bob_dobalina

you'll know that i'm ready for an adventure if you see me with my hemp satchel.

i think just about everyone has some sort of security attachment when they were growning up. i had a series of small stuffed bears, always of the same gund design, and they were always white. well, they never really stayed white for that long, normally soiled by a bloody nose or the type of dirt that little boys track where ever they go. every now and then i'd get sick and my little bear would have to fend off a coating of puke or snot. mom would normally have to wage a tug-of-war with me in order to stick the bear in the washing machine. and the bears were never right after a session in the maytag, kind of like having a pet neutered. yeah it still belonged to you and yet there was something different. i think i went through at least a half dozen of those little gund bears as i grew up.

i still have and use security device that's managed to last a whole lot longer than any one of those bears. i'd like to think its because i take better care of my things now than i used to but i seriously doubt that's the case because this security device has seen more than its fare share of misuse. i think i got it back in 1995 and was proud of both the counter-culture affiliation and the linkage to what i hoped was a worthy cause (proceeds were supposed to benefit the rain forest). i bought my 100% hemp satchel from a mail-order store and was kind of dismayed at first at its coarse construction. but heavy use over the years that i've owned and used it has worn it in to something that could--as has--pass as a pillow case.

normally i take it with me to the farmers market so that i can stick my fresh organic fruits and veggies in it or to the gym for my towel, water bottle, and pocket rubbage that i'd rather not worry about when i'm sweating and grunting. of course, it went to the desert with me and kept watch over my pipe, my stash, and assorted goodies. its been around the world at least twice when you consider the trips to asia and europe i made. it also accompanies me to the hollywood bowl and the beach. stuff a jacket in it and it becomes a good size for you to wrap your arms around it when the 'cid is taking you to a weird place. some friends took to calling me doraemon, after the magic japanese space cat with a pouch from which he'd produce all kinds of wacky stuff to help him in his adventures. i also had a giant stuffed doraemon but he was never much use because he was a bed hog.