April 14, 2009
My obsessiveness with the bag has subsided (though not my love for it!)
This post is to satisfy FB‘s curiosity about the contents of my bag. I didn’t think you’d be interested, so I actually emptied it all out before taking pictures the first time around. š
My basic work pack includes a planner – yes, I’m still operating on a paper and pen basis there, a little notebook for my scribblings, a pencil case-like make-up bag from elf.com that holds a pocket mirror, lip balm and other little essentials, my wallet, the cell phone charger, tissues in the side pocket, and lotion with SPF in the other side pocket.
Much as I love technology, there’s something therapeutic about literally scribbling notes and financial calculations in a little notebook at the end of a long day in front of the computer.
Outside the bag are these little pouches, perfect for holding my Bluetooth in one, and candy in the other.
My phone and keys reside in the front side pouch which I think you’ve already seen.
Curiosity satisfied? š
Back to regularly scheduled programming soon ….
April 10, 2009
It’s heee-rreeeee!!
I’m so glad that I’m one of those people who falls madly in love with things I have or will have.
So this is the baaaaag ….. !!
Side view, with the side pocket for the phone and keys:
A side pocket under the tab:
The innards with a side zip pocket on one side, and two non-zip pockets on the other. I love that the side pocket zipper area is reinforced:
The other side with another side pocket, and a magnetic button:
I had to get a major close up on the side pockets so you could see the quality of the fabric. I don’t know if you can really see it clearly, but these pockets (non-zip) are even doubled up:
I had forgotten about the weight of leather – I think the weight via UPS was listed as three pounds! But it’s not too much, I immediately switched over all my stuff and carried the bag home with all my junk in it. The flat leather straps, versus the rounded straps, make a significant difference. It definitely smells like leather but not overpoweringly so, so I don’t plan to do a smell-rehab like FB has to with her beautiful leather bag.
April 6, 2009
Well-Heeled is a bad influence. That’s right, I said it. She is an enabler! And … I’m weak.
I bought a handbag.
Hah, ok truthfully after three weeks of telling myself “no, no, noooo,” there was no guilt once the decision to Buy clicked. The sense of peace might have been relief that I was no longer obsessing over something. Whatever the case, this time, saying “I’m weak” and shaking a finger at my enabler is pure habit. This is despite the fact that it’s unbudgeted spending, hell-o, I’m still facing a layoff, and it cost approximately 6.875 times more than I have ever paid for any bag. (For those who care about percentages, it was 65% off. I only consider the final dollar price that I pay.)
It’s not an investment. It won’t yield any tangible, monetary returns, just personal enjoyment. And y’know something? It’s fine. How so laissez-faire? Well ….
1. I won’t go into debt for it.
2. This isn’t habitual spending: I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve purchased a large ticket item: three coats and a laptop in 9 years. [The car doesn’t count – that wasn’t entirely my choice.] Though, feel free to chime in “didn’t you just buy ….” if you recall something I don’t. My memory’s wacky.
3. While it’s a shock to the system, I’m finally buying a quality item that will last years instead of a cute bargain that’ll last months.
4. It’s only money.
:O
Yep. As hard as I’ve worked to save every penny, the having of which is highly highly comforting in these turbulent times, what’s the point if I only ever use it for rent, bread/rice, and water? And as much as I worry about it, this single purchase does not signal wholesale lifestyle inflation. I’ve needed a professional bag since becoming a professional, but would indefinitely continue lying to myself about buying one if I didn’t let go already.
I do this all the time (example circa October 2006):
[For months … I promised myself an iPod for the train ride when I started that new job: “when things get better, you can have *****.” I’m such a liar.]
Like I said about saving, you can’t reap the benefits of saving with actually saving, neither can you have nice things without spending money on them. Legally, I mean. Or without a sugar-daddy. That should go without saying, but I’m saying it anyway just in case.
My birthday bag is much loved, but after 6 months of constant use, it’s getting destroyed. There’s a gaping hole in the lining at the bottom, the fabric around the one side pocket is disintegrating, and the flaps/corners are fraying at an alarming rate.
Whether it’s because the materials were manufacturer-quality (aka: mass produced, cheaply), or I’m just too hard on my belongings is a moot point: this poor bag will be trashed by the end of this year from what I consider normal use. I really like it, so I’d rather not have to discard it, *sad face* because it’s fallen apart.
The bag I bought should arrive in about a week and it will have outside side pockets for my phone, keys, Bluetooth, headphones and mini-Snickers. That means the daily, post-work heart attacks while rummaging through current bag desperately searching for my phone? Can finally stop. *siiigh* For that alone, I might have just added an additional year to my life.
The leather will be saaaawwfft. Oh so Charmin’ soft. I might be found curled up with it tucked under my chin, purring, when it arrives. I make no promises. It’ll be sturdy, the liner fabric will be thick, it zips in case of inclement weather and pickpockets, and can be slung over a shoulder.
What’s that you’re saying? Stop talking and show pictures? Well … alright ….. there’s only one right now, though. Readers, behold my new friend!
Besides, doesn’t one need a bag to be a bag-lady? š
Note: I swore I wouldn’t do it, but I’m already tapping at the order-processing screen, and e-stalking UPS. I want my bag! It’s too late for the mini-Snickers, I’ve eaten them all. See? In the end, I’m all about instant gratification.
October 29, 2008
(Yes, I’m very exclamatory lately.)
Because not everything is doom and gloom around here, I finally got my memory card to cough up some photos I’d taken a while ago.
The birthday purse! With this, I’m set for just about forever on handbags:
Don’t you love how the top closes? Very clever, very functional.
June 19, 2008
For $3.50, I got some real mileage out of my small pink messenger bag from Target. Gosh, I bought that bag years ago, though it was after college. Well, it’s on its last legs: when reaching for a cable in the side, cell phone pocket, my hand went right through into the main part of the bag.
Just in time, a colleague came to the rescue! We’d been talking about where she gets her bags (she has at least a dozen, probably more, good-sized tote bags) because I’ve just been keeping an eye out. She mentioned that she was planning to get new makeup from Lancome, and they had a free gift of a large bag, and makeup bag with purchase. Since she’s got so many (ahem, high priced) totes, she had no use for the free bag.
It’s absolutely no frills: canvas, with nylon lining inside. No pockets, just the two shoulder straps with a minimal drop. I like it! It’s not the dream bag, of course, but who cares? It’s colorful, it’s sturdy, it’s free!
This will get me through a few more months, and even beach days. With the temperature in the hundreds, I’m not really worried about needing a closed-top bag.
April 30, 2008
After confessing to carrying around a bright pink mini-messenger bag, I’ve shamed myself into admitting that it’s time to find a grown up bag. The problem is that I want to find The Perfect Bag that will suit every need and circumstance, and thereby prevent me from having to buy another bag for at least five or ten years. Not too big, not too soft, but juuuust right.
This could take a while. I spent an hour looking at bags at Macys.com to get an idea of the shapes and sizes I like. While I knew there were a few features that I liked, I haven’t ever committed to an actual list of requirements, and keep ending up with a variety of low-end, good-enough-for-now bags.
Loves
1. A flap, or zip top to ensure the safety of the contents, from thieves and the rain. I hate it when my planner gets soaked because I’ve got an “open face” bag.
2. An outside zipper pocket for keys, iPod, lip balm or phone. Whatever I happen to want easy access to at the moment. Preferably not completely flat against the side so that the item doesn’t have to be forcibly stuffed into the pocket, nor will it create an unsightly bulge.
3. A wide bottom. Preferably at least 5″, if not a little more.
4. Lightweight. I’m already going to be lugging a bunch of stuff around IN the bag, I don’t need to start off tipping the scales with the bag alone.
5. Of course, this is contradicting the previous item, but I’d like the material to be leather, or something that looks very much like it. I know leather’s not the only quality material, but a nice leather will wear well through the years.
6. Between 13-16″ in length, and at least 8″ in height. I should to be able to fit a folder in there to keep my paperwork from getting beat up.
7. Sleek lines.
8. Longer straps so the bag can go on my shoulder.
Hates
1. A ton of buckles, chains, trendy little clip ons, prints, or any other faddish sort of thing. I want this to be a classy timeless bag.
2. Hard straps with an inflexible material inside. I had a really nice leather bag a few years ago, but the materials used inside the straps were hard which made them look nice, but they cut into my shoulders horribly, until they gave into the constant use and just broke. Then the straps looked awful because the leather bent and creased around the broken bits. It looked like chunks of pipe inside a sock.
3. Easily damaged material, inside or out. I’m hard on my things, and expect them to stand up under heavy use and travel. It also drives me nuts when they use a really cheap poly/nylon fabric inside, either as lining or for the pockets, and it frays or spontaneously develops holes.
4. Center divider pocket. Can’t stand ’em.
So what might this most awesome of bags look like? I really like the Diane Von Furstenberg shape and size, from the Runway Luggage Collection, but can’t see spending $100 on a nylon tote bag. On the other hand, is it unlikely that I’ll find a bag that’s light enough for my taste (no more than a pound), in the size I want, in leather?
These models from Talene Reilly are very close to what I’m looking for, but I think they all have that center protective pocket that I don’t like. Oh, and they’re 4x as much as I’m willing to spend.
The first one is Sydney. She’s 15″ x 14″ x 4.5″ with a 9.5″ handle drop. The second one is Reese. She’s 16″ x 13″ x 5″ with a 10.5″ handle drop. Actually, I think Reese may not qualify because I can’t tell if the top closes securely.
And this is what their interiors look like.
Edit: Since I wrote this post, the Diane von Furstenberg bag has been reduced to $45. I think it’s still a bit pricey. I’d use a gift card, am I setting my standards too high and price point too low?
September 11, 2007
Sorting through my bottom drawer at work has become nearly impossible: the bags have taken over. It’s normally pretty empty as I prefer to maintain a Zen desk environment so that I could be gone tomorrow and not worry about what I’ve left behind. But now I realize I’d miss my Trader Joe’s bag that’s so handy for carrying take-out home on the train (it coddles the take-out rather than spilling it everywhere) and the handy Guess bag that’s got nice braided cord for handles and holds a book, water bottle, and small Tupperware box, or the endless plastic bags that I can’t bear to throw out because we’re going to need it someday. Or because they should be recycled. Yeah, I’m a bag lady.
Just last night, at home, I had to steel myself to sort and dispose of renegade plastic bag bullets that have crept out of their designated bin due to overflow, and snuck into every container in my room. The most insidious thing about the whole plastic bag thing is of my own devising. I’ve developed this method of flattening, twisting, and typing the bags into uniform bullets of bag. It’s good because they don’t take up much room. It’s bad because you can’t actually tell what size the bag is, so you could untie about a dozen bags before you found a not-tiny one. Maybe it’s time to just take a tote with me everywhere I shop and refuse all plastic bags wherever I shop. Er, except for Target bags, they’re large with just the right amount of stretch so they fit perfectly over my trash can lip.
My basic work pack includes a planner – yes, I’m still operating on a paper and pen basis there, a little notebook for my scribblings, a pencil case-like make-up bag from elf.com that holds a pocket mirror, lip balm and other little essentials, my wallet, the cell phone charger, tissues in the side pocket, and lotion with SPF in the other side pocket. 
Outside the bag are these little pouches, perfect for holding my Bluetooth in one, and candy in the other.
