At some point, I paid attention to the safety instructions they always recite at the beginning of each flight on commercial airlines. By paid attention, I mean I actually *thought* about what they were saying and potential implications, not just nodding and saying “yeah, yeah, let's get there already.”
In the event of an emergency landing, inflatable slides will automatically deploy out each emergency exit. Please remove your shoes and do not carry anything with you as you exit the plane.
Okay, so now you're in the middle of a field (if you're lucky) or floating in a lake clinging to your seat cushion wondering if it may or may not serve as a flotation device (if you're unlucky). You have no shoes, no luggage, no purse. Have you ever seen what happens to a woman who loses her purse? It's like she's lost her mind. No contact info, no ID, no money or credit cards, not even keys once you make it back to your home or car. Admittedly, I was never a big fan of purses anyway, but that droning recitation convinced me I should have all critical items on my person at all times, i.e. pockets.
Obviously I'm very strange in this opinion, since most women's clothing doesn't have pockets, or at best one maybe two. I've even seen jeans with no rear pockets – we wouldn't want to ruin the curve of a woman's body now! Baloney, to put it politely.
So I wear mens jeans and make full use of the pockets. I have also structured my life (for an assortment of reason, including but not limited to) such that it is always my choice, not someone else's, should I decide to, as I jokingly call it, dress in drag wearing girl clothes – always good for startling people used to me in jeans and don't realize 'I kin clean up good'!
Right front – lip balm, hand lotion, and a utility key ring with mini pocket knife, LED flashlight, mini compass, and hair binders. The flashlight is great for seeing in dark rooms and under desks. I started carrying a tiny compass when I lived near Chicago. Every time I emerged from the L, I would start out the wrong direction! The natives might be able to sense which way the lake is, but I used the compass until I better learned the surrounding landmarks. Something that gave me a vague sense of E vs. W was all I needed. The hair binders are due to the fact I don't bother with cutting and styling my hair, except to use the scissors on the pocket knife to trim split ends while I'm bored waiting for some one/thing.
Left front – cash, cell phone, handkerchief. I carry plain white mens kerchiefs, not being the lacy frilly type.
Left rear – card pack. I tried for years to find a thin wallet that didn't make me look like a dyke. Nothing against dykes, mind you, but people already mistakenly wonder if I am one, wearing mens style clothing as I do. For a couple years I found a heavy post office type rubber band worked well, but after the third one broke, I realized I really don't need one at all.
Right rear – lens cloth for my glasses, and documents pertaining to my current project. Usually note cards, or my passport if I happen to be traveling more than 200 miles from home.
Coin pocket – Lighter. I used to have a cool refillable pressurized butane lighter than was like a tiny torch. It was great for cutting and cauterizing rope, but it stopped working and I never could figure out why. The mini Bic I have now sucks for cutting, but it shrinks rope ends well enough.
Because I live in the country, I have two knives on my belt – one is a smooth blade folder, the other is a multi-tool. The folder is most often used for sharpening pencils and cutting rope, the multi-tool's primary function is to crush ticks in the pliers, thus its nickname Tick Killer.
One last safety tool isn't in my pockets, but around my neck – a ball-less plastic whistle. That one is a new carry item. For as much time as I spend in the woods alone, usually a goodly ways form the road, carrying a whistle is just plain common sense. After the Japan earthquake I stopped removing the whistle when not in the woods; now it only comes off when I shower. The ball-less type is what the water patrol required of boaters at a friend's cottage in Canada. For once, I've gone with the official government opinion!
Nearly all these items see daily use, not just in emergencies. What I can't figure out is: how in the world do nudists function without pockets?
1 comment:
I get by with two pockets. The right one has house & car keys, nail clipper, hearing aid batteries, and a hanky. The left one has my card case, my flash drive computer backup and another hanky. I think I could survive with just those things.
Of course, when preparing to board a plane all that goes temporarily into a pocket of my carry-on so I don't have to mess with it at security. So I must return it all to my pockets after boarding and before crashing. :)
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