The Girl on the Other Coast: January 19, 2013

G's choice this time. And she's asking "What's in your purse?" Anything is possible, the way a purse turns into a black hole... Let's see what she found in hers!

Curious what I found in my purse? (Humor me. Pretend you're curious.) Take a virtual voyage to Little Italy and find out!
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It's always interesting to see what's in someone's purse. I know I often find myself wondering, "How did that get in there?!"

I just recently switched purses. I was going out of town and didn't want to bring a purse and a separate tote bag so I grabbed this cutie. I love the color and the fact that the handles are padded so it's comfortable to carry. But man is it a black hole! I can't tell you how many times I go searching for something and just simply cannot find it! And? Somehow the items inside are multipling in the crevices...

So here is a look at what I'm carrying around. Some of it normal, some of it odd, some of it WHAT THE?




1. Yes, I have this magazine in my purse. Midterms were this week and I thought I'd have a chance to read it while the kids were testing. Boy was I wrong. And? The next month's issue has already come in. This could be why I have such a stack of magazines piling up.

2. Two of my TAs got me the 5th season of The Big Bang Theory for Christmas. Because they TA for my prep, I thought I'd surprise them by getting all the work done and letting them watch a few episodes as a "Thank you for working so hard this semester" treat. They loved it. So did I.

3. Dude. A couple of weeks ago it was insanely cold here. As in 32* cold. That's crazy for Southern California weather. And then the heater broke in our building. So these were a necessity. For real.

4. I know, right? Who keeps a mini mouse (not to be confused with Minnie Mouse!) in their purse?! Umm...the girl who was in the middle of midterms and wanted to use it with her netbookso she could work on grades and still be able to see the children not cheat on their test. But it's really silly to pull it out of my purse. Makes me giggle.

5. Prior to midterms, we spent a few days reviewing. Talking for nearly 5 hours straight can really wear out my throat. So I carried these with me. Plus they are one of the strongest - and still taste good! - cough drops I've ever had. I'll be honest, I also gave some out to some kids who were sick but still came to school coughing. Nothing is worse than hacking up a lung during a test.

6. Who doesn't carry tissues with them? Anybody? That's crazy talk.

7. Cell phone. I really don't care too much about what phone I have or what is the latest one coming out. But recently I really have been counting down the months until I can get a new one. I'm rarely on my phone during the day due to my job. Yet oddly enough the battery is always near death when I'm on my way home. Why?? Ugh. Mr. Smith has recently upgraded his phone (thanks to me and Christmas!) so I get his charger since he had the same as me. Guess I need to remember to bring that in to school. So my phone can charge. When it's not being used. Ever. Grr.

8. Gum. I almost always have some with me. Sometimes I get thirsty and don't have any water with me so this is the next best thing. Have you tried the new Extra gum flavors? This mint chocolate chip ice cream is delicious!

9. My wallet is super tiny. I bought this when Mr. Smith and I were going to Vegas to slip into my "casino" purse. It's a small Coach that holds this wallet, phone, and chapstick...and not much else. It's better that way. However, I never switched back to my bigger wallet because I found that I was filling it and it was becoming ridiculously heavy. So now I just carry this little guy. It gets the job done. And it's cute.

10. Sunglasses. I always have these with me. I've grown accustomed to wearing them and now it's almost painful to go outside without any.

11. Car keys. (But not much longer!) Cute Tiffany's key chain courtesy of a good friend. It's a little present that was a little birthday present. :)

12. School keys. You can't really tell by the picture but there are about 15-17 keys on that key ring. Classroom, bathroom, file cabinets, gate, gas shut off, and more cabinets. And my flash drive. It's my favorite way to transport documents from one computer to another.

13. My breakfast. Those fruit leathers from Trader Joes are amazing!

*Not pictured: lady products, run-away cough drops, change, point-and-shoot camera, peach bellini (which they no longer make. sad face.) hand sanitizer,  and Burt's Bees chapstick (the best!). And some random receipts.
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(edit to add mine)


What's in my purse? Ok then. I'm game (though this would have been more fun for you if we'd done this a week ago, before I gave it a thorough cleaning, and found a battery, all my Christmas shopping receipts, a third hand sanitizer, a book of stamps, and a cough drop of questionable origin and age (what am I? 80 years old?))

And away we go!



1. (Hmmm. Well, this is an unfortunate place to begin our tour. Should have paid closer attention when I started numbering. Too late now.) That little pouch holds the necessary supplies for my Ladies Days (Thank you for that, Everybody Loves Raymond.) (Side note: Have you seen the PMS episode of Everybody Loves Raymond? Probably makes my Top Three Funniest Episodes of TV Ever. I'll get back on topic now, but seriously, if you haven't seen it, you should watch it. "Bad Moon Rising" is the title of the episode, season four, episode 22, thank you, Miso.)

2. Loose cash, floating aimlessly in the abyss. Which, as you'll see with items 3 and 5, there is no excuse for this.

3. My "big wallet." Credit cards, store discount cards, checkbook, insurance cards, voters registration card. All kinds of important stuff that I don't use regularly. This wallet lives exclusively in my "everyday purse."

4. I swear I just cleaned a wad of receipts out of here a week ago. They must self-generate. I only collected three that I can think of since I last cleaned in here -- Publix, Target and gas, my regular Sunday morning errands -- yet I found way more than that. Curious.

5. My "little wallet." This one has the essentials: drivers license, debit cards, the credit card I prefer to use, cash, AAA card. When I opt for a different purse, everything I need is in this wallet and it's the only one that gets to come along. If I know I will need something else from the other wallet, I transfer it temporarily to this one.

6. Gift cards! Two from Pier 1 and a Dunkin. I like to keep them with me, because I never know when I might need a little splurge.

7. iPod Touch. It doesn't live in my purse, but it does when I leave the house.

8.  My (non-smart) phone. This also doesn't stay in my purse, but I always bring it with me when I leave. Good safety, you know?

9. Lens cleaner for my glasses. Because I hate when they are dirty (it actually makes my eyes hurt) and, for reasons I have never been able to explain, the *inside* of my glasses get all kinds of smudges and prints and what have you. You would think I would notice all that activity in the confined space between my eyeball and the lens of my glasses, but that is a rant for another time.

10. My sunglasses case (they attach directly to the frames of my regular prescription glasses). Also inside is the microfiber cloth for cleaning my glasses.

11. A note with the addresses of the Motor Vehicle Licensing Division and Tax Collector/Registration offices, and a list of all the items I need to bring with me in order to legally change my name on my license and registration. I'm tackling that little joy on the 24th.

12. Two bottle of Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer. Two different scents. Because a girl needs options (but not *three* of them -- purse real estate is at a premium, you know?) and people are gross and don't wash their hands when they ought to. (Candy Cane Bliss and Caribbean Escape.)

13. A little bottle of Advil. (Just ask my friend, Nichole. I am prepared for everything.)

14. Mints. No explanation necessary, right? Fun fact: I call them my Small-toids. But since I am not Sheldon Cooper, there won't be a quiz on that later.

15. A lightly tinted Burt's Bees lip balm. The color is Nutmeg.

16. Really cute nail files. If you can make some useful be cute every now and again, why not?

17. A pen and a pencil. Sometimes I need one and sometimes I need the other. And I have rules about using the proper writing implement.

**Not pictured: My SoftLips lip balm (I wonder where that went?). A purse pack of tissues and a pack of blotting papers (didn't realize I was out, so those need to be replaced). My keys (because the only time they are in my purse is when I am out--the rest of the time, they reside on the little table near our front door, so T can grab them if he needs to--and no, I have never misplaced my keys, because I leave them in their spot religiously).