Packed and ready

When I was little, I was sure that the ground beneath my feet was 100% constant and permanent. Not in a figurative sense, of course. Quite the opposite, in fact. Figuratively, I was always sure that the world was about to end. Some things never change. But in the topological sense, I believed that any surface that was covered with asphalt or concrete (I lived in the city, so most of the outdoors as I knew it was covered with one or the other) was firm and solid, right down to the core of the earth. How could it have been otherwise?

I don't really remember how or when I came to the realization that the manmade ground on which I walked was anything but stable. But I thought about it today, as I left work. The government building where I work has a three-level parking garage beneath it. Thankfully, I don't have to park there--my company buys inexpensive monthly parking passes from the little community church across the street, where we can park our cars outdoors, as God intended. The building also has a small parking deck, supposedly for visitors only, but usually filled with employees' and contractors' cars, despite the threatening "we'll tow your car, we're really serious, not kidding at all" signs that are posted everywhere. As you walk across the parking deck, you can clearly feel and hear the hollow cavern underneath.

I have to assume that the parking deck is constructed properly, and that it's able to sustain the weight of several dozen cars in addition to the weight of the many people who walk across it every day. It feels and sounds as if the asphalt-coated concrete is only a few inches thick, and that the whole thing could cave in, at any moment.

That's a metaphor for something, but I don't know what. Pick something. It's DIY day.

Oh, and good morning, good afternoon, and good night Pittsburgh.

*****
I have wanted a backpack for a long time. I love handbags and purses in general, but I've secretly longed for a colorful but practical and sturdy backpack. But I didn't buy one, because I thought that a middle-aged lady would look silly carrying a backpack to her job as a technical writer for a government contractor. I suppose it shouldn't matter if other people thought I looked silly, but it does matter. Now, however, backpacks appear to be all the rage, and not just among college students and tech nerds and would-be iconoclasts who are determined to show how little they care about fashion. Some of the most stylish people I know are now carrying backpacks to work.

This trend couldn't come at a better time. When I worked at our company headquarters, I usually left my giant 40-pound laptop on my desk. I used Google Drive to sync everything (and don't get me started on why why WHY they replaced my beloved Google Drive with FileStream) and so when I needed to work at home, I could just use my own computer, and everything would just magically sync. Oh, the wonders of the cloud.

Now, however, I have a GFE (Government-furnished equipment) laptop that I have to carry back and forth every day. It's actually a much nicer laptop than my company-issued laptop (well, it's much smaller and lighter, which to me means that it's nicer) but it's still more than I want to carry back and forth in my tote bag, which also has to accommodate my lunch, my phone, my wallet, my little cosmetic pouch, my power cord, my notebooks, and my water bottle.

I guess I could carry less stuff.

Get outta here. That's crazy talk.

So although all of this stuff is very hard to fit into my work bag, it fits with tons of room to spare in this lovely and cheerful backpack. In fact, I can carry even more stuff if I want to! Who knows if I'll need an extra pair of shoes, or a change of clothes, or maybe some gardening tools--and if I do, I can carry it all. Go ahead and laugh, but when it all hits the fan and you need some water or a band-aid or some kleenex or a granola bar, you'll want to be with the person carrying the giant backpack.

Yes, I know: Dora the Explorer called, looking for
her backpack. Bitch is going to have to buy a new one. 

*****
I haven't posted about books in a while. My friend Megan, whose judgement I trust, recommended A Gentleman in Moscow, so I'm going to read that soon. Early-revolution Russia--all fun, all the time. I can't wait. Meanwhile, I just finished Plum Sykes' Bergdorf Blondes, a silly novel which
A. Took me forever to read because I couldn't stand more than a few pages at a time, and
B. I had already read, a long time ago, and didn't remember until I was halfway through it.

In a shocking and unpredictable plot twist (spoiler alert), the young squire whom the protagonist's social-climbing mother had been pushing her to marry and the hot young movie director whom she's secretly dating are--THE SAME PERSON. So there you are--listen to your mother, because she has your best interests at heart. Happy Mother's Day.