The color the bag used to be


The broken joint

In Memoriam--My favorite bag

Every girl has a favorite bag...the go-to bag, if you will. Sometimes it is a fancy schmancy designer bag, and sometimes it is a knock-off. Nonetheless it is bag that carries everything. Trust me, girls carry everything in their bags--makeup, wallets, books, gum, new and used tissue, snacks... I had a similar bag up until March 10th, and then it died.

I purchased my favorite bag at Urban Outfitters a few weeks before I travelled to Austin, Texas for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. I needed a good solid bag for that event so that I could carry water bottles, sunscreen, camera, and other essentials for the coolest live music event ever. This bag was certainly the right size and it had plenty of pockets. I am a sucker for pockets. But what really sold me was the plastic coating. I realize that "plastic coating" does not equal classy, but I wasn't going for classy, I wanted hip and I wanted something that wouldn't get destroyed if some miscreant dropped their stinky beer on me. This bag had it, and we had a good time together. At the festival we saw some of our favorite groups: Keane, Aqualung, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab for Cutie, Jet, and Oasis. The bag did so well that I took it to other concerts later on.

I also took it to work. It carried everything I needed: lunch, wallet, reading material. It was also my church bag; it fit my scriptures, Relief Society manual, etc. The bag was the perfect carry on bag for flights, so there was no doubt that it would go with me to New York. It came with me on job interviews because it was tall enough to not mush my resumes. I took it everywhere because, like I said, it carried everything I needed.

After a while I decided not to fill it up so much because my shoulders and back were hurting, but I didn't even realize that my little/big bag needed a rest. I didn't rest it enough, and it finally gave out on March 10th. That day I did tax it with a heavy burden. I needed to take some personal care items from the gym to my home for church the next day. It had a couple of brushes, hairspray, hair goo/pomade, a book, wallet, water bottle, gloves, hat, and scarf. Not only was it stuffed, I thought it would be fun to carry it all forty-some blocks from Union Square to Rockefeller center. I was tired, but I didn't know that I had done some damage to the bag. Later that night I swung the nearly empty bag over my shoulder and it came crashing down. Somehow the weight had stretched out the metal clasp and it no longer fit in its socket. I could put it back together, but it wouldn't stay--it was irreparably damaged...especially since I have no metallurgy skills. I am very sad and am without a favorite, go-to bag. Big sigh. I am currently using my computer bag for Sunday and days when I have to carry more, but it isn't the same. My computer bag isn't even as cute. It's like the red-headed step-child of go-to bags. Oh, I hope I didn't hurt its feelings. Soon after my mourning period is over I may go back to Urban Outfitters to see if they have more, and I may have to take it to Austin to have a real bonding moment.

Rest In Peace, little bag!