What's in a bag?

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Woman will always be dependent until she holds a purse of her own. 


Random person: A woman's mind is as complex as the contents of her handbag; even when you get to the bottom of it, there is ALWAYS something at the bottom to surprise you!

So, I don't know how existential to be about my purse, but since I didn't really know where to begin each day, figured this was as good a spot as any.

First, my bag.  Was proud of myself this last summer for my cool fabric quilted black bag.  Seemed washable, neutral, pocketful, just the right size and I liked it.  No more variety of bags, just one black bag that I could use everyday.  And in fact, i have used it every day for the last three months.  However, several weeks ago, this Mac book air came to replace the laptop stolen from my luggage at Entebbe (or Atlanta or Amsterdam).  Thankfully, delta reimbursed us and we bought a second-hand mac which is part of the source of my starting this blog (i.e. I could carry the computer with me to town on the days I commute with Daniel).  HOWEVER, the laptop did not fit in my handy bag.  So today, I bought a new bag... the colorful, also washable, also basically right size with a few less pockets--which might be okay because try as i may, i never actually manage to put the same useful things in the pockets which basically still renders them useless when the phone is ringing and I'm trying to answer while carrying three bags of groceries into the house and receiving multiple "mommy, look at this" greetings.   Okay, so that covers the purse and the laptop. :) 

Now, pens... last january Mark gave me some pens for christmas because i can get very angry at locally made pens which like locally made paper products can be very trying for the impatient among us. So, what you see is an assortment of pens, which like socks which lose their mate in the dryer, always seem to lose their tops.

A little container of ibuprofin, my go-to medicine.  I try and keep up with my water and caffeine intake but when the day defeats me, nothing like a little ibuprofin to fix me up. 

A lovely little notebook that is just so pretty to look at that my sister gave me for my birthday this year. Handy for enjoying and also writing myriad list which include groceries, christmas plans, life details, house improvement ideas, people i need to call or contact, etc. 

Two calendars; got to finish out this year and plan for next year. Nothing we futurists like more than a little planning that goes way beyond one's actual control and information!  Just enough to drive our concrete/"content" companions crazy! :)

The Eye Magazine; a local guide to restaurants, lodges, miscellaneous in country details--- I've written a couple art related articles for that magazine and if i was cool i would know how to link you to those on this very blog.  but if you are realllllllly interested i think you could find them online. :) Anyway, it is a great resource for expatriates in Uganda. I don't know if it should be a point of honor or shame that various friends tell me that I could write the restaurant/coffee bar guidebook to Kampala! 

Money--- I'm not going to zoom in on it but one big difference that we have in Uganda is the very cash based nature of all transactions.  I'm often walking around with the equivalent of five hundred dollars--for fuel, groceries, office supplies, air time (you load time into your phone), money an employee needs, or medical bills, etc, etc.   

Receipts--If you don't know Mark well------- he loves details of all kinds, but especially about money. :)  Early in our marriage it was a big adjustment for me to keep every receipt and categorize it and pass it on, etc, etc.  But ten years in, and among various responsibilities and realities, I'm very grateful for the early training that has allowed us track our money well and evaluate our values and stewardship well (i.e. lots of evaluating going on especially due to our context and our desire to live well in all senses of the words)

So, is this way more than you ever wanted to know about my bag.  Am I setting myself up for a robbery, as i photograph the valuable contents of the green,yellow and blue striped bag roaming around kampala?