Has my backpack become a purse?\u00a0 Is constant commuting turning me into a girl?
\n<\/p>\n
I think this because I\u2019ve started holding my backpack like a purse.\u00a0 Used to be, on the bus and train and in the bar and restaurant, I\u2019d put it on the floor between my legs, or casually on the seat next to me.\u00a0 Now I nervously clutch it to my chest, or loop it around my leg.\u00a0 I\u2019ve started keeping keys and money in the multitude of pockets (because I bought a ridiculous zipper freak-out backpack).\u00a0 I\u2019ve started to refer to it as a \u201cbag,\u201d and I do that thing where I scramble around in the secret pockets to get my keys, the passcard for my office, or even a little snack.<\/p>\n
I even have the occasional nightmare about losing my bag.\u00a0 Typically, the dreams are enough to wake me up and check on it.\u00a0 It currently sits \u2013 big, formless backpack style \u2013 on the dining room table.\u00a0 I used to just throw it down on the floor when I got home.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve also become attached to it.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud of my bag, and feel naked without it.\u00a0 Sometimes I take it out with me when I don\u2019t need it \u2013 like if I\u2019m going to a movie down the street with a friend, or just going up to the supermarket to get some milk.<\/p>\n
The only time my bag becomes a regular old backpack again is when I\u2019m travelling.\u00a0 I stuff it to the point where it\u2019s overflowing and take it aboard as carry-on.\u00a0 After several bad incidents, I\u2019ve stopped checking my baggage.\u00a0 Then, full of clothes and other travel items, the bag tends to live in the hotel room (or wherever) for the duration of the trip.\u00a0 When out of town, I become a man again.\u00a0 No bag.\u00a0 Important items returned to my pockets.\u00a0 Footloose and fancy free.<\/p>\n
But, back home, the bag is emptied out and prepared for the routine.\u00a0 My constant companion:\u00a0 The big, blue backpack.\u00a0 I fear the day that I find some loose tampons at the bottom of the bag.\u00a0 It\u2019s that day I\u2019ll be sure to put my head in the oven.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Has my backpack become a purse?\u00a0 Is constant commuting turning me into a girl?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[36,214],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rants","tag-commute","tag-man-purse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1092,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions\/1092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}