Daily Needs? 

If I’m being realistic there are not that many items that I truly need in the photo.  Mostly it would be my ID and nametag along with the missing items from the photo; keys, wallet, and phone.  When I’m not going to work I don’t even carry a bag just my keys and a phone case/wallet.  I’ve pared down a lot in my personal life over the years. Yet, going to work I load myself up with several pounds of items that continually tag along with me. I wonder why that is?  Perhaps I’ve not moved into future technology as much as I like to think I have.  Trouble letting go of past practices; there’s something so tangible and permanent in using a pen and writing things down. I still love the feel of pen and paper, I’d better because I have a lot of it.

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Thinking logically, I have a BCIT issued laptop at work that’s connected ShareFile our cloud storage for work. So, the laptop, accessories, and the USB keys could all be managed in the cloud.  All the written scraps of ‘to do’ items should be on the App on my phone.  I like the tangible feel of a Day Planner, though mostly just use my Google calendar.  The binder comes with me to class and to meetings where I make copious notes (even though the meeting minutes are sent to me within hours).

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Texts and Technologies

I see the items in my bags as texts, as they tell a story or message about who I am.

The lack of any personal care items (except the petrified gum) to me says that the bag, or I, are completely all business when I go to work.  I think it’s more my Admin past hanging on, before when I was teaching there were lots more personal items and mementos from students in my bag.  I’m looking forward to a return to that state of being.

A large amount of paper with a multitude of pens/highlighters in every colour speak to my continuing preference to physically write something down.  Or even a sense of control or freedom in the moment to choose where I communicate with what colour.  It also speaks to the fact threat I grew up at a time where computers were not as ubiquitous. When I did my BSN at UBC you had to run around and pick up punch cards for your courses and schedule then had to take all your cards to the gym to have them entered in the system. Learning to type on a touch typewrite in Grade 9 results in my not being as fast and proficient on a computer than I am with pen and pencil. In fact, strangely enough, I feel a bit hemmed in when using a computer.

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Don’t get me wrong though, I love my digital technologies, my laptop, phone, apps.  I love to spend hours on the computer/phone exploring the digital world.  Also, most of my communication with others takes place in the digital medium for both my personal and professional life.  I still wonder why we call it a phone, the only person on my phone call list is my mother, all the rest of the world is texts and emails.

 

The bag 15 or 25 years ago?

The bag of years ago would have been much different.  I was working as a nurse at a busy Emergency Room, so it would have been a backpack with a change of clothes, keys, wallet, ID, enough food for 12 hours, rolls, of tape, trauma scissors, stethoscope, and a multitude of red and black pens (some things never change).  I started at a time where there weren’t even cell phones, so sometimes there would be a pager if I was in charge or on call.

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Future Archeological View?

I think future archeologists would be surprised that we even have backs to carry around all this ‘stuff’.   Even now, we are just installing a keyless lock on our front door, setting it up to work with our phones.  I think they would look back at this period as a time of transition between old and new technologies, not quite in either camp.

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Inward / Outward Image?

I think the outward image the items in my bag project all teacher all the time, which is so completely not me or my inward image.  Now the Admin position I just left was long hours and business all the time, and had that effect on my life.  Thus, the reason for the change now.  The desire to take care of my inner me.  I’m expecting the contents of my bag to start reflecting that by the end of the term.  That’s the plan.

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So.....Welcome to my new work bag!