A Purse and a Backpack

Yesterday was my first day of summer school. Six hours a day of the same class. Then I go to work after school. I was there until 7:30 last night. Then I had to go buy all my stupid school supplies. Did you know a box of surgical gloves costs $20?!? And colored pencils cost almost $8??

By the time I got home last night, it was 8:30. I hadn’t eaten since 11am. I was tired and grumpy and overwhelmed and starving. Some of those feelings carried over to my sleep unfortunately. And this morning around 5 am I started tossing and turning. While many thoughts going through my head were regarding my lab report, applications, GRE studying, etc., another annoyingly persistent was there too: “What am I going to wear today?"

For six years now, I’ve perfected the art of sometimes professional, sometimes stylish, sometimes comfortable business casual. And when I went to school at night after work, my businessy-casual outfit came with me. But now I find myself waking up and going to class. What that means: I get to start dressing like a real college student again. Only problem is…I sort of forgot how.

This morning I laid in bed for many minutes wondering about what I used to wear to school and how those sorts of outfits could translate into what I currently own. On top of that, there are 40 students in our microbio lab. We have three hour lab periods. Each of us 40 students uses his/her own little Bunsen burner for most of those three hours. Which means, 40 Bunsen burners on (with a big flame!) in a confined space for over three hours. In the middle of the day. In June. In Southern California. Now I am always on the cold side. But between noon and 3pm, Monday through Friday, I am not. It's so hot in fact, that the old prof lady recommended we wear shorts. While I understood the concept a little voice inside me frowned at the notion. SHORTS? Aside from beach vacations and working out, I haven’t worn shorts out of the house in God knows how long. Probably around six years actually…

Another area that I’ve noticed some changes in, in regards to my new studently-ways, is my hair-style. Or lack thereof. I don’t see much of a point to doing my hair any more. I’ve defaulted to a pony-tale the last two days and I'm not sure why I should do anything else. Whenever the Bunsen burners come out, prof is all “Ladies make sure to tie back your hair!” And who I am to argue with authority?

And now to discuss how I’m carrying all my stuff around with me. All through my work-full-time/school-part-time days, I used a shoulder bag thing (free from a Taiwanese vendor with a faux Monet type painting on it. Very classy) to schlep my VERY expensive text books to and fro. But yesterday I realized the bag wasn’t gonna cut it anymore. The classes I’m taking now require larger books (read: more expensive ones) and more of them. It was with great resignation this morning that I pulled out my backpack and tossed in colored pencils, my trusty TI-32 calculator (which harkens back to my high school math days), the shiny new $160 Microbio textbook (no “USED” available because they decided to upgrade to a newer version this year. Joy!), $80 worth of lab material, $50 worth of slides, gloves, and the like, and a package of Snackwell cookies. I like sugar.

Yes, I am convinced that for now, the backpack is the way to go. But I am yet again faced with the same question I encountered in college: purse AND backpack, purse IN backpack, backpack only??? Now that I’ve been an adult for a little while I don’t like the idea of not using a purse, but I always thought those girls in college using a backpack AND a purse were just silly. So until I come up with a better solution I’ve become one of those silly dual-bag-carrying girls.

Here is a summary of what I look like when I go to school:

Shoes: My Reef thongs. This is a carry-over from UCLA. Actually, I’ve never stopped this habit, only now I’ll be in them all the time. And I’ll have that fabulous thong tan on the top of my feet. Well, I already have that tan. It never really goes away….and secretly, I sort of like it.

Hair: Pony-tale. Today I straightened my bangs and put on earrings. That’s as good as it’s gonna get.

Clothes: I’m still working this one out…I don’t want to get bacteria on anything I like. Plus it’s cold in the morning, hot during lab and sometimes I have to go to work after class. What to do, what to do.
Accessories: Heavy backpack (picture me hunched over, burdened by the weight of all things microbio), a cute purse on my forearm, a Cliff Bar in hand and a jacket (for the cold early mornings) tossed casually over my Cliff Bar bearing arm.

I guess I look like a student again (read: HOT).