Me and my man bag

Before the move to London, I lived in the ‘burbs for about three years. While there, I got real accustomed to relying on my car. I’m not talking about the convenience of owning a vehicle to get around as I pleased. In fact, I’m quite content to leave the driving to public transport and the rare taxi, and to get back in the habit of walking most places. What I got so used to – and now dearly miss – was simply having a car for tossing in and stowing my crap.

Now that I’m back to being a pedestrian, I gotta carry all that potentially necessary stuff on my person … and it’s a hassle. What’s especially a hassle is toting round a pocketful of coins, which is inevitable when dealing with British currency. I mean, if I buy something for just a few quid or less, and pay with a £10 or £20 bill, I gotta deal with all those heavy coins in my front pocket – pockets already filled with keys, wallet, travel card, mobile phone, etc. I don’t like full pockets. I feel like it makes me look goofier than I probably already do. Besides, stuffing my hands in empty pockets is one of those little comforts in life for me.

Last time I lived in London, I was working on my Masters, so I seemed to always have my backpack slung over my shoulder. So, I just threw everything in there. These days, taking a backpack with my every time I need to step out, just won’t cut it. A backpack often gets in the way and, on warm days, leaves me with a sweaty back and underarms.

So, I went to Muji and purchased a small three-compartment bag with a shoulder strap. Plain and black, it’s sort of like a camera bag only a little thinner and broader. Yeah, I bought a man bag … hardly a degree away from a purse. Everything I need to carry round with me fits in it and it hangs from my shoulder without taking up too much space. No more digging through jeans’ pocket for 50p, I got me a readily accessible man bag.