Ship of Fools: Never more than a few feet from....

Thread: Never more than a few feet from.... Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

What exactly? In my case, my iPad and some piece of knitting or crochet. And the window.

Which reflects on much my life is about observing as doing, and how much, socially, is online.

I'd like this to be a thread NOT just about listing stuff you can see in your immediate vicinity, more about what items/places are your daily essentials (whether immediately to hand or not) and what you think that says about your life.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

A dog, usually two. 🐾🙂🐾

I cannot imagine life without them. The pups are my challenge and my pet dog is my company and my excuse for lots of gorgeous countryside walks, at least one a day.

If you look at my blogs they are full of dogs.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

Bombay Sapphire.
Tonic.
Citrus.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

a book
mobile phone

Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :

My mask and epi-pen. The scented candle craze made it impossible for me to visit friends in their homes and the essential oils craze is slowly pushing me out of all public places. Apparently individual diffusers in the form of jewelry are all the rage.

And my dog - she keeps me alive. Boogie, I so wish you could come visit and meet my pup. You two would get on famously.

Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :

Book, cell phone, water.

Because I'm one of the caregivers for my mother, I need to be near the cell phone when I'm not with her. Books have been my companions since I learned to read. And hydration is good for the body, especially as I grow older.

sabine

Posted by Chamois (# 16204) on :

Um. Well. Yes. I've thought hard but I can't think of anything that I always need within reach.

Until a couple of years ago I was never more than a few feet from a clean heavy-duty sanitary towel. I carried one in each of my bags or in my pocket if I was going out without a bag. But now, thanking heaven for large mercies, I am in the blessed state of menopause and no longer need an emergency towel to hand at all times. Although I found one last week stashed in a handbag I don't often use.

And there is nothing else that I always need near me. Unless you count my glasses? Can't see much without them.

Not sure what this says about me. Maybe I'm a free spirit? Or maybe I'm just seriously weird.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Ooh yes, specs are essential for anything other than reading or close computer/tablet work.

I try not to take my mobile phone everywhere in the house though I always try to take it when going out. Sadly others in the house have better hearing than me so tell me if they hear it ringing - but I refuse to be a slave to the darned thing.

Notepad & pen - they are dotted all over the house. My first boss in social work told me to always carry one and that was getting on for half a century ago.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Galilit:
Bombay Sapphire.
Tonic.
Citrus.

You don't say what this says about you. But I think we can guess.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Reading glasses. It's got to the stage where I have at least one set in each room because I can never remember where I left the damn things. You know you're middle-aged when you have to wear them to see what you're eating.

Mobile phone. The internet connection is essential for checking transport disruptions when you're on the move.

Camera. There has to be a small compact camera in my bag. I feel lost without this. On one occasion when I accidentally forgot to pack it, I encountered a young female deer in the countryside and it actually walked alongside me for a few minutes. There was, of course, no way of capturing this magical moment.

Tiny pocket radio with earphones. Essential for the commute and also if war breaks out, etc. I need to know whether there will be traffic diversions, station closures, and so on. Also the earphones come in useful as simple earplugs in noisy environments.

These are the four essentials that I feel uncomfortable leaving home without. I suppose this says I feel a need to be prepared and equipped for whatever strangeness the day ahead may throw up. (That and the emergency makeup kit that lives in my bag. There's one at home and one in a drawer at the office as well. Just in case.)

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
more about what items/places are your daily essentials (whether immediately to hand or not) and what you think that says about your life.

My wallet and keys. They live in my pockets at all times. If I get up in the morning, and intend not to leave the house all day, I still put my keys and wallet in my pockets. I feel undressed without them.

That way, I'm ready for anything. If I suddenly decide to go out, I have my ID and money. If I manage to lock myself out of my house, I can get back in.

About the only time I don't have them is if I'm going to do some work crawling around in the attic or something - in that case, I'll pull on a pair of junky old jeans suitable for messing up, and put nothing at all in the pockets (because of the risk of something falling out).

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

My freaking glasses. I'm legally blind without.

A book (e- or paper). It's an addiction.

Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
Tiny pocket radio with earphones. Essential for the commute and also if war breaks out, etc. I need to know whether there will be traffic diversions, station closures, and so on.

In the event of war breaking out, I suspect you might have better things to worry about than traffic diversions and station closures!

Specs for me. Not as a convenience but a must. Without them the whole world is but a blur; you all become part of a multi-coloured fog!

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

Books, an essential for life.

My Macpac day pack. My wallet and all necessary cards live in it and my keys and bus concession card are attached to it, as is a small torch (a carry over from the earthquakes). I've used back packs for years, but when I first bought a Macpac the woman in the shop fitted it to me in a similar way to having a bra fitted, but less embarrassing.

My hearing aids - they are either on the shelf in the cupboard or in my ears. If I can't find them I get really distressed, mainly because they are expensive to replace. I can hear without them but everyone mumbles [Biased]

My pink glasses (everyday use) and my purple glasses (reading and needlework).

What they say about me? I'm getting older. Because I am disorganised I need to have a place where things go to slow down the slide into chaos, hence having very specific places for things.

Huia

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:
In the event of war breaking out, I suspect you might have better things to worry about than traffic diversions and station closures!

Nope. I'll want to get out of the area as fast as possible. That means avoiding any occupied stations, roadblocks with tanks, etc.

(Possibly I may have seen a few too many black and white films in my youth.)

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Galilit:
Bulldog.
Tonic.
Citrus.
Star Anise.

Fixed that for you. [Smile]

Posted by Scots lass (# 2699) on :

A boo. I read on my commute and in my lunch hour, and I quite often go to the library on the way home. For longer journeys I make sure I have more than one book in case I finish the first one. Commute-wise I can cope if I finish my book, as I can waste time on my phone, but I definitely need a spare for the longer trips! What does that say about me? I'm a book addict, I don't believe that's a problem [Biased]

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

Hearing aids and glasses. Glasses needed since childhood. Hearing aids needed for a long time but actually only had for possibly twelve years. As Huia said, other people mumble.

My phone. I do not use the landline and am part of a group involved in care for a friend,my age, but with developing Alzheimers and dementia. He can ring, having forgotten why he actually did ring, and be distressed even more if phone is not answered promptly.

Posted by Evangeline (# 7002) on :

Insulin, glucometer and jelly beans.

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :

Glasses, cell phone, and my cats. Well I can't take my cats with me everywhere, but when I'm home they are always near me.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
... My wallet and keys. They live in my pockets at all times. If I get up in the morning, and intend not to leave the house all day, I still put my keys and wallet in my pockets ...

A somewhat OCD acquaintance of ours is absolutely paranoid about his keys; on one occasion at a party in his own house, he seemed to be making terribly heavy weather of filling his plate from a buffet, until we realised that he was carrying his keys in one hand ... [Killing me]

For myself, the things I absolutely have to have would be my spectacles (not much use at reading without), a comb (my hair goes its own way in the slightest puff of wind) and my wallet. My mobile lives in my handbag and goes where I go, but I'll only move it around the house with me if I'm expecting a call.

And I'm never very far from a Small Bear. [Smile]

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

Like many others, eyeglasses. I always have a toque with me. Comes from living in a cold climate. Also nice on an airplane, if in a cold hotel room. And tea. I take my own daily with me.

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

My handbag - which contains my wallet, phone, diary, keys, nail file, tweezers, hankies ...all my essentials.
My glasses.
My current crochet project.

Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :

quote:
Originally posted by sabine:
Book, cell phone, water.

Because I'm one of the caregivers for my mother, I need to be near the cell phone when I'm not with her. Books have been my companions since I learned to read. And hydration is good for the body, especially as I grow older.

sabine

I should have added to my list, a flashlight.

I'm visually impaired, and my home does not have the glaring lights up like a public building. Sometimes when I'm cooking, a piece of onion accidentally falls on the off-white kitchen floor. Sometimes, a small object rolls into a dark corner. Sometimes I just need to look into the bottom of a tote bag (must remember to carry only white ones).

sabine

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

Like others here, if I'm not wearing my glasses, you all are a colorful blur! However, I'm very fortunate that I can see very clearly at about six inches without them, which is wonderful for reading in bed!

My emergency inhaler. So many things will trigger my asthma, that I really, really need to keep it near.

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

I have found it easier to buy many pairs of reading glasses (they are only $3 at Michael's) and scatter them all over my environment. Everywhere I go, there is a pair of glasses; there are two or three pair in my purse.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Three bloody dogs. [Axe murder]

Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :

St Gwladys' handbag sounds full of useful stuff; I think I'll take that with me when avoiding the blocked roads and cancelled trains with Ariel.

Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :

My specs.

My smartphone - I use the internet on it like I used to use teletext i.e. to keep up with news headlines and weather forecasts, and it's handy for travel updates if I'm on the move and of course I can actually use it as a phone to keep my OH up to speed with where I am. It's also a pretty useful camera and my MP3 player.

My handbag with all my paraphenalia in it.

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

The first thing that came to mind was the dog. Surprise because I have only had her for a year, I can not remember life without her now.
A glass of ice. I find I do not drink as much water as I should, but I like sucking, not chewing on an ice cube. So I get much of my liquid intake upgrades that way.

My phone so I do not need to go in another room to answer. Also use it to check out words when I am reading. If I am not doing something else there is always a book by my side.

Last once a day there is a cup of tea.

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

Diet pop. Usually Diet Coke, but not always.

Posted by Mrs Shrew (# 8635) on :

This has changed dramatically for me in the last 3 months.

Now:
At least three muslin cloths, my smartphone (for browsing the web while feeding), a glass of water and The Infant Shrew.

Which I think says mostly that I'm a new mother. I can also confirm I'm constantly covered in baby sick.

Previously :
A knitting, crochet, or sewing project

A book

A cup of tea

I love reading, and have done ever since first learning to read, and creating new things from yarn or fabric makes me happier than any other hobby. And tea! Tea is amazing. A hot cup of tea just makes everything better.

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mrs Shrew:
I love reading, and have done ever since first learning to read, and creating new things from yarn or fabric makes me happier than any other hobby. And tea! Tea is amazing. A hot cup of tea just makes everything better.

Apart from the Baby Shrew, whom I sure is lovely - baby sick notwithstanding -Yes!

My local supermarket has a coffee and tea bar at the entrance now and a cup of tea to drink as I wander around* makes life so much more pleasant.

*I am lucky not to need to rush, but the aisles are wide so I don't hold anyone up.

Huia

Posted by Fredegund (# 17952) on :

Books.
Books
Kindle

At least one cat. If I go out they make sure that I'm covered in fluff.
(picking white cat hairs off a black dress at work)

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

My phone, which does email, internet and a torch.
Book(s) .

At home, one or two cats. They are born stalkers.

A small shoulder bag containing cash and cards, which lives inside a larger shoulder bag containing manicure set, passport (they're after me, you know), book(s), diary. And anything else.
Keys. They live on a hook by the front door and go with me if I leave the house.

Thing most likely to freak me out if I forget it? My phone.

Posted by cattyish (# 7829) on :

I add pockets to my work clothes to carry a phone and my car and work keyring. At work I also have a pen tucked into my collar.

I'm on holiday just now and so only have my phone for social reasons. Even though I'm on holiday I'm still carrying my car key in the habitual left trouser pocket and the phone in the right.

Cattyish, not breaking the habits.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by cattyish:
I add pockets to my work clothes to carry a phone and my car...

That caused me a moment of concern -- till I read it more carefully.

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

While we may have started with things which are never more than a few feet from us, I am bonding closely with my newly installed wood-burning stove. So are the cats.

Posted by Fineline (# 12143) on :

My glasses, definitely. Though they are so much part of me that I wouldn't have thought to mention them if others hadn't. Same as clothes, I guess.

Things I bring with me everywhere, as opposed to things I wear, are iPhone, purse, iPad Mini, bullet journal, mini sketchbook, fineline pens (my screen name in fact was from looking around my immediate environment to find something to name myself after - I love fineline pens and have literally hundreds of them), and either my Kindle or my Kobo Mini. I'm pretty attached to a mini laptop too, specially when I'm doing NaNoWriMo, though I don't always take it with me - I use it more at home.

What this says about my life, I am not sure, other than I like reading, drawing and writing, and I try to organise myself. Those are the reasons for these possessions.

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