Carry On

You see, we all used to dress like Angus Young every morning and carry our books to school this way.

It's funny how trends and styles work.  I see kids and non-kids wearing Doc Martin boots and shoes, and I think of when we Weejun-wearing teens called work boots "clodhoppers" and would never dream of wearing them to school.

Long hair was out, then it was it, then it was out and in again.

And in my school days, toting books got tricky when you had to carry a science lab kit and a slide rule and math workbooks and texts of different sizes.   I solved that by stashing all those things in my locker from September until June.

It was cool in elementary school to go to Sunny's Surplus and get old army "knap sacks" to carry books and lunches to school. I used to think that it meant "nap sack" and would use the olive-drab bag as a makeshift pillow while teachers droned on about Manifest Destiny, long division, and how to make a battery out of a lemon and some copper strips.  

Actually, "knap" comes from an Old German word meaning "bite" or "snap," so a knap sack was supposed to be something to carry your lunch or a snack.  Books just crowded the peanut-butter sandwich, TastyKake Butterscotch Krimpets and apple. 

If I were back in school these days, I would happily join in on the backpack brigade.  I would carry:

• Flashlight
• Keys
• Cash
• Cell 
• Water bottle
• Bandana
• Baseball cap 
• Sewing kit 
• Carabiner
• Rain jacket
• Gloves
• Swiss Army knife
• Whistle
• Cord
• Plastic bags
• Plastic mug
• Spare eyeglasses
• Sunglasses
• Some coins
• Pens, pencils, highlighters, and erasers
• iPod and headphones
• Flash drive
• Dental floss
• Vaseline / first aid kit
• CPR Face Mask with Ventilation Tube 
• Hand cream
• Toothbrush / toothpaste
• Eyedrops
• Food (fruits, sandwiches, snacks, etc.)
• Texts and notebooks (space permitting)