29.11.05

My Man Purse


man purse - at rest.
Originally uploaded by Greg Blosser.
George Carlin use to say that all a guy needs is a place to put his stuff. I completely concurr. However, with the ever increasing necessity to be wireless, blue toothed and portable, a man now needs a place to put his stuff which can be thrown over a shoulder and hauled around town. Now I've got bags. I've got gym bags for the sweaty t-shirts and sneakers. I've got a padded bag to protect my powerbook. I've even got a great, old leather bag with buckles that looks like Indiana Jones dragged it all the way to the holy of holies and back. Problem: they are all too large to serve as an everywhere-all the time solution for my stuff storing and porting needs. When you need to bring your ipod, planner, notebook, pens and bible with you just about wherever you go, a large bag seems a bit cumbersome. Yet to leave the bag behind, means you either leave behind the essentials you may need or carry everything in hand. For me that's a instant recipe to have a missing ipod or planner. Or ipod. yikes.

Hence, a few weeks ago I undertook the search for a new bag in which to carry my stuff. An everywhere, all the time bag. A "man-purse" if you will. My search began on the internet and while I found some bags that were small enough to meet my needs, many of them were just plain ugly. Or worse, they were dull. Others had just the right pizazz, and the perfect size, but were outrageously expensive. I thought I had hit on something perfect when I found a scandinavian company that makes man bags from the remnants of semi-truck tarps. Each is an original and extremely durable as you might imagine. What I initially thought was a great price I soon realized was listed in euros, not dollars. It made quite a difference. Like 200 bucks!

That was not going to happen. So on my way home from work a few weeks ago I stopped iin at an army surplus store on High Street and found this great little map bag. It was twleve bucks. It is small and durable and even fits my powerbook. Plus, since it's from an army surplus store, it totally overcomes the feminizing stigma that can come with carrying a man-purse. (It does, doesn't it? I mean, it's pretty manly, right? Right? Wait here while I go smash a beer can on my head to re assure myself of my manhood...)

Alrighty then. My good friend Dan is starting a business that involves embroidery (because he is as secure in his manhood as I am) and so he said he would embroider something cool on my new murse for just being my friend- because that's how he rolls.

So here it is. The offical, public unveiling of my new man purse. I hope you dig it, cause I dig it. And no you can't buy one cause it's one of a kind. One might say it's "only begotten". (What can I say? It's Advent).

5 comments:

daniel fox said...

greg, your analogy breaks down here.

you see. it's MY only begotten burning-bush-nintendo-man-purse given as a free gift to you, not based on your works, lest you boast.

it, like a friend of ours, was concieved by the Holy Spirit, however, the validity of a virgin birth claim would come under severe question from olive colour canvas manufacturers across the globe.

Anonymous said...

Yes, a few years ago my husband and I BOTH bought map bags from our army surplus store and I used mine as a purse, he uses his for carrying papers and planners and such. They are pretty cool.

Caddius said...

Sweeeeet!

Anonymous said...

Twelve bucks?! *heads down to High St*

Wait, I already have a man-purse . . .

Gettinger said...

I thought the embroidery was a scene from the game "Missle Command"