This entry is really as much anticipated by myself as it probably is by any of you. I've been looking forward to writing it, but this virus has really slowed me down. I'm in a brain fog owing either to the virus directly or to the enormous amount of guaifenesin in my bloodstream. So, if this isn't the most coherent blog entry, I'm blaming it on Covid. Let's try and get started anyway.
First, let me say that it is fortunate that I have a pretty awesome bag to pack full in the first place. Even if I were simply making a list of prized possessions, I would include this carryon bag (https://www.nordstrom.com/s/briggs-riley-28-inch-expandable-wheeled-trunk/5447358?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=001). In packing it for this, the Inaugural Packing of the Bag, it was very nice that it expands out and that I could really tug on the zippers without being afraid of wrecking them.
I'm not exactly sure where to start with writing this. I have everything laid out on the living room floor, so I think I will attempt to proceed in a somewhat organized manner at one edge of this pile and proceed through writing about an article and then putting it away. This is going to be a long, probably wordy process. I could condense some of this, but I need to remind myself that I am writing this for the purpose of comparing this in subsequent years and for my own posterity. So I apologize for the detail. Also, in putting this bag together several other blog ideas came to me like why I left out certain items or things that it has occurred to me to improve on for next year. So I hopefully will have a bunch of blog entries to come out of this rather than trying to fit all this into one entry. (I can already tell that what would make this entry much better would be a good editor. Blame the Covid.)
The first items to come off the pile then are a couple of t-shirts. Both are white and interestingly have colored cuffs on the necks and sleeves. One has navy cuffs and says "I <3 Toxic Waste". It's a joke. I don't really love toxic waste. It was the same one (I mean, not the exact same one, but a replica) work by Val Kilmer's character in the movie "Real Genius". The t-shirt reminds me of that movie and brings me joy. It reminds me of a friend's advice to not shrink from our talents. I feel like maybe if I dress like a "genius" it will help me to feel smart on days when I might need it. While I'm a proud member of Mensa, I didn't really relate to the characters in the movie (certainly not the Kilmer character) so much as it reminds me of the true genius friends I have made. Back when the movie was popular it reminded me of my friends from Center for Talent Development. Now it reminds me of Mensa friends in Firehouse - what a bunch of weirdo, rebel, misfits we are; don't fuck with us though!
The second shirt is cuffed in red and is my Flash Gordon t-shirt. As a kid I was into comic books the same as most other kids. I liked Superfriends. I had Superman underoos. Flash Gordon to me was a different kind of hero. He didn't have super powers beyond what one would need to be the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. (Feel free to insert your own Jets joke here.) Just a mortal dude saving the universe by beaning bad guys in the heads with melons. The Marvel Universe just won't compare to the Flash Gordon movie of my youth (and one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever recorded). The Flash Gordon shirt is my underoos holdover for when I need to feel like a super hero.
A third t-shirt that isn't pictured because it is currently in the wash is the now infamous "Bennifer" shirt. Lots of reasons for this one: It is a reminder of the best day ever, it includes my anniversary date so that I won't forget it, it amuses me how Jen and I came up with the idea (thanks, Ben Affleck's SNL monologue), it's the trivia team uniform (no, I don't think I would actually wear it to trivia), and it is black in contrast to these other two white t-shirts.
I packed a couple of workout shirts. One is from the Colfax half-marathon that I did with my brother. I really like the half-marathon distance. I have probably mentioned that in this blog before. The other is a tech shirt from the Pat's Run race I did virtually after reading the book about Pat Tillman. While Flash Gordon is my make-believe super hero, the U.S. Marines have been my real life super heroes. I wanted to be Flash as a kid and I wish I could be a Marine as an adult. If you know my ROTC past, you know I didn't actually go down that road. When it comes down to it, I don't regret it - I'm where I am supposed to be in life, and the USMC wasn't where I was supposed to be - however, part of me still wishes I had what it took to do it at the time. I greatly admire the men and women who do have what it takes to be a Marine, and Pat Tillman epitomizes that to me. He was a complicated person who loved his country but not always everything that it did. Pat Tillman didn't blindly love everything about the United States, particularly the federal government, but he was willing to sacrifice absolutely everything in order to protect it. I love all that he stands for and how he stands in for every Marine and servicemember who is willing to sacrifice even several years of their lives.
(Boy, this is really going to take a long time to get through. That's okay. It means I won't need to turn to some random writing prompt in order to get my words down each morning, for a while. Normally I think I'd prefer to keep these entries right around 1000 words, but I think I will add one more, because I don't want to end on something so schmaltzy as my love of Marines.)
The last article I'll talk about for now is the Dexter Kill Shirt. The Kill Shirt is a long sleeved thermal "fatigue-style" shirt that Dexter typically wore when he was stalking his victims in the original series. If it were something that was still being made, I would have left it, as it is just a bit too small on me. The company that made it was a truly terrible company called American Apparel. I actually had qualms buying the shirt initially because of that, but karma caught up with them anyway. I wouldn't mind the shirt being too small if it were too small to fit over my buff, rather than chunky, frame. I tell myself I will get into that sort of shape again one day. It's also incredibly utilitarian. lightweight but with long sleeves so is perfect for layering. The reason I keep it, though, goes with the theme of why I kept most the clothes I kept. I wear it when shit needs to get taken care of. I wear it because of how it makes me feel - not like a serial killer, but like someone who is going to get shit accomplished today regardless of what it takes.
To be continued
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