academic archaelogy

[aryanhwy]

I can't remember the last time I entirely emptied my school bag (which most likely means that I haven't ever). I can't even remember the last time I did a thorough study of the contents, but I'm sure it was before we moved.

I've got < an hour before it's time to get Gwen, and I've finished up and sent off one of the two things I needed to complete this week. So, what accumulates in the bag of an academic/parent over a long enough period of time? Let's do some archaelogy!

The contents of my bag, 4 June 2015

- My phone
- A stretchy green headband, Gwen's
- My keys
- A hairbrush
- 4 used tissues
- A 2010 ECAI USB stick which sometimes refuses to talk to Windows
- Oh, and another one
- Two barrettes, mine
- A barrette, Gwen's
- Four halves of crayons
- A small crown charm
- .25USD in change
- 1.05GBP in change
- 1.62EUR in change
- My wallet
- My passport
- Gwen's passport
- 2 used bus tickets from Heidelberg
- 1 used bus ticket from Prague
- A spare camera battery
- A miniature blue highlighter
- 6 miniature colored pencils
- 1 regular sized colored pencil
- A miniature dip calligraphy pen
- Blue plastic mardi gras beads
- Pink plastic mardi gras beads
- My clipboard full of (a) Gwen's art, (b) notes I've taken at the last four conferences I've been to, (c) conference handouts, and (d) scratch paper
- 1 hair band
- A packet of white sugar
- 1 small binder clip
- 2 nuts/seeds of unidentifiable type
- 1 receipt of by now unidentifiable origin
- 10 pens
- 3 mechanical pencils
- 31 pieces of assorted art by Gwen
- 1 large leaf
- 2 conference name tags
- A flyer from the Prague ballet
- 1 ticket for the same ballet
- 1 unopened package of stickers
- 1 entry ticket for the Petrinska rozhledna, Prague
- 1 entry ticket for the Zrcadlove bludiste, Prague
- 1 hotel flier, from Prague
- A flyer for the Durham Cathedral chorister school
- My laptop's sleeve
- 2 taxi receipts
- A birthday card for my nephew who's birthday was in February. (I think we owe him a present and a half by now!)
- A Durham cathedral bookmark
- 3 (used) UK train tickets
- 1 (used) DE train ticket
- A straw
- 1 randomly cut piece of paper
- A handful of packets of post-it notes
- 2 pieces of mail for our landlords that need to be delivered to the rental office
- A letter to my Grandparents I've been trying to mail since April
- My agenda
- 7 Crayola markers
- My camera
- An empty retainer case
- 28 calligraphy nibs which should've been in said case
- 6 whiteboard markers
- A cm-denominated ruler
- 2 chestnuts
- A business card (not mine)
- A plastic medicine syringe
- An A7 notepad that I have been taking notes in since about 2006.
- A letter from the water company
- 2 small toys from nursery
- A hazelnut
- 3 cashews
- 3 proofs-of-posting
- An airline serviette
- 3 erasers
- 2 ziplock bags
- A pair of earphones
- A random Drachenwald bead on a cord
- Joel's Queen's Order of Courtesy token
- 8 quilting pins
- 1 needle
- The key to a bike lock for a bike that was stolen in 2012.
- A random beaded charm
- A half-used sheet of stickers
- Two earphone nubs not from the above-mentioned earphones
- An attractive polished rock
- 1 paperclip
- 1 letter from my UK pension scheme
- 1 letter from my NL pension scheme
- 1 empty, unused envelope
- 1 library receipt

And far more uncooked rice, spaghetti, glitter, cat fur, and miscellaneous schnibbles than I care to count. I think I'll put back in only the bare minimum, and set the vacuum to the insides when I get home.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Makes me smile. That's my girl.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

The contents, or the fact that it took me more than 5 years to clean out my bag?

[wyntersea.livejournal.com]

How big is the purse (it's starting to sound like Mary Poppin's bag;-]).

Also, it just hit me, does everyone in Europe keep their passport with them? (Mine only gets into the purse now-a-days when I am planning to go out of country:-])

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

I dunno about everybody, but I always have simply because it's far easier to remember where it is and to bring it with if it's in my bag (which is why Gwen's lives there too); the last thing I want to have happen is to turn up at an airport and not have it. You go out of the country a lot more frequently when you're in Europe. :)

Nowadays, my residence permit lives in it, so there's an added reason to keep it on hand.

[(Anonymous)]

Apparently I'm not the only one envisioning Mary Poppins. ;) Your nephew will be glad to know that he's not forgotten. ;) It's a good exercise in patience for him, though I must say that EVERY single time a package of ANY size arrives, he thinks it's his present. ;) It's good for him.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

He's not forgotten! And the gift will come with interest, since it's so late.