Contents of my bag include…
1. Chemistry Model Kit – I’ve been studying for a chem test for a while, so I’m trying to get down some chemistry models using this kit. Without it, I’m doomed.
2. Umbrella – Weather’s great today, eh? It’s been somewhat rainy recently, so I keep this on me to be sure.
3. Notebooks on notebooks – Funnily enough, I still take most of my notes on my laptop. But for diagrams and flowcharts, nothing beats pencil and paper.
4. Napkins – Never know when you need one! Need to blow your nose? Need to wipe your hands? Napkins.
5. 150 Sheets of College Ruled Paper – The notebooks aren’t enough. HAS to be college ruled. Wide ruled just doesn’t look professional. These are just spare sheets of paper because I don’t like tearing sheets out from the notebooks, and if I need paper for a subject that doesn’t typically use a notebook, I don’t like to randomly tear paper out.
6. Doublemint Gum – Not typically around, but I’ve realized that my breath is rank sometimes. Or maybe it isn’t, but I feel somewhat worried that it is, so I’ve been getting back into the habit of chewing gum.
7. Dell Laptop – Only use this one because it’s 3 pounds. It runs slow, but well enough for school. Funny story: I shrunk an inch one year in high school carrying around a 10 lb laptop.
8. Dell Laptop Charger – I don’t go back to the dorm until late night (or until early morning), so I need to have this on me at all times and plug it into an outlet whenever I can.
9. Markers, Pens, Pencils – Markers for whiteboards at the library; pens for the lab notebooks in bio and chem lab; pencils for writing. Always try to keep at least one of each on me.
10. TI-84 Plus Silver Edition
10a. Yes, I know that the TI-89 is superior with things like solving for variables, I’ve used it myself.
10b. Yes, I know that the TI-84 Plus C is out, I don’t need it, even if I can’t read mine in the dark.
10c. Yes, I know it’s worn out, I’ve had it since sixth grade; I don’t need a new one.
11. Pencil Pouch – that I never open up. It’s more of a backup in case I somehow forgot all my pencils, pens, etc. for that day.
12. MAUS Pt. II – Dank book. The ending left me really sad. Maybe it was cause I read it at like 3 AM, but I think it’s mostly due to the fact that I’d built up an appreciation for Vladek and seeing him and Anja reunite, followed by the immediate showing of their grave together, really just broke me a little.
13. Lab Safety Goggles – It’s hard enough to find a pair that a) doesn’t fog up and b) fits over my glasses. These almost fill those requirements, but with one small issue. THEY FOG UP.
14. Water Bottle for WATER – Can’t put hot drinks into this water bottle. So I just use it for some nice, refreshing, cold water. Or, it would be cold if it didn’t turn lukewarm after 5 minutes.
15. Water Bottle for COFFEE, TEA, WATER – The water bottle that overachieves. I usually have it for my coffee in the mornings, water anytime of the day, or tea at night. It’s great for both storing hot and cold. Maybe a little too good sometimes. One morning, I made coffee and stored it in this bottle. Four hours later, it was still piping hot.
16. The Backpack – I’ve had this bad boy since middle school. Feels good. Maybe hasn’t stuck with me the whole time (broken/dirty from stuff), but it’s been there for a lot of it.
Pretty fun exercise. The worst part was finding a way to angle the picture from above. Thought I was gonna fall out of my chair. This image isn’t the most representative of me as a person. I am in front of my laptop a large portion of the day, whether it’s talking to friends, studying, or playing games, so if I had to really represent me, I’d have included my good laptop. But I don’t carry it around, so it’s not representative of my BAG. My bad is situational depending on the day and what I need to do, so it’s changing pretty consistently, save for a good portion of the items in the picture. I left out some random papers from the picture because that would just make the picture look messy. I wanted a nice, clean picture to show rather than a crumpled mess. There weren’t many challenges aside from picture-taking, as I simply took things out of my backpack and arranged them on the floor.
I think this assignment is still a form of writing. You make a draft of what you want in there, you take some things out and add some in, and you make a final draft, explaining why you included the things you wanted to. It’s a form of creative expression, showing your own ideas and what you value in a piece. In a strange way, this photo is an essay.