never leave: One case of sunglasses. One bag of makeup that I never use. A few pieces of costume jewelry that I've never worn. One hairbrush. Spare roll of film. Undeveloped roll of film. Both black and white. Miscellaneous papers. Etc.
I wanted to get a small-but-cute bag, but really, when it serves as a camera bag half the time, those cute little lightweight purses just don't cut it.
Animate.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

Having been a student for far too long, my bag of choice alternates between a bad-for-your-back over the shoulder bookbag dealie, and a Mountain Equipment Co-op Day hiker. Both have had the plastic clasps smashed to oblivion under the caster of a drafting chair, so the straps hang all over. And yes, they carry my life and then some.

Found:

- blue accoridan folder with class notes - short roll of sketch trace - a 30-60-90 triangle - box of pens, pencils, calculater, junk - 8 disks with too many ACAD files on them - circle template and 3 scales - "Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites" - "Woody Ornamentals for the Prairies" - mini yellow tin of teabags (orange spice, lemmon soother) - mini carmine-pink tin of teabags (vanilla maple, black currant) - girlie stuff (2 tampons, 3 types of lipbalm, 2 wetnaps, handcream) - 3 pieces of wrapped butterscotch candy - gum (in a small purse) - toothbrush, hairbrush - personal cassette player - the local pharmacy (midol, advil, echinacea, travel tabs) - saved neato stanps, even though I don't really collect them - and a partridge in a pear tree.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I used to carry pretty big purses, with my entire life (and most of my make-up) in them, but medical problems with my neck and shoulders forced me to scale back to a smaller, organizer type shoulder purse.

Currently taking up residence in my purse: Front section - Sharp 32KB Electronic Organizer (I miss having a paper one, but they're always too big for my purse) Employee ID Cover Girl Clean Performance Pressed Powder (in Creamy Natural) Cute little round tin which normally carries Tylenol, but is currently empty Little Conair brush Lanyard for employee ID 2 1/2 rolls of Tums EX (Tropical Flavors) 2 Avon Beyond Color lipsticks (in Earthstone and Rose Marble) Winston match book (no, I don't smoke, but you never know when they'll come in handy) Tiny sewing kit Mom bought for me in Monterey Crumbled Tums Tons of store receipts related to my checking account (in zippered pocket)

Zippered section - Little vinyl business card billfold I use to hold cash, frequent customer cards and my business cards Checkbook with driver's license (really good picture) and important cards and stuff 2 pens Lots of business cards/addresses/infrequently used cards

Plus change and a necklace in zippered pocket on the back of the purse.

These are the bare necessities. Imagine all the crap I used to carry!

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Next time I forget the break tags (or whatever those things are called, I forget right now), just smack me.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

My squarish shoulder bag is heavy. It digs into my neck. I can't find anything I need in it. And I leave it like that, until I'm forced to do something about it. Mostly when I start getting gashes near my jugular from the weight.

It's full of pens without caps that will inevitably bleed all over anything important. A package of Rainbow Brite trading cards from 1983. My college ID card, NationsBank card, and learner's permit (I don't drive yet. I turn nineteen in twelve days. Did I mention I don't drive yet?). Five or six receipts from the grocery store and Maui Teriyaki. A wallet and change purse with no money in them. Napkins from every restaurant I go to, because I'm so cheap I don't want to waste my generic paper towels. Necklaces I haven't worn since I moved into the dorm, accompanied by hand sanitizer I bought seven months ago. But the most important thing is a concert ticket for next week. I keep it in my purse -- so I won't lose it. This has not, however, stopped me from freaking out exactly three times when I've forgotten where it is.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Well since i never really carry a bag or a purse and it just stays in my trunk "JUST IN CASE" it may not count but i still carry it around for those never-happening-emergencies 1. Period Pack= 3tampons 1kotex 1pair of underwear and wetnaps of some sort *actually pretty handy got this idea from my best friend...." hrm 2. 3 empty boxes of marlboro light 100's 3. 3 lighters all empty. 4. smaller purse containing, ID's calling cards, lipstick and some old make up brush 5. half of a book that got ripped up 6. a HS basketball tshirt that i ripped off out of a gym after sooome game. 7. 10thousand various wrappers, papers, receipts and scribbled urls.

all contained within a lovely scooby-doo over the shoulder bag. with lots of dust and stuff on it.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I've always been fascinated by what people carry around with them. In high school I knew a girl with this pretty large metal lunchbox she used as a purse, but I never saw what she carried in it, she really didn't open it up very often. One night at a cafe, one of the musicians discovered that his strange pitch problem was coming from a seperation of some sort of board from the body of the guitar. He made a comment about wanting duct tape, and April cracked open her pail and fished out a roll. From then on I was convinced that she was some sort of magic elf. (She had the hair for it).

During that same period I carried a little bag of small toys I'd collected during childhood and travels, but now I'm an all-or-nothing kind of girl. It's either my cell phone pouch/wallet combo (which is crammed to bursting), or a large Black Kenneth Cole messenger bag, which tonight contains:

- 2 pair of sunglasses - 1 Leatherman Micra - 1 Keroppi tin containing Post-Its, a ball point pen, a fountain pen, and a box of matches - 2 other ballpoints - 1 wooden comb - a bundle of articles on various culinary science topics - 1 directory listing of cheese makers in California and Oregon - 1 leather cell phone pouch/wallet - 1 leather checkbook - 1 Rx bottle, Allegra - 1 packet ink cartridges for my fountain pen - 1 tube Hemp hand cream - 1 Clinique compact - 4 hair scrunchies (even though I cut off most of my waist-length hair a week ago) - 1 bottle Flo-Nase - 1 East Indian headband - 1 leather wallet of business cards - 1 plastic-wrapped 'thank you' mint - 1 stopwatch - 1 pocket thermometer (the cooking kind) - 1 Clinique blush compact - 1 data diskette - 4 sinus geltabs - 1 box of ink cartridges for a different kind of fountain pen that I'm not carrying - 1 half-full Tic Tac box - 1 tube Hemp lip gloss - 1 Band-aid - 1 sample blister pack of Allegra - 4 Benedryl caplets (why yes, I am Allergy Girl) - 1 Rx bottle Claritin (works MUCH better) - 1 small bottle of orange oil for my hair - 2 more ballpoints - 1 small bottle homeopathic stress drops - 1 credit card receipt for my contact lenses - 2 prepaid phone cards - 2 bottles of eye drops - 4 tubes of Clinique lipstick - 1 open bottle of Pamprin, no idea where the top went - yet another ballpoint - 1 bottle Sweet Drops - 1 map of San Francisco - 1 2-page wine list - 1 bistro menu (divine Pistachio-encrusted salmon, wretched creme brulee) - 1 box of matches from Boulevard restaurant - 6 chocolate-covered espresso beans

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

If anybody found my bag they'd probably think I'm far more exciting (and certainly wealthier) than I actually am. But I kind of like that - it's an aspirational bag.

Today (and every other day) it contains:

Red leather filofax. This has every phone number I ever need, and all my appointments in it, and I'd be screwed if I lost it.

Latest book for reading on the tube. At the moment it's 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' by Alison Weir, and it's very good.

One little fold-up umbrella, which cost an rip-off #14 but is very light. This is essential in London in the spring, and it rarely stops raining and I hate getting rained on.

Black leather wallet, without much money inside.

Tube pass.

Grey gloves. It was freezing yesterday.

Ralph Lauren glasses in a brown leather case. I'm meant to wear them all the time, but I'm too much of a slacker to remember, so they sit in the bag unless I need to read a street sign.

Oakley sunglasses. I'm ever the optimist.

House keys.

Three tampons.

Maybelline Great Wear concealer, which is one of the best concealers I've tried. There's no spot this stuff can't cover.

Clinique Gloss Pot lip gloss and matching lip brush. This stuff is also very cool.

Chanel powder compact. Because I'm a label whore who spends too much time in Selfridges.

YSL Radiant Touch highlighter. OK, so I'm a high-maintenence label whore.

And that's it. The bag is a black leather rectangular shoulder bag, and it's got a busted zip. In fact, it's looking fairly scody overall, but I don't have another one to use at the moment. Tristan bought me a Gucci bag for my 25th birthday, but I haven't used it yet because (a) I don't want it getting scratched while I do battle on the tube - it's very soft leather, and (b) I have no clothes even remotely glam enough to wear with it. Which in a way is a good thing, because it was hideously expensive, but if I don't use it it will definitely last me my entire life, and my delighted daughter will inherit a bit of vintage Gucci one day.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Let's have a look, shall we?

One frayed checkbook in a faux leather cover, with a window to display my horrifying driver license photo. Checkbook inside is not balanced.

One Hallmark Gold Crown card. It's the closest I will ever get to any sort of Gold Card, so I keep it up front, to impress people.

One brand spankin' new social security card which should be lost in a matter of days.

Two faded and maxed out credit cards.

An envelope full of receipts that desperately need to be sorted.

A very worn-out movie rental card.

Business cards of all my friends, so I won't have to scramble to find their phone numbers, but I always do anyway because I can never remember that I have their business cards. Every few months I find them and say, "Hey! There's Christy's number! I need to remember I have this!" Never do.

A handful of starlight mints from our favorite sushi restaurant.

Someone else's asthma inhaler, which I should probably return, and soon.

My beat up glasses in case my contacts decide to jump ship.

A day planner that has everything in it except plans. Lots of cryptic notes have been made, like "Tell Mom need more" and "Don't Forget! Tape and Garlic!!!" There's also the important things, like "Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year!" and "Pay Mortgage!" I can't believe I actually felt that I had to write those two down.

Two dozen movie theater stubs that I have been saving all my life for reasons I just don't know. There are envelopes full of old stubs in every drawer of my desk, waiting for a permanent home.

Lipstick that is worn down so far past the base that it hurts a lot to try and put some on - I mean, if I'm not careful, I could slice my lip off. They don't make that color anymore, so I have to use every last particle of this one.

One brand new, only been used once lipstick that is the wrong color.

One giant keychain with far too many keys on it.

One floppy disk with about 10 journal entries that I never got around to posting.

One empty tampon case, which is always empty when I need it to be full the most.

One expired coupon for a free pair of Hanes undies for women. I probably saved it because of the empty tampon case.

One box of paperclips. I don't know why.

Well, that's not so bad. I must have cleaned my purse out sort of recently, because I expected it to be much worse. I force myself to carry a small bag, though, because no matter how big the bag is, I will always fill it to capacity.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I've always hated carrying a purse, so mine have been rather small. i currently have one of the wallert-on-a-string things, navy. Inside the various pockets, it has:
money
20 of my own business cards(you never know)
one Always, wrapped
mail receipts
library cards for the whole family
medicare cards for the whole family (must put in the new ones that came)
birth certificates for me & the kids
driver's license
pocket calendar I never look at
small picture youngest daughter drew for me
pen
bankbook case (no bankbook)
a piece of sheet music
bookstore "buy $30 get $5 off card" half-stamped
Subway (the restaurant) card, full
Girl Guide membership card (I'm not a leader anymore
about 5 gas receipts
grocery receipts
bank cards, one for a closed account
phone card
hospital card
department store "points" card
And that's it. My coat pockets, however.... well, let's just say they hold a *lot*.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

i have so much stuff to carry with me, i now carry two bags at once. before, i was always switching between "work bag" and "fun bag". now i have "little bag" which goes every where and contains: keys sunglasses trident tums cash id holder (with driver's license, credit card and atm card) chapstick and i can then grab either my work bag (usually referred to as liz's magic bag) which at any particular time usually holds: full wallet, little notebook for things i need to write down because my mind is nowhere near where it used to be, empty gladware container that had a peanut butter sandwich in it, assortment of pens, checkbook, mentos, chapstick, lipstick, compact from 1993, little screwdriver, tums, tylenol, kleenex, olfa knife, scissors, glue stick, orange, cadbury mini eggs, extra keys to my car, to my parents' house to my cousin's apartment to my parents' cottage, toothbrush and toothpaste, another multipack of trident, nail files, pile o change rattling about the bottom of the bag, bills, pay stubs, empty glasses case, old winning scratch ticket (worth 1$), bus schedules for no less than 8 bus lines, coupon holder, gift certificates to tgi fridays and target, hair clips and barettes for when i have been caught out in the rain and look like a sad scared little sheep dog, mini-umbrella...and if you ask for something else, i likely have that too.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Oh boy, this is like getting naked in front of you people. But here we go anyway...

dead cell phone
roll of used film from birthday party
FOUR contact cases (only one contact to be found in all eight slots, though
glasses and sunglasses
prescription for new glasses (am I obsessed with my eyes, or what?)
Fruit Stripes and Cinnaburst
tons of peanut shells that fall in there when I'm at the pubs
trial-size emergency bottle of Skyy Vodka
pen light
two wart remover strips (I have no warts)
set of gold and silver hoop earrings that were my grandmother's
two Albuterol inhalers
Avon powder compact that's way too old to be hygienic
two mini-sized handgel bottles from Bath & Body
and so many stray envelopes/receipts/matchbooks/sushi coupons I won't even get into it.

In my tote bag, I have:
materials for persuasive writing lessons plans
a dozen one-act plays written by seventh graders that I need to critique
Dido CD, Kim Richey CD
deck of UNO cards
organizer
Houston Symphony season brochure
magnetic photo frame I got for my birthday from coworkers

I am a total disaster.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I carry a backpack, sorry to say: Accordion file with bills/papers; bus schedule (no parking where I work - have to park 'n' ride); small case for my drugstore: advil, tylenol, sudafed, contact lens drops; small makeup case, rarely used; wallet, with checkbook and assorted insurance and discount cards; full pack of gum; bandana; swiss army knife on keychain with grocery store discount cards (they all use keytags around here - it's great); compact umbrella; assorted pens; pot of lip gloss; afterbite insect itch eraser stick (?); small notebook to record expenses; nail clipper and file; lip gloss tube; hairspray and comb (I can go months without makeup, but not 5 minutes without hairspray); hand lotion; calculator (from my Stat class last fall); university map (also last fall); Starbucks Passport (so sue me, I like to get a free half pound now and then). Whew! I do have a bunch of small bags for occasions when a backpack is too much. I got a small straw bag for spring that holds the essentials: hairspray, wallet, drugstore bag, lipstick.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Being male, I don't have the option of a shoulder bag or purse, so I have a briefcase. It contains some normal briefcase-type items, like a calculator, pens, a notebook, and the like, but it also has some rather unique occupants. One pouch is sort of a mini-pharmacy, containing Allegra, Zantac, Advil, Bonine, Sudafed, and a few bandages. Another contains random items ranging from a bag of dice (I used to play a lot of role-playing games, okay?) to a directional compass. And, of course, one pouch contains a laminated Sargent-Welch Periodic Table of the Elements, because I'm a chemist, and sometimes I just need to know the melting point of ytterbium.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Which bag? If I am just out for fun, I have a little Guatemalan wallet on a lanyard with my keys - in that, there's just cards and money and a chapstick. However. If I am going to work, I have my black Crate and Barrel tote bag which holds: water bottles, hairbrush, travel size baby lotion (great for the hands and I love the smell), cd wallet (this week: Warren Zevon's new album, all 3 of Jill Sobule's, Everclear, Blink 182, Swan Lake, Dean Martin, Ani DiFranco and Edith Piaf), ibuprofen and a snack. If I were going to teach my kids' theater classes, it would also hold my ring binder with class lists and notes, scripts, Disney cds and a stuffed Tigger (don't ask). And on dance days, I also have my dance bag, which contains: ballet shoes, pointe shoes, tap shoes, jazz shoes, a dance skirt, at least one leotard, tights with a great big hole, dance sweater I never wear, legwarmers, a little bag full of various kinds of toe protecting stuffing, a theraband, a plastic bag from Freeds of London just because, a baggie full of safety pins, nail clippers and elastics, a pen and a menu for Chinese takeout. I never knew how much stuff I had until I cleaned out my various bags. now I try not to think about it.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Well, I'm actually in-between bags right now. The other day I bought a cute black bag with flowers embroidered on the front, but haven't had time to re-organize and switch everything over. So right now I have a reversable Esprit tote (black on the outside, tiny b/w checkerboard inside).

Inside the outside zipper picket I have: Proventil inhaler, red silky-covered tiny address book, 3 floppy disks: one has wedding stuff on it, one is labeled "screen shot for april issue," but I don't think it is, and the third is unlabed, but I think has graphics o it.

Inside the bag:

* Fake snakeskin wallet containing NY state drivers license, temp NY license, SS Card, 2 credit cards, bank card, hallmark gold crown card, stop & shop card, libary card, health insurance card, calling card, some money, folded up piece of notepaper with room no. on it from Wilshire Grande in L.A., a folded up piece of note paper w/ URLs on it, a bunch of reciepts, and my security card for work.

* Portable CD player (CD inside = The Allstonians, "Go You!")

* 2 "poem of the day" print outs

* used tissue

* a copy of "Making Love to the Minor Poets of Chicago," by James Conrad

* and a squeezy-light keychain w/ 2 housekeys (my house, my parents' house) 2 car keys (my car, Drew's car), and one misc. key that goes to god-knows-what.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Being a NYer, everything goes everywhere. No matter how heavy.

Here's my bag, baby:

Palm Pilot in lovely blue leopard-print case (big Geek alert) Journal (a composition book) Mr. Friendly makeup case full of makeup I rarely use, a Kiehl's zit stick, Smell This roll-on cologne (that's supposed to be for teens and tweens) in Pina Colada and Clean Wet Laundry, a Bonne Bell Lip Smacker in Coconut Cake (I love me some coconut), two moist towlettes from Drugstore.com.... Ew. I hate the word "moist." An uber-sexy letter from my Dude A printout from Radiohead's web page Unpaid bills Street map Wallet- Metrocard, License to drive even though I *sob* don't own a car at this juncture, about fifteen bucks and some change, an Izone sticky pic of my Dude and my cat. Ricola (menthol-eucalyptis) Mini-disc player along with Placebo, Sleater-Kinney, and Folk Implosion dubbed to Mini-discs CDs for work: Eels, Purple Penguin, Grandaddy, Cat Power, Death in Vegas, Rinocerose, Stereo MCs, Travis, The Clash, No Doubt's new one. A pen- Uni Ball, the Mack Daddy of pens.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I can't believe all the stuff you girls carry. Your bags must be huge or else small and packed to the gills.

I carry a small black backpack that was originally intended to be for my portable CD, but it worked so well with everything else that now I carry it all the time. The straps make shopping a breeze, two hands free!

I have:

keys, lipbalm, various lipsticks, eye liner pencil, coverstick, business cards collected from everywhere, two pens, a Bugs Bunny Pez Dispenser, various prescription skin lotions, regular hand lotion, wallet with a bunch of cards/receipts and $4 in it, hairbrush, checkbook, and a measuring tape (huh?).

Not too bad, eh?

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Big ol' leather bag. Lessee (rummaging through) -

Zippered side pocket contains two key rings (one personal, one office) eyeglass repair kit, pillbox with aspirin, tiny Swiss Army knife, breath freshener drops.

Main part of bag contains gross old brown leather wallet (money, various IDs, credit cards, ATM card, membership cards, business cards), eyeglass case for regular glasses, eyeglass case for sunglasses, makeup case (contains powder, concealer, lipstick, various makeup brushes, oil-blotting sheets, mirror, perfume, cold medications, Shout stain-remover sheets), small pouch containing tampons and pantiliners, hairbrush, comb, two ball-point pens, and some kleenex.

Pretty boring, really. Nothing that would win me anything on the old "Let's Make a Deal" game show (anyone else around here old enough to remember that show?)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I'm jealous that you have Aimee Mann's "Whatever". I used to have it but I lost it. *sigh* I'm pitiful.

Normally I carry a blue over the shoulder bag, but I've discovered that even the smallest backpack (Eastpack, maroon) will hold more and hurt less. And be about as cute.

So what's in my bookbag?

Smallest Pocket: four Hybrid Gel Rollers, three Bic pens, my dorm room key and several hair elastics

Middle-sized Pocket: Palm Pilot in waterproof Body Glove case, wallet with (college ID, driver's lic, eight hundred reciepts, no cash whatsoever, two bank cards, one credit card, various business cards from stores I like, movie stubs and pictures), one pack of Marlboro Milds, (hey, they were buy one get one free, okay?) containing two cigarettes, two lighters, one with no childproof but without the metal casing (affectionately known as my "ghetto lighter") and one with childproofing, my monthly calander, two sets of chopsticks from my dorm's cafeteria (never know when you'll need them), 61c bus schedule and some Camel Cash.

Biggest pocket: Notebook and workbook and book from German class (last class last night), small, leopard print bound ruled book for noting things I have to do and important phone numbers, and a Brita water bottle (that filters the water as you drink it! perfect for on the go!)

Whew. That was exhausting. And it's going to be summer, which means I can't carry my wallet and cigarettes in my jacket pocket anymore, which necessitates a purse, which will mean that I carry a giant, one-pocket purse with all kinds of crap in it.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Well I am almost embarassed to admit it, because I know they are old news and old trendy, but I can't carry anything but a backpack style bag. Anything else just gets in the way and hurts my back. Plus they are usually not too big, and smaller for me is better, because I tend to put way too much shit inside a big bag. And everytime I leave my house with my backpack I hear Mike from swingers saying, "And it's like I'm supposed to be all happy 'cause she's wearing a backpack, you know?", but I just can't help it.

So let's see.......

built in wallet/front pocket has, credit cards, about 50 receipts, drivers license, social security card. Checkbook, pen (gel roller, the only pen), eight dollars and some change, insurance cards, blockbuster movie card, temporary credit card from the department store where I went shopping last night (bad girl, bad. bad. bad.), several post it notes with numbers, some of which I have no idea who's number they are, old credit cards I haven't thrown away, my husbands insurance cards, a hallmark crown card, a costco card, and three pictures, one of my husband and one of each of my nephews.

Middle pocket........one pack trident advantage, TAVIST (fucking sinus problems), cell phone (one rate, used to call long distance to family, since I am never home), one tampon (shit that is not enough to get me through today), sunglasses (prescription), eyeglasses, small bottle of Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion, contact case with no contacts inside (they are not in my eyes either), one Ortho- Tri container only green pills remaining, one pack mint-a-burst, one back bubblicious twisted tornado, one tube Mac Red lipstick, one rubberband, one 6-month Ortho prescription, one tube Lancome Ingenu lipstick, keys, one box of matches from Logan's, two matchbooks from La Fiesta, red lighter, one small bottle of Hypnotic Poison, one pack of Halls Vitamin C defense, one bottle of Aleve, one movie ticket, February of 1999, She's All That.

small pocket, inside middle pocket.......receipt from Circuit City, Business card, Stephanie, manager of the Mac counter in Winston Salem.

Back pocket......book of stamps, three left. bill from some CD company that is about 6 months overdue, that I need to ship back with the stupid Kid Rock CD I never wanted in the first place. Empty envelope with my list of things to do. Empty envelope with my grocery list. 50 million receipts. fingernail clippers. tube of mascara. tubes of Mac Ionic, Pink Poodle, Rebel, and Myth lipsticks. Tube of lancome Snob lipstick.

I have no idea how this little purse holds all this shit.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

ok, here is what in my bag

piece of paper with housekeepers number on it. (made an appointment, going to cancel, have to call her.... what the hell was I thinking, the internet has made me loose my mind, I am Not paid like that)

Franlkin Quest portable organizer (I am still deciding if I should get another PDA, my old one kinda died from abuse)

unbalanced checkbook

the second love of my life, my cell phone.(k you are my first)

little black wallet with a red star on it (a friend of mine calls it the communist manifesto, tons of useless maxed out credit cards and $7.00)

Hello Kitty binder clips (don't leave home without them)

Tales of Tenderness and Power by Bessie Head (she rocks, I love her stuff)

Apple Loan papers (still deciding if I will finance an orange iBook)

Book of matches (the nuns at catholic school told me always carry matches, I am guessing that it has something to do with novena candles)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I got bored yesterday and I set up this page with pictures and everything!

http://www.genericgirl.com/bag.html

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I'm a student, so I usually carry a backpack. In the big main compartment, I put whatever books I need for the day. In the smaller pocket are the things that accumulate and just keep accumulatin': a metronome (I am a musician) pens and pencils my cell phone instruction booklet for cell phone Snickers wrappers Starburst wrappers blank tape tape with my French class oral homework on it little pack of Kleenex my wallet, with cash, credit cards, receipts, ID, video rental cards, coffee club cards for several different cafes, checkbook my calendar/address book, with several envelopes and check stubs stuffed inside discs for school documents and poems highlighter Post-Its several different lipsticks and a lip brush comb unsent response card to tell Quality Paperback Club not to send my the item of the month plastic comb roll of Scotch tape emery board several old to-do lists notes from the library old checkbook with check carbons still attached sunglasses I really should clean it out soon. Especially all those candy wrappers. Ew. There's a local performance artist who's doing a show here in Madison, WI this weekend about this very subject: women's purses and what the signify in our lives (I think; I just read an article about it). Now, having thought about my own bag, I'd kind of like to go see it....

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Ok I can do this by memory. Its that sad:

One big black filofax which is also my wallet. I swear its 6 inches thick. The wallet part contais about $15 (Canadian), 34 ATM receipts, a book of stamps, my business cards, a few pictures of me and my man, a dried flower from our Mexico trip. The "journal" part of the filo fax has the credit cards in their little slots and my id, more ATM receipts, phone numbers, and the date book. Its a mess. Oh yeah and a checkbook that I no longer use. And my passport because I'm afraid of losing it.

One burgundy lancome cosmetic bag with (seriously) 8 lipsticks, 6 MAC lipglasses, bubblegum flavoured lipsmacker, MAC blot powder, an elastic for my hair, a tube of undereye concealer, MAC spice lipliner (goes with all of the lipproducts above), Body Shop Satsuma perfume oil, and Visine eyedrops (for contact lense wearers).

Glasses case for new glasses.

Cel phone.

Tin of half/eaten Altoids

Travel bottle of Aveda Chakra III body lotion

Pack of cigarettes and mini lighter

Bottle of generic brand extra strength tylenol

travel folding hairbrush.

Ok - I guess that wasn't TOO bad - if only I'd clean out my cosmetic bag and my filo fax I'd actually be pretty streamlined, for a girly girl!

Shelagh

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

my purse/tote is an all-in-one kind of thing. my husband bought it for me in south korea the last time he was there ... it's a *genuine* imitation!

let's see ... what do i have?

binder for grad class; grad class project folder; filofax; receipts, receipts, receipts!; a random $10 bill (i never have cash); copy card; PR proposal for new web company (work related); my wallet; a coin purse; couple of calling cards; press release; business cards galore; gum wrappers; ponytail holders; investor relations handbook (for school and work); TRASH! TRASH! TRASH! help!@#$#%

i want to downgrade to a smaller bag, but i've tried that before and i end up graduating to a bigger one again, eventually. or i end up toting around a second bag! does anyone have any tips?

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Never have I found the right bag. My closet is filled with poor choices, cast off until it's time to ship 'em to Goodwill. I look with envy at all those girls I see with the "perfect" bag, but apparently it is one of those the grass is always greener situations. My current bag almost works, it a large, black messanger style that I bought in a subway station.

Currently contains: tupperware from lunch, keys, smokes, zippo, matches,blistex medicated lip balm, Avon lip balm, a Clinique mirror, a small container of Clinique face goo, 1 tampon, one silver pillbox (with 2 extra strength Tylenol, 1 1/2 Percoset, 2 Robaxesel, and a B12 vitamin),1 green pen, 3 old pay stubs, a plastic bag, Kleenex mini-pack, a name tag from a conference I attended a month ago, an Office 2000 upgrade CD-Rom(?), cd player with Matthew Sweet's 100% Fun in it, a NY Times crossword puzzle book with not one completed puzzle, and "My Year of Meals" by Ruth Ozeki.

I just made sure that I hadn't missed anything and I made the disturbing discovery that my tampon is broken. I have never had this happen before, how does a tampon break? Anyone?

Remember: Objects in the bag may be just as useless as they appear.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

People just love to dish about what's in their bags, don't we?

I have a gigantic black Lancome bag that I carry all my crap in. I got it as a gift with purchase, you know when they give away the bread? So I'm walking through the mall carrying a baguette. My coworker calls this my diaper bag :P

-Burgundy leather Cambridge planner - have had this since sophomore year in college. Combination planner/address-phone book/life. Also has two ultrasound photos tucked in the inside cover, with various receipts. -1 liter bottle of Evian -Proventil inhaler -various diskettes -book - "Your Pregnancy, Week By Week" -book - "Pink Slip" by Rita Ceresi -a prescription for Prenate Advance vitamin refills -a brochure on Pelvic Ultrasound -a computer printout with my next doctor appointment on it -Unpaid Discover bill -2 paycheck stubs -Unpaid electric bill -My little black microfiber CK bag, which contains: -checkbook -credit cards, frequent shopper cards, video rental cards, etc. -4 stamps -a pen from our honeymoon 2 1/2 years ago in Disney World -Bloom vanilla lip balm -Philosophy Kiss Me lip balm -cherry Chapstick -MAC Spice lipliner (see Shelagh's comment above) -MAC Lust lipglass (my lip color du jour) -MAC Blot powder -MAC Plum lipliner -L'Oreal Rouge Pulp lipgloss in Forbidden (yesterday's lip color du jour) -Stila Rose Shine lipgloss (Wednesday's lip color du jour) -a lip pencil sharpener -Clinique lip brush for applying said Stila gloss -a "tiny tin" with about 6 Altoids in it -a pack of Smints, my alltime favorite mints -a lighter, even though I'm not smoking due to small child in tummy -Extra peppermint gum -a very small tub (lip-balm sized) of Camille Beckman hand cream

WHEW.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Do you notice that it doesn't matter how big or small your purse is, you can usually fit all the same things in it? Mary Poppin's all over again.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I remember answering the question at willa.com in 1999 or 1998 and it took forever. I was toting a major amount of crap at the time.

New streamlined me:

$13 bag found at store I have walked through 250 times but never bought anything from until last week: Steinmart. (Does anyone shop at Steinmart? I never see anyone buy anything there. Tumbleweeds roll through that store. The cashier seemed relieved to have something to do, but had to think hard about which keys to punch to take cash from me.) Bag is black, has embroidered and beaded violets and poppies on it and black beaded fringe on the bottom. S'purty.

Useful items in bag: 1 blue cloth bag with rocks in it. Two mother of pearl, etc. Forgot it was in there. 1 silver compact with mirrored lid and perfume-wax scented in Jasmine. 1 pair squashed earplugs. I like music. 1 CoverGirl lipslicks in 'Hint of Shimmering Sandstone'. 1 set of keys on 'Ford' keychain. Has all sorts of crap on it, including a ring watch which (checking) has a dead battery. 1 silver cigarette case, despite the fact that I smoke maybe 6 cigarettes a year, tops. Has three varieties of cloves and two medicinal handrolled things. Hmm. 1 silver butane lighter that you click to light instead of flick. One silver-cased lipstick (Sonia Kashuk) in 'Heather' 1 lonely stick of gum. 1 stick Ivoire Doux Maybelline concealer stick. I be pale. 1 kewl pen that lights up. It is red on top, clear with red hearts on the bottom (hearts are goofy, but they wear off eventually, I've had three of these pens) and if you click the top, you can write at night with it, a red LED comes on. Can also detach top, use as mini flashlight. 1 Chococat notepad, spiral, small, full of scribbles and free passes and tickets and scraps of paper with more scribbles on them. Wrote writing/poetry ideas in it twice this week. 3 scraps of paper torn from monogrammed pad at work with numbers, reminders on them. 4 business cards small brocade drawstring pouch (just big enough to fit credit cards and money inside)--has credit cards and money inside. Have not been to ATM in a week, thus have $8.60 cash, oops, make that $9.60...another business card, a Waldenbooks card I was nagged into buying by clerk, a 99X card (hate that damn radio station but the card gets twofers & freebies all over the place), ATM/debit card, GA driver's licence, insurance card, 1 lonely Flavigny Anis violet pastille candy that must have fallen out of a tin I was carrying earlier this week, crumpled SunTrust ATM receipt (not that I bank at SunTrust) claiming that I have $800 more bucks in my account than I actually do at this moment.

That's it.

I usually have much more, including a brush I never use, aspirin I never take, more pens, eyeliner I don't use, stamps, etc., but I'm trying to pare down a bit. Tired of unloading on Friday to go out and reloading on Sunday night to get through week.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Oh my, oh my. My bag is fairly crammed. I have a black messanger bag that I use as a backback at school and a carry-all/purse any other time.

Currently in there:

- jeweled (tacky) calculator (its a 4 function calc, pretty much useless and the buttons are plastic rhinestones)

- wonder woman pez dispenser that i've been carrying around for 3 years

- a pen i stole from a girl at school today

- wallet w/ lots of singles, and every card I currently have, including driver's license, 3 student IDs (freshman, soph., jr.), blockbuster card, AAA card, National Forensic League membership card, etc

- random blank losseleaf paper

- 17 "Topical Outlines" -- an inane assignment my AP U.S. History teacher thought up to help us study for our test

- various magazines (TIME, entertainment weekly, people, etc)

- a list of things to do for a debate tournament

- cell phone

- movie star sunglasses

- keys

I am also a purse whore. I adore purses, especially little handbags. Those are too small to carry much, so they hold keys, wallet, cell and sunglasses. - old chemistry labs - english assignments

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Everything is in my bag (I carry an LLBean Backpack if that tells you something)

My textbooks books, my camera, my checkbook, lip balm, ID's a million, my datebook, my addressbook, oh crap this list is depressing me. No wonder my back hurts.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

My bag entirely depends on the day. If I have class, I carry a great big Timbuk2 messenger bag full of notebooks, textbooks, pens, and other class-type stuff. My regular bag is a plain black canvas bag, kind of medium-sized, that I sewed a Union Jack patch onto. I just tidied it up, so right now it contains: Keys Wallet Cigarettes Zippo Electronic organizer Gum Two kinds of lip balm Eyedrops Little beauty.com mirror Advil Pocket pack of Kleenex Dead Kleenex from the pocket pack A book My Discman Bits of paper with homework stuff on them Pens Spare batteries for the discman Random gum wrappers Sunglasses

It's not a very large bag -- I'm continually surprised by how much I can fit into it.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

lets see....

-a bunch of free postcards from various bars and laundromats -a free valentine's day card someone handed me in union square -various receipts -cell phone -albuterol inhaler -simone debeauvoir 'the second sex' -various sticky-notes with reminders to myself on them -padlock -pencil (broken lead) -today's paycheck (wahoo!!) -hair rubberband -70 cents -hershey kiss wrapper -half my wallet (the other half is at home in my school backpack, i think) -two unmatching hair clips -another hair rubberband -more loose change -three plastic covered mint flavored toothpicks (i have no clue where those came from) -ATM receipts -3 24 hour fitness membership cards (mine, my bf, and his bro) -atm receipts -pen that doesn't seem to work anymore

that doesn't sound so bad...but...i also have about three more bags that i carry around, and the junk varies from bag to bag. i just transport the vitals, (ie cell phone, wallet) and whatever junk i need. today, i'm missing my notebook, half my wallet, and my cd player/headphones, which is in my backpack for school) but today is a workday, and i'm carrying my generic urban outfitters bag (the medium sized shoulder thing from manhattan portage). my roommate used to work at urban, so i got a 50% discount. -

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

i have two bags. one is a big bag that i throw over my shoulder that was actually the bag from when i bought my leather jacket in florence. it is fabric and therefore durable. it has in it: a pencil case, two boxes compressed charcoal, 1 box pastels, 1 box oil psatels, 3 oil sticks, 1 sketchbook, 1 cd player w/ headphones, 3 cds (Moby, Ani DiFranco and REM), 2 books about willem dekooning, 1 box vine charcoal, 1 bottle india ink, 1 block of really big charcoal, and an empty bottle of mountain dew.

my other bag (a little gray pursey type deal) has in it: 2 packs parliament light, 1 o.b. tampon, 2 lipsticks, a compact that i keep just for the mirror, 2 pieces of marble that a friend of mine dropped in there unbeknownst to me while we were in italy, loads of italian change, 1 glue stick, 1 pair needle nose pliers (you never know when you might need them... they have come in handy more than once), a broken butterfly hair clip, a mystery tape, ticket stub to the roma/fiorentina game i saw in rome, ticket to the galleria comunale d'arte, a business card to a restaurant in italy, 2 drawing pens, a letter from my boss, and the business card of a policeman from the new year's even, when my purse got stolen.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

in backpack -

2 mismatched wet socks 2 calculators one blue pen one lipstick [maybeline moisture whip] one clinique coverup compact one tampon one postcard that says gag me witha coat hanger and has a picture of william rehnquist on it [from like 1992] one index card with tori amos lyrics & a poem on it in green pen one fabric marker another tampon oil-absorbing papers one thick charcoal pencil book of christopher durang plays "Out of her mind - women writing on madness" one blank book with Munch;s scream on the cover, and quotes in it & poems Iris Murdoch's "Sandcastle" one calender planner thing that i use like once a month & end up writing poems in anyway miscellaneous papers, worksheets, tests, etc [not in folders] Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" one peach nutrigrain bar one Xanax one plastic baggie with 2 tylenol in it

note the lack of money, wallet, ID, or anything else a junior in high school might possibly need besides tampons. and lipstick. and xanax. and death of a salesman, which im reading for school.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Up until last year I was totally ANTI PURSE..if I had to carry anythign anywhere it was in a bookbag (like on vacations) or a tiny little knitted thing that held my wallet and some lip gloss and thats about it...but..this christmas I found my dream bag *grins* its not a huge gigantic oversized thing, its just kinda litte..bout 8 inches long, 8 inches across...book bag like material in a dark periwinkle blue color with a big wide black strap....its got a big zip pocket with a littler one inside..a pocket on the side perfect size for lip gloss and one in the from as well as a flap pouch to hold cards and what not..i was in love the moment i saw it...it also is from GUESS...which is about the only brand name thing i own *L*
Its amazing the things you can fit in this tiny little thing on any given day..so lets take a look:
One Winnie the Pooh Wallet filled with micelaneous cards and no money (im a poor university student)
Tons of interact receipts..i never carry cash
15 or so assorted lips smacker lipglosses
One small comb for touchups
3 packages of halls, and a bunch of free floating other cough drops and mints
2 sets of dorm room keys (THATS where the extra set went!)
3 filled subway cards (i should likely redeem those!)
lots of bright green post-its with things like the amount of food i ate for the day, "return library books" "PSYCH PAPER DUE!" and stupid little things like questions in physics I have to finish
3 phone bills to be paid
2 cheque stubs from christmas time
one roll of film
one thing of anti bacterial hand gel (that i NEVER use) and french vanilla hand cream
a pair of earrings i never wear
pen caps..but no pens
a blue plastic paper clip shaped like a penis (that creates some interesting conversations)
A La Senza Prestige card
2 tampons, a panty liner and a pad
2 tylenol, 2 pamprin, and four tylenol 3 (for my broken leg)
one pot of moca fudge lip gloss
One bank statement
one winnie the pooh character *shrug*
And I blieve thats its...occasionaly i clear it out to shove in a camera and some sun glasses or my reading glasses..but thats still alot for sumthing this size.. its little, its stuffed, its a mess..and i love it :)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Here's another guy response -- not a purse, not a briefcase, but a nylon carrybag sort of about the size of a laptop case (except my laptop lives in its own case)... and here's what's in mine (having just returned from a business trip to Pittsburgh a few hours ago)

In the small external zipped compartment: my wallet (so I wouldn't have to sit on it during the flight), U.S.Airways ticket stubs (for my expense account), an opened pack of Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (to releave ear pressure during landing), two computer diskettes, a pack of yellow sticky tab notes, a Fujifilm single use camera (12 shots remaining), and some business cards (mine).

In the main compartment: a large book (WebSphere Application Server and Enterprise Java Beans Workshop: Student Notebook, Volume 2) , two paperback novels (Waiting by Frank M. Robinson and N is for Noose by Sue Grafton), some printouts of MapQuest maps of Pittsburgh, the current issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, a steno type notebook, a bag of vitamin C coughdrops, three ballpoint pens, one mechanical pencil, a flashlight, a hairbrush, another diskette, my keys (house and car and office -- my wife drove me to the airport on Sunday and picked me up tonight), a plastic bag containing small bottles of aspirin, ibuprofin, and vitamin C, the section of today's USA Today (containing a story about the Beatles that I wanted to read and haven't gotten to yet), and various assorted scraps of paper (receipts, etc.)

In small pockets under the main flap: more business cards, a pack of small yellow sticky notes, and a yellow highlighter.

Gee, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Jim

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

okay, really, I don't have much in my bag, but that's because it's sorta small. it's a lovely shade of burgandy [black cherry?] and it's a "the sak". very cool. here's what's in it:

main compartment: slate blue sunglasses [old navy], purple pager which has been dead for 2 years, my black nine west wallet which contains old school pictures of friends, a ticket stub to the movie men in black from like july 1997...geez, receipts, a phone number to someone's pager, 24 dollars [1 20, 4 ones], a TON of change in the change person compartment of the wallet.

zippered off area inside purse: old list of stuff for xmas gifts. I should toss that out. and list of books I still want to read.

really, it's not that bad...hehe

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I carry a small (8 inches wide, 6 inches high), black satin handbag (got it from Elizabeth Arden, strangely enough), because if I carried anything larger it would be filled immediately. Mine currently contains:

mobile phone little Guess? change purse keys (including skeleton keys for our side door, which I don't even know how to use) Virgin Vie aromatherapy face and hand towels that I got on a flight to London in December container for a urine sample (my doctor gave it to me to fill while I was at her office the other day, but I couldn't, so I brought it home) pocket-sized street guide to London Altoids tin, empty book of 4 worldwide postcard stamps book of 10 first-class stamps, where the Queen's head looks like someone's used the Emboss tool on it triangle-shaped Guess? pocket mirror tube of Shiseido lippie (M8) Clinique lipbrush Vincent Longo creamy concealer Shiseido blotting papers Virgin toothbrush packet of Nurofen too many train tickets, tube tickets and bus tickets ticket stub from Three Kings Sainsbury's (supermarket) Reward Card business card for F'Him salon in Kingswinford (for my bf)

If my bag were any bigger, I could fit my entire life in it. But I like its compact size, because it's just big enough to stash my digital camera in, if I'm going anywhere interesting, but small enough to not bring on shoulder strain.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

I know how to use the
tag, but that doesn't mean I always remember to do so...

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Man, I'm impaired.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000

Which bag? I've got so much different stuff for differet projects and different errands, and these all overlap, cross over, so to speak, so sometimes I lug 3-4 bags home. Actually, I can't generally see to the bottom, but tonight, I only have two bags. And only used one, to get out the cigarettes.

OK, just one peek.....the Turtle I found on the road at a Chiasso store. A fantastic computer wire/cord rubbery gadget that wraps up, and HIDES the wires! I have this 25-foot phone jack cord for hotel rooms, because the desk is always across the room from the phone data port. And the only phone that works for e-mail at my aunt's house is 20 feet across the room from the dining room table (above her sink). I bought 4 Turtles...one for home wires, one for office wires, one for the laptop bag, and a spare just in case. But only one's in the bag.

At well over 30, I have yet to find the perfect bag. There is no such thing as the perfect bag. So ladies, give up the search. We need all this stuff, and all we can do is muddle along with the bag-o-the-day that fits it all.

--Sally (details@alaska.net)

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2000

oh lord...here goes:

my funky purple shoulder bag that follows me to classes/coffee/nearly everywhere else contains.... *one polaroid i-zone that hasent had film in months *one half pack of trident *tube of lip balm *pot of body shop cherry lip gloss i have had since high school (use it everyday, and it isn't even half gone!! how is this possible???) *sixteen crumpled ATM slips showing a depressing downward progression of my bank balance *green mini-lighter *three pages with scrawled notes on thesis presentations (about a month old) *wallet containing one 5 and one 20 (i bet they are both gone by the end of the day0, a couple nearly maxed out credit cards, student ID, license, etc *printout about post-op care from my cats last vet appointment *day-glo bandaid...wrapped and unused *glasses case (not sure on the location of the glasses, tho) *one pack of birth control pills *tin of starbucks after coffee mints *grocery list from 2 weeks ago *keys *one broken nail file *John Irving's "Trying to Save Piggy Sneed" *two bic pens, both blue *note that says "buy lightbulbs". it is not my handwriting. (??) *Anais Nin's "Under a Glass Bell" *47 cents in change at bottom of bag *various bits of paper and lint.

maybe i'l clean this thing out later today.............

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2000

What's in my shiny gunmetal gray Kenneth Cole backpack?

- one bright green highlighter

- a bunch of pens in the funkiest neon colours I could find

- lil pack of tissues

- Cassettes for walkman: Cirque du Soleil - Mystere, and Limp Bizkit -3 dollar bill yall$

- Crappy old Walkman whose batteries die every other day

- American and Canadian money, bank cards, credit cards, and student IDs

- Little book of phone numbers

- Tiny little palm-sized book of Shakespeare's sonnets

- 2 pairs of sunglasses

- Kiehl's lip balm

- 2 coloured/flavored condoms (they were free...grape and lime)

- Passes to Industry, Limelight, and System Soundbar nightclubs (for impromptu trips)

- small tub of body glitter (see above)

- notebook of totally disorganized class notes

- chapbook of my poetry (from last night's coffeehouse)

- usually about ten different library books and anything I picked up at the used bookshop

Forlaetan

Vain Travails

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2000

About two months ago, I finally got the perfect bag. It's a little green "look I'm camping" over-the-shoulder number, and it's just perfect for holding:

* the digital camera * the web phone (yes, i'm a BIG GEEK) * the palm pilot pro (takes a lickin' & keeps on tickin')

plus, in the small webbing pockets:

* a travel-size excedrin continer, which i refill every few weeks with the pain-killer du jour * an 8mb compact flash card (in case i ever get teleported to Botswana and actually start taking a lot of pictures) * photo lens cleaning fabric

I solve the "carrying around lots of adapters and crap" problem by just leaving extras wherever I have computers :).

I love my case so much that I've convinced myself that I might actually have some real reason to carry around a thousand dollars in personal electronics other than being an information addict.

eric

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2000

I'm not running all the way across the house to find my purse and list everything in it. It's pretty much the same as everyone else's, anyway. What I think is absolutely hysterical is that about every two years, my purse reaches maximum capacity and I go out and buy a bigger one - but then when I go out for an evening, I'll just grab my little driver's licence wallet, stuff a credit card and $20 cash in it, stick it in my pocket, and go. Why the heck do I bother lugging around a purse half the size of a briefcase?

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2000

Wow, I get to combine answers to two forum questions...I've got a bag AND the passenger's side floor of my truck! Lucky me, lucky me!

Lessee....in the bag (LL Bean backpack) I've got a week-at-a-glance planbook with binder clips, paper clips, and sticky notes. I had a filofax and couldn't pull it together to have all of that stuff in one spot....an extra pair of mittens that have been in there is March of 99, receipts, recipts, reciepts, Dunkin' Donuts refillable coffee cup, empty cigarette pack (havne't smoked in almost six months) a djeep lighter because I hate throwing things away, a dozen pencils with broken tips, two dozen non-repro pens that I search for every night and never find, a fork because you just never ever know, lip balm (some girl put that in there. I swear) and stubs to every cultural event I've had to go to or avoided -- They do come in handy. My wife got her college cultural event credit for some of them -- Film, film film, batteries, batteries, sto-fen flash diffuser, lens cap. Lens cap. Lens cap. Film container.

Now...in the truck I have....notebook notebook notebook, napkin, coffee cup tape case, filofax, flashlight. Tape measure (actually use that a few times a month) soft-sided briefcase lying there empty and defeated, sweater. Necktie. Fingerless gloves. Street finder. Lens cap. Empty envelope that once held an emergency $20 bill for about a day. A rusty screwdriver. Another refillable coffee cup -- you never know when you'll have company.

And that's that. I'd go through what I have in the truck bed, but it's only sand and an empty gas can.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2000

I am such a fucking idiot.

We went to a friend's place for lunch yesterday, down in Kent (about an hour from where we live in London). We got there early, so we stopped at a pub for a drink before arriving on her doorstep and ruining her last minute lunch-cooking panic.

Anyway, I took my bag in, had a lemonade, and then walked out, leaving my bag on the ground by my seat. And I didn't even realise until I checked my answerphone at 9.30 last night, and heard the message from the people who own the pub. So I'm without my filofax, phone, tube pass, wallet, umbrella, security card and housekeys, and the world is a much more scary place.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2000

I have a little blue vinyl backpack-y thing that I carry around on weekends. When I'm going to school, all this stuff gets crammed into a navy blue jansport backpack along with books and folders and things.

Here goes:

black wallet with embroidered flowers on the front that contains $11 folding and about 45 cents in change, my learner's permit, my student ID, my library card, gift cards for Old Navy and Best Buy, some movie ticket stubs, and an expired coupon for David's BBQ
a few packages of Pez
at least 2 kinds of lip balm: one roll-on tube, one pot (current flavors: watermelon and kiwi)
Kleenexes, both used and unused
1 hairbrush with one or two hair ties wrapped around the handle
1 bottle Advil
1 albuterol inhaler (thank god I'm not the only wheezy asthmatic to post here...)
2 tampons, wrapped
1 pencil
1 pen (black)
1 extra long- sleeved shirt in case I get chilly (right now it's a black one with "gap blue jeans" written across the front)

The sad thing is, it still has room to hold a LOT more, and I always end up hold other peoples' stuff.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2000

I don't carry my backpack unless I'm going to class, so it really only has in it old homework, books, paper, a calculator and pens and pencils. I do, however, carry way too much shit in my pockets. It's a chore for me to empty them. Right now I have in all five of my pockets combined: (a checkbook), (a wallet), (a gold dollar in the fifth pocket), (a Showoff change holder thing, an inhaler, a pen i've had since 06/15/97 from a Holiday Inn in Lake Charles, LA, a pen i've had since 1/22/00 from Exile Tattoo and Body Piercing, two one dollar bills), (a swiss army knife, and my keys). The stuff in the parentheses indicates that all that stuff is in one pocket. Before I picked up the change holder, I had change everywhere. For some reason I've always carried a lot of change.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2000

I do have a tendency to overpack for everything, which should help explain why, after almost four years of high school, I often look rather hunched over. Not that my Calculus book helps much, either.

I have in my backpack (sorry, don't really carry a purse):
Main pocket--
-empty brown paper lunch bag containing yesterday's lunch trash (ziploc bag with cheese bagel crumbs, open and empty single-serving cream cheese packet, empty bottle of mocha Frappucchino)
-local transit guide, post-I-695
-hardcover copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet
-my AP English class "poetry bible," Perrine's Sound and Sense
-Schwantes' The Pacific Northwest, a big history book I have to peruse and copy stuff out of so they let me graduate from high school
-Rains all the Time, a book about Northwest weather to supplement the above graduation requirement
-filled-up black spiral notebook from first semester calculus
-even fuller, falling apart, desperately-seeking-duct tape purple folder containing class notes, old homework and tests, and extra paper
-3" thick calculus textbook with the last three classes' notes and work tucked inside as a bookmark
-thin yellow folder labeled "Espanol"--scratched out, because it now holds history classwork
-almost empty blue spiral notebook with "slimy" written on the cover in silver pen
-well-filled out blue folder containing AP English classwork
-red folder containing two years' worth of journalism/school paper stuff
-green folder with stuff like transcripts and college info
Bigger pocket in front--
-TI-82 graphing calculator
-two steno notebooks, one red for journalism, one green for anything else, both excellent for fwapping
-house and mailbox keys on a large pile of miscellaneous, beat-up keychains-- one old "Intel Inside" with a piece of circuitry, silver metal "Rent" my mom bought me in New York, Smashing Pumpkins (I was once a devotee; now I don't even have the new album), and miniature Etch-A-Sketch
-large assortment of multicolored pens
-one mechanical pencil that gets more use than any of the pens
-three boxes of extra .5mm pencil lead
-one tube of extra pencil erasers containing only one more eraser
-a couple dead batteries
In the little pocket in front of that--
-wallet
-tin of Zingo's caffeinated mints-- a little too strong for me, but I couldn't find Penguins at the time
-little pot of Blistex daily conditioning lip treatment
-...so THAT'S where my barrettes went!!
-and I forgot that I put my feathers in here when my fedora flew off with the wind and landed in a puddle one stormy winter's day
Bottom pocket--
-mini stapler that only works half the time
-crushed box of extra staples
-deck of playing cards that spilled out of the box and all over the pocket

Hmmm... ok, so I don't carry my *life*... just a significant portion of it. No pictures in my wallet, either, just an index card with an ee cummings poem that my KK wrote out for me. Sigh.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Wow.

I thought I was a guy who carried around too much unecessary rubbish but It doesn't compare to you girls.

You see when we guys decide to lug around a few essentials we dont mess about with trendy leather satchels and little shoulder bags. We take the whole thing seriously. We're not carrying around our life in a feminine nesting instinct kind of way. We are out to hunt and gather, we want lots of extra space available just incase we feel the urge to raid a shop for bargains. What if you get hot and want to strip of layers of clothing? Where do said layers go? In the bag.

Thats why I'm loading up my 35 litre berghaus rucksack with my essentials:

Embarassing paperback featuring robots, starships and aliens to read on the tube. Mini Disk Player, plus collection of disks of St. Etinne, Blondie and too popular to be trendy Big Beat. Library book thats going to cost me #4 in fines. A-Z of London. Mobile Phone.

Oh and a almost used up lipbalm stick.

Tom Nealon

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

I carry 2 hand bags with me at all times...simultaneously. And sometimes, my messanger bag "briefcase". That totals 3 bags, at once. Sometimes, I'll carry one inside another...

Bag #1, medium sized messanger type handbag, cell phone compartment, cigarette compartment, side pocket and inside zip. This bag contains: cigarettes, 2 lighters, cell phone, 1 and 5 dollar bills scattered throughout, cinnamon TicTacs, 2 hair scrunchies, 1 hair tie, empty pack of Doublemint, Comtrex Cold & Flu, 1 company fountain pen, 1 silver plated company ball point, change out the ass, roll of Wintergreen Life Savers (love that spark), oh, another hair tie, oil absorbing face blotters, drug screening receipt (I passed!), travel pack of Excedrin, travel pack of Nuprin (little, yellow, different, better), one utility tool which includes pliers, scissors, knife, and both types of screwdrivers, pack of Trident half chewed, 1 large stick of Palmer's Cocoa Butter, 1 tube of Chapstick, 1 tube of Blistex, 1 tube of lipstick, Body Cream, hand lotion, diskettes with wav files, MityLite flashlight, hairbrush, toothbrush, checkbook, wallet overstuffed with ID's (work, state, Driver's license, school, etc) money and receipts, nail file, oh, more body lotion (because there is a difference between body lotion and body cream, you see), one maxi pad, one tampon, 2 different deodorants-Secret and Bath & Body Coutnry Apple, my business cards, others' business cards, cuticle lotion, lighted pen (works well in dim bars, having a thought in the movie theater, etc), markers, highlighters, ballpoints, matchbooks, toothpicks and, most importantly, my tazer, to shock the hell out of people who try attacking me.

Bag #2: very small sleek bag for night life and also work, from Express. This is much easier and lighter to carry then Bag #1. It holds cigarettes (for breaks), money and lipstick/chapstick for touch ups, usually includes lots of change and telephone #s I'll never use.

Bag #3: My company messenger bag w/ logo. This contains accordian files overflowing with raw data spreadsheets, paperclips (big butterfly ones), a ruler, pencils, eraser, medical benefits info, bank account info, pay stub, Black Sabbath Paranoid CD, and 6 CD disks filled with icons and clip art and animations.

Then there's my car, which I assure you, is more discombobulated (sp?) than Pamie's, if not equal.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

in backpack:

1 crumpled up application to local store, 1 tube berry flavored blistex, 1 black dr grip pen, 1 wallet falling apart, 50+ notecards with terms on the for middle ages china, 1 battered copy of the Tanakh, 1 chewed pencil, 1 letter from my cousin sent in november and i keep meaning to reply, 1 ziplock of now crushed goldfish crackers, 70 cents in silver change (woo!), 1 tube bonne bell liplix "who pears?" flavor, 2 mead 5 subject spiral notebooks, 1 guide to the greater halifax area, 1 progam from the texas tribute to woody guthrie, 3 crumpled flyers handed to me on campus (film festival, god saves, and earth week), 2 graded blue books

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

WHAT"S MY BAG BABY??

well you asked.....

- leopard print wallet with 8 credit cards, 3 forms of picture i.d., passport (in case i need to hitail out of the country for a secret mission ASAP, of course...), 5 pounds of recipts, one dollar bill, change and spare earrings and clips in my change compartment, recipts and flyers from overseas from a YEAR AGO... - camera (in case i need to document any events while in my car, on the bus, or getting coffee...) - brush - bath and body works spray - bath and body works lotion - body shop perfume - toothbrush and toothpaste (in case i eat something funky) - makeup (concealer, eyeliner and eyeshadow--NO foundation) - two paystubs - one state revenue tax refund check - 7 pens of varying colors and assortments--ballpoint, felttip, gel, etc. - chapstick - lipstick - photoalbum (don;t ask..) - dentyne ice gum with about half the gum missing - keychain with all my 2000 keys on it... - two types of headache stuff--excedrin migraine and alleve - one prescription migraine tablet - one spare key for my car - foreign currency (again from a YEAR AGO!)

this list on a good / small bag day. you don;t want to know what i have when carrying a pack or a messenger bag. not good.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2000

I carry one of those one-strap backpacks with a broad band over the chest and three carrier compartments, plus one of those cell phone holder thingies. (I got my cell phone real early, so I have this unwieldy black Motorola that won't fit into the cell phone holder thingy. I don't care. My phone is great for knocking people unconscious in self-defense, let's see you try that with one of those tiny wussy hands-free jobs.) In the Bag, which I use for school, shopping and visits to the royal palace, is: A Kangol pencil case containing writing stuff, a lot of Crayolas, and four visiting cards My earphone radio, which must go everywhere I go A paisley-pattern cloth wallet with great hunks of change, my house keys and bike keys on a Charmander keyring, sixteen used ticket stubs for the subway, and two library cards in it A packet of Panodil, one of Naproxen and one of Fenazonkoffein, in case I get a migraine, or cramps, or a headache, or someone I know gets a migraine or cramps or a headache, or I get stranded on a remote mountainside after a plane crash and have to eat over-the-counter drugs for sustenance A protractor (you always need a protractor!) A pair of glasses I used in sixth grade and had to wear one day because I couldn't wear my lenses and my normal glasses were broken, and my social life has yet to recover Tampons A Strawberry Slush lipgloss and a Chocolate Mint Ship lip balm, both Bonne Bell The aforementioned giant hunk o' cell phone All my school notebooks and four books on German grammar A yellow folder containing miscellaneous short stories and essays I've written A print of the first-ever edition of Adresseavisen, which is the main newspaper in Trondheim A notebook with assorted doodles, as well as six pages of semi- comprehensible notes about telekinesis, which I think would be a good idea for an English project My brother's Bloodhound Gang CD (Hooray for Boobies, if you must know), which I've been hiding there for six weeks now to keep him from playing it on max volume again and again and again. That's pretty much it. Most of my stuff is school-related, so the content varies a little, but those are the constants.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2000

yes i will carry life everywhere.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

OH WHERE TO BEGIN. . .I LOVELOVELOVE BAGS. EVER SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL I HAVE HAD THIS BAG FETISH. I GO FROM THE BIG ONES TO SMALL ONES AND I AM STILL SEARCHING THE WORLD FOR THAT "PERFECT BAG" THAT I WILL GROW OLD WITH AND NOT CHANGE FROM ONE TO ANOTHER BUT UNTIL THEN MY BAG I AM USING NOW IS A CHOCOLATE BROWN LEATHER MAIL BAG, REMEMBER THOSE? A VERY LONG SHOULDER STRAP AND THE BAG IS HUGE WITH A FLAP AND 4 COMPARTMENTS. AND IN MY BAG YOU WILL FIND: LEATHER WALLET W/ CHECKBOOK, MICROFIBER CHANGE PURSE, HONEY COUGH DROPS. MY INHALER, MY FILOFAX THAT KNOWS ME BETTER THAT I KNOW "IT." UMMM. . .LOTS OF PENS, CALLIGRAPHY AND PERMANENT MARKERS, A TINY, BABY LEATHER JOURNAL FOR WRITING DOWN LITTLE THINGS LIKE MY THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY, PHONE NUMBERS OF SPECIAL PEOPLE, PICTURES OF MY HIMALAYAN AND MY PERSIAN CATS, BAZOOKA BUBBLE GUM, HARD CANDY (I'M A DIABETIC), MY OTHER JOURNAL WHICH IS A COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK, CUCUMBER-MELON HAND CREAM, TONS OF RECEIPTS AND ATM SLIPS, LOTS OF PICS OF MY HUSBAND, MY DAUGHTERS, MY GRAND DAUGHTERS--CUTE AS BUTTONS, DIRECTIONS TO A HANDBAG FACTORY IN MASSACHUSETTS--CAN YOU DIG IT? I HAVE FOUND GOLD! A SMALL LEATHER WALLET FOR MEDICAL CARDS, LIBRARY CARD, TETNEOUS SHOT CARD, BLOOD TYPE CARD, MY MEDIC-ALERT BRACELET, A RECORD OF THE MEDS I AM TAKING. . .JUST IN CASE I HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, A LOVE LETTER FROM MY HUSBAND, COUPONS GALORE, LIPSTICK BY AVEEDA--MOON ROSE IS THE COLOR, LOOSE CHANGE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG, AND MATCHES SHOULD ANYONE NEED A LIGHT AND NO WAY DO I SMOKE! I LOVE THIS BAG, I USED IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH COLLEGE AND NOW 8 YEARS LATER WE ARE STILL A COUPLE. I LOVE IT AND THE SMELL OF THE LEATHER IS GREAT! RICH, SUPPLE, LEATHER THAT SQUEAKS LIKE MY LEATHER JACKET. A BAG BY ANY OTHER NAME HAS TO BE A CRAPPY BAG. LOVE MY BAG. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002