What’s in my backpack!? [you’ll NEVER guess the last item I reveal 🤔]4 min read

Today’s inane image/video of the day:

Image/video… all the same, right?!

Introduction

Inspired by all of the videos that delve into what’s in people’s purses or bags or backpacks, I thought I’d share with you what is in my daily backpack! I have a problem with wanting to have everything with me at all times [and yet, still find that I’m always missing something useful, e.g. I just figured out I don’t have acetaminophen readily available in my little medication bag], so I end up carrying a massive north face backpack [reminder to fellow healthcare workers – the 50% North Face coupon expires at the end of the calendar year; I’ve already used mine once and am considering buying this new backpack with the discount…] with me to work every day.

I had to do some digging to find the blog post, but I confirmed that I’ve had this backpack since 2012! Wow, it’s crazy to read an entry from so long ago…

An overview of the stuff

To make this more aesthetically-pleasing, I thought I’d just share some highlights of the items I carry with me everyday:

  • Kleen Kanteen insulated water bottle: I purchased a glass water bottle a few years ago and my heart sank when I was rounding in the ICU and it FELL from my computer on wheels [probably from a height of at least 4 feet], and SHATTERED everywhere on the floor. I decided then I needed something more durable and went with a Kleen Kanteen insulated water bottle. I’ve had the same water bottle for 3 years and it does a fabulous job keeping my water cold and surviving falls from great heights [what I don’t show you in the video is that there are numerous dents heh]
  • Heavy-duty umbrella: Since I walk to work, I need to be prepared for the weather. My last umbrella was… stolen? Taken? I don’t know. Either way, I needed a new one so I decided to go for a heavier-duty one that’s got an automatic button.
  • Deodorant: As I mentioned in my day in the life as an intensivist entry, I don’t want to be smelly. So… I have deodorant with me at all times.
  • An extra pair of socks: In the summer, I’d walk to work in sandals, so I made a point to always have extra socks with me. I guess I’m just trying to be hopeful that summer will come back around sooner rather than later…
  • Tea: In the video I show you a Bigelow tea that I typically purchase as my go to classic green tea. Lately on my instagram, many of you might have noticed that I have been drinking a lot of stash tea because I love some of their blends [especially the fusion green and white, white with mint]
  • A packable rain jacket: See above on being prepared for weather. The worst feeling is the sideways rain that soaks you, EVEN though you have an umbrella.
  • A charging brick: I used to travel all of the time. Now… I guess it’s just an extra weight in my bag. Perhaps I should think about taking these out…
  • Chargers: usually I have a couple apple lightening USB charging cables, my watch charger, and a standard micro-USB charging cable [to re-charge my portable brick if needed]
  • Laptop + bag: As I note in my video, the computer assigned to me at work is painfully slow. So painful. Cannot even work on simple presentations on it. So, I’ve committed to bringing my own laptop daily.
  • Slide advancer/laser pointer: Ah, I miss the days of conference travel. Well, it’s also a bit of a blessing not to have to go on trips every month, but now that I’ve gotten adequate time at home during the pandemic, I’M READY TO GO BACK TO TRAVELING. Anyway, I digress… this slide advancer/GREEN laser pointer was a necessity for my presentations so I always came prepared.
  • Mystery item: Watch until the end to figure this one out. Did you guess what it was before watching?!