Kinky (Back)

I think I pinched a nerve in my back :s

The Boy gave my neck a little massage while I was studying on the weekend, and for some reason as soon as he did it the muscles and nerves in my neck and upper back went berserk on me. It wasn't his fault, something had to have already been wrong for that to happen the way it did. Monday I was sore ALL day. It was honestly painful sitting at my desk at work, it was horrible. Tuesday I was faring a little better, but I was definitely still sore. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what happened.

Then I picked up my bag.

Something tells me purses aren't supposed to be this heavy.

I took it down to the gym before my midterm last night, and set it on the scale: 7.4kg (16.2lbs) not including lunch or the coffee mug I typically carry in that hand. Add that in and I'm probably sitting around 8.4kg (18.5lbs). Not the world's heaviest purse, but not the lightest either. Well above the recommended 10% body weight figure they say your purse shouldn't exceed! Actually, I think that number may actually be for backpacks; the eccentric loading caused by carrying my bag on one shoulder  actually makes it worse for me.

Did I really just write that my purse was causing eccentric loading? I did. Wow, my brain is still in midterm mode.

What's making the weight of my bag so bad is that I tend to run with it. Run for the bus, run for the train, run up and down the stairs to and from the university... I'm always in a hurry and my bag bounces along with me, swinging all over the place if I don't have a free arm/hand to hold it in place. That's a lot of stress to be asking my back to handle, and I think it caught up with me.

Time to clean it out. Unstuff and restuff. Here's a peak at what made it back in:

This is my bag. It's not pretty, but it's sturdy and it's put up with a lot out of me. It's been everywhere from Paris to oil field construction sites. It's beginning to show it's wear in the straps, but for the $25-$30 I paid for it, it's done quite well. I've considered getting something a little more structured for work, but until I find it this is my bag.

First things first, money. I bought one of the Coach coin purses while I was in University. I tend to over stuff the thing, but I find that if I don't let the receipts pile up and I don't stuff coins in there, it's actually big enough to hold all of my cards. Its not always the easiest to find them, but I'm not limited by a finite number of slots either. The little red bag above it was actually a wrapper for a gift card I received last summer; that's where I stash my coins. The little book below is for writing all of my spending in (Thanks again M).

 

The little clear makeup bag I actually bought around 8 years ago to hold my float when I was waiting tables. It took quite a while before I actually used it as a makeup bag. It's a good size though, with the exception of the pill bottle to the left, it fits everything else in the picture. It actually fits the bottle as well, but it's over stuffed then. This is what I'm currently carrying:

Nail Clippers

Nail File

Swiss Army Knife

Safety Pins

Dental Floss

Tampon

Hair Elastics

Bobby Pins

Comb

Givenchy Perfume Sample

Tarte Waterproof Mascara

Chanel Waterproof Eyeliner

MAC Paint Pot Eye Shadow

Chapstick Lip Balm

Blistex Lip Balm

Christian Dior Lip Balm

Lancome Juicy Tubes Lip Gloss

La Mer Moisturizer

This is actually more makeup than I wear on a daily basis, but having the eyeliner and lip gloss in there I can go from work to play in a pinch. You might notice that there is no foundation, concealer or blush in there, and there is an excessive number of lip balm products. Long story short, I can't wear most makeup. Regular, hypoallergenic, mineral, whatever... I react to it all. For the sake of my skin, I just stopped trying to find one that worked. Ditto with my lips, they tend to react to everything as well (hence all the balms). I'd love to wear lipstick and lip gloss, but I can't. I can get away with wearing the one above on an occasional basis if I layer lip balm under it, but that's about it. The moisturizer is actually in a sample container that I decant my main jar into for on the go use, the main jar is kinda heavy.

Being in university, I need to have a couple essentials on me. The paper and pencils are technically all I need to take notes, but my profs don't write on the board. They do everything on powerpoint, and either print out the note packages for you, or expect you to do it yourself. All that paper gets very heavy after a while, and has now well exceeded the weight of my laptop and charger (which fits in the portfolio that carries my papers). The calculator comes back and forth between the university and work with me. The only thing missing from this picture is my cell phone, which I'm using to take the pictures. It serves as my phone, day planner, address book, iPod player, note pad, and many other functions. The headphones go with the phone.

That right there is what's going back into my purse. Hopefully this makes a difference? I'd rather take stuff out of my purse than have to pay out the nose in chiropractic bills. There is some seasonal stuff, like antihistamines, which will have to be put in my purse later, but most things I can stash in my desk at work. I don't always need to carry them on me. This may still be adjusted a bit, but not much.

What do you carry in your purse?