Sunday
Nov202011
#GeekSpeak: The sometimes random misadventures of @Abby_Cake
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 1:24PM<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Abby. I met her in Chicago at the #20SBSummit, and this chick is raaaddddd!! She considers herself more of a nerd than a geek - but I think she's just all shades of random and awesome. Oh and FTR, the TNTML stance on nerds versus geeks are that nerds are products of a genetic predisposition, and geeks are raised. BOOH-YAH!!! I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT ABBY!!!</editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Abby_Cake
I don’t like purses.
I don’t find them to be enjoyable accessories, interesting companions, or particularly accessible. I don’t like the way they rub against my side as I walk or pull down my cardigan on only one shoulder. On the other hand, I can’t imagine having a wallet either. I do not like the feeling of being uneven while seated and I fear it would put a permanent dent in my behind.
I left my purse at home this weekend while we are out of town. Already I feel more free. I don’t have anything remember when we leave a restaurant, and I don’t have to scavenge every time I want to use my phone. This experiment in untethering got me thinking: why do I carry purses at all?
Hyper-preparedness seems to be the obvious answer.
In our consumerist culture we are encouraged to buy things which will keep us prepared for any scenario. Jared and I are only two people, yet we own upwards of twenty dishes. Just in case we want to have a dinner party for his entire extended family. We only drink tea from one or two favorite mugs, yet we have at least ten. For that imaginary tea party I’ve been talking about.
We have all these items in our purses for the same reason — just in case. Kleenexes, different brands of lipgloss to match each outfit, a hairbrush, hair ties, earrings, sunglasses, a wallet overflowing with coupons, receipts, and cards. We have discount cards, credit cards, debit cards, frequent shopper cards, sandwich punch cards — it’s overwhelming! The excess weight fatigues my shoulder and makes me feel like a weighted down pack mule.
In addition to purses, we fill our pockets with physical unimportance. When I empty Jared’s pants I almost always find a pocket knife, pen or sharpie, keys, headphones, occasionally bottle caps or tools of some kind. He absently tucks things away in his pants and forgets.
But why wander while being so weighed down?
<strong>Every item we carry is a burden.</strong>
My goal is to eliminate these burdens before they add up. This week, I will take the time to evaluate each item in my purse, determine its worth, and either keep or discard it. Ultimately, I will probably downsize the purse itself to something much smaller.
Think about what you carry with you. What is important? What is just in case? What is trash?
Eliminate the trash, evaluate the just in case, <strong>keep what’s important.</strong>
I left my purse at home this weekend while we are out of town. Already I feel more free. I don’t have anything remember when we leave a restaurant, and I don’t have to scavenge every time I want to use my phone. This experiment in untethering got me thinking: why do I carry purses at all?
Hyper-preparedness seems to be the obvious answer.
In our consumerist culture we are encouraged to buy things which will keep us prepared for any scenario. Jared and I are only two people, yet we own upwards of twenty dishes. Just in case we want to have a dinner party for his entire extended family. We only drink tea from one or two favorite mugs, yet we have at least ten. For that imaginary tea party I’ve been talking about.
We have all these items in our purses for the same reason — just in case. Kleenexes, different brands of lipgloss to match each outfit, a hairbrush, hair ties, earrings, sunglasses, a wallet overflowing with coupons, receipts, and cards. We have discount cards, credit cards, debit cards, frequent shopper cards, sandwich punch cards — it’s overwhelming! The excess weight fatigues my shoulder and makes me feel like a weighted down pack mule.
In addition to purses, we fill our pockets with physical unimportance. When I empty Jared’s pants I almost always find a pocket knife, pen or sharpie, keys, headphones, occasionally bottle caps or tools of some kind. He absently tucks things away in his pants and forgets.But why wander while being so weighed down?
<strong>Every item we carry is a burden.</strong>
My goal is to eliminate these burdens before they add up. This week, I will take the time to evaluate each item in my purse, determine its worth, and either keep or discard it. Ultimately, I will probably downsize the purse itself to something much smaller.
Think about what you carry with you. What is important? What is just in case? What is trash?
Eliminate the trash, evaluate the just in case, <strong>keep what’s important.</strong>
xx, @abby_cake
#nerdsunite
Want more from Abby?? Check out her blog over yonder - and don't forget to drop her a follow on twitter!!
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