*sigh* ~ YES, It's A Purse

A while back, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post about how starting to wear makeup will result in guys carrying purses.

I don't carry a lot of stuff normally.  I have some paper ~ cash and credit cards and driver's license ~ in one pocket.  I gave up on wallets a long time ago.  I kept taking things out and not putting them back.  Eventually I figured the only purpose of a wallet (for me) is to know if I've used something recently.  I don't carry any keys, just my little Prius "fob."  I do carry a handkerchief in a back pocket.

But I've added a little packet of breath mints and a lip balm and now my lip gloss.

For work, I carry a portfolio where I keep a couple of pens and papers for notes, a business card or two...
stuff like that.

Until a couple of weeks ago, that's all I carried.  Then there was a couple of very rainy days.  I have a  tiny umbrella, but I'm the sort of person who's just as likely to forget the umbrella (or leave it in the car) as carry it.

Vendors at the Washington Auto Show have decided that reusable grocery bags are a useful and cheap giveaway so I picked up a few during my last couple of visits.  They usually hide in my trunk.  I dug around a bit and grabbed a smaller one.  My portfolio fit in there nicely, as did my umbrella.  Nice.  I could also put my travel mug in there.


Why would I carry my coffee cup to the office?  Well, no matter how large your mug is, you can fill it for the price of a small coffee.  So another part of my routine is to grab my mug in the early afternoon, grab $1.52, and head downstairs to the cafe for an afternoon fill.


Before I started carrying the grocery bag, I put the contents of my front right pocket (fob, lip balm, lip gloss, mints) in my desk to I'd have an empty pocket to put the change in.  This kept me from fumbling between little tubes to find the coins.  It also allowed for the possibility that I'd forget my fob, walk all the way to my car (a long walk) and have to walk back.  But now, I can put the miscellany into the grocery bag and as long as I remember that, I'll be good, even if I forget to reload my pocket.


When I leave my house for work, when I leave my car for work, when I leave work for home, I remember I have four things to carry: phone, portfolio, coffee, badge.  More than once, doing the "inventory" has kept me from leaving a phone at work, or coffee in my car.  Hey, it works for me.

Now, I automatically remember my umbrella as well, since it's in the bag.

Next time, I'll get one of these

The bag also has an overlong strap.  Others have a loop that's maybe 4-5 inches in diameter.  This bag has a loop that's maybe 9 or 10 inches in diameter.  That means it can easily sit on my shoulder.

I've also decided to vary my lip routine.  I bought a "natural" lipstick (more soon).  I've been wearing lip gloss during work, and the lipstick after work.  No particular reason ~ it's just what I'm doing.  Since I don't usually wear the lipstick but I don't want to leave it lying around in the car, it goes in the bag.

So I'm carrying a bag containing lipstick, maybe lip gloss and mints and my fob, over my shoulder as I walk the streets of Alexandria.

Yes, it's a purse.  I didn't even realise it, but....

It's a purse.