Monday, December 15, 2008

The Bag Lady

Its 20 inches in length, 8 inches deep and 4 inches wide, tan goatskin leather, and I'm never without it.

Th other day, my handbag and I had to endure snide remarks from a colleague, about how I can stash a tiny person in the bag, when it is not filled with all sorts of unnecessary junk.

Lets just say contrary to an expected chagrin, I experienced a mild sense of satisfaction at the thought of being able to survive in a desert or similar inhospitable conditions for at least 3 days to a week (presuming we are discounting the luxury of showers and pampering.... I would be lost, after all).

Just to make sure I can substantiate this claim, I decided to conduct a quick run through, and here's what I found: A large bottle of water, a small bottle of black currant soda, hand sanitizer (yeah, I'll be germ-free if i have to dig underground for more water), medicines for mild fever, body aches and cramps, lip balm, moisturizer with SPF 15 (ultra light: halleujah!!), a phone charger (now only if they had electricity in my desert), an MP3 player, breath mints, an apple, a mini-pack of jam, low calorie sweetener, a wallet with cash and cards, loose change, keys (maybe they will also act as digging tools), and to soothe an anxious girl's nerves... some junk jewelery, hair accessories and basic cosmetics (now ALL i need is that handsome rescuer-man).

Somehow, what men see as "junk", I see as "preparation", and whats "unnecessary" for them becomes "fun" for me.... I love to be the one pulling out candy for kids at a traffic signal... I love to be the one handing out soda to a moody colleague, and I love to be the one handing out herbal eye liner and raspberry gloss to a panicked girlfriend....

I don't mind the extra weight.... and I don't mind the extra space.... but what do i do when all the stuff in there ever gets utilized? So if I'm a bag lady no more, I can always fold up the leather, tuck it under my arm, and use the "other" survival guide for women (a Sex and the City quote).... "Its not a bag, it's a "baguette"!!!

5 comments:

kaaya's said...

Apu, My sentiments exaclt ;)

Women are nesters and survival comes naturally to us :D

A good handy bag is a cool accessory and a lifesaver presuming we get lost in a desert hehehe

thank you for this blog.

angana said...

Incidents like this happen to I guess all the women forl of this entire living space!! I have this colleague of mine, who is absolutely amazed by the stuff that my purse can hold. My bag looks quite a small one, but its endless folds and envelopes inside, make it quite a treasure to dig into...just for leisure... Imagine the joy seeing a bill from Eatalica of Chennai in my bag, only to dug out after 9 months... :) ... I really don't mind!

Aparna said...

Oh thankyou for the input, Angana, I did forget to mention the entertainment value a large handbag can provide by helping us dig stuff from once upon a time.. :)
For me, first-date movie tickets and old passport snaps and hair scrunchies borrowed from old friends would mean a lot more than a 5000 year ole piece of broken pottery :D.

Adarsh Bhat said...

This is very interesting! You should turn this in to a blog meme and make your friends post the content of their purse in their blogs. :)

Kanchan said...

Totally agree !! And I did need that lipbalm-cum-gloss and it was awesome !!! Reminds me of the stuff I used to carry in my bag and pockets - http://kanchanreal.blogspot.com/2009/02/pens-and-pockets.html