What’s in My Bag? — Jim Lanhan
A retiree shares what's in his "old man" bag
I’d like you to consider my somewhat different submission to the What’s In Your Bag column — an “Old Retired Guy Carry” — from the top, clockwise:
Cree 7w 300 LM flashlight. Very bright for the size, complete with one of those fancy flesh-tearing bezels which should come in handy in the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse. Or when I’m desperately trying to break into a bag of Funyuns. Whichever comes first.
Cross aluminum bodied gel pen. Works good, feels good, writes well on paper, maybe on other stuff too. Well, what exactly would you want beyond that?
Cadillac CTS-V key fob. Wanna race, kid? You got a Subaru your mom let you hang a big exhaust pipe on? You’re going to be very surprised.
iPhone 4s, filled to it’s 64 gig brim with music and podcasts. I’m still not impressed enough with the 6’s and it’s not like I watch movies on it on anything. I’ll wait for the 7 and see what that’s like.
Phonak hearing aids. Just about invisible as they get. You youngsters may snicker, but at 4 grand the pop I can tune into — or more usually, out of — your conversations from across the room. Also allows me to Bluetooth phone messages and music from my iPhone without anyone knowing otherwise. What, you thought I moved like that because I was old, senile and doofy? Nope, gotta blame it on Springsteen and the Stones this time. And, of course, a large dose of innate doofyness.
CRKT rapid opening folder knife, a joy to hold and use. I’ve questioned why I bother to carry a knife like this. I mean, it’s just a tiny bit excessive, you know? But the last time I used it, I mean really used it for something other than slitting open an Amazon box, I was cutting away 50 years of untended grass off my father’s grave while visiting Detroit. Just for that, well worth the carry.
Marley-Hodgson Ghurka wallet. I gotta say it, Ghurka makes some of the best leather goods this country has ever seen. Company’s been around for a 100 years and their products are well worth the hefty price.
Rolex DateJust, rare 3/4 size on account of the wrists I inherited from my mother. Smooth bezel, Jubilee bracelet and which I’ve worn almost daily since 1979. Only had to have it serviced once. Just a quality piece of work.
The very same eye glass frames I wore in the early 80’s non-ironically but now fitted with trick self-dimming, no-line bifocals which I’ve almost convinced myself I can pass for a much younger hipster.
All sitting on my long-time companion, a no-brand name leather bag I bought more than 20 years ago, which was vintage even then. I’ve had the interior re-done, in a really soft flannel that you’d want to crawl up in on a cold, rainy night if you could. Put a new Ghurka strap on it and it suits me just fine. Right size, just enough pockets and, best of all, I’ve never seen another like it. I’ve actually had people ask me if they could touch it. Everyone else’s seems just so new, you know what I mean?
05/26/16
