Blog #2: My Backpack

Not many people are fortunate enough to have a backpack that has lasted as long as mine has. Since the eighth grade, my murky forest-green backpack has been my trusty sidekick, helping me carry items and accompanying me on numerous trips. This thing has sustained so much abuse, yet its straps are still in-tacked and I'm surprised it hasn't begun to fall apart. I sometimes refer to it as "Pai Mei," after the character from Kill Bill.

The reason it has been with me for this long is because I never felt like throwing it out. After every school year prior to eighth grade, my mom encouraged my brother and I reuse notebooks and other supplies for the next school year. Though I was always able to utilize my supplies to their full use into the next year, I never had the same luck with my backpacks. I always found some way to ruin those things, whether it was one of the straps breaking, tearing a zipper out, or the bottom falling out. So after a year of carrying around my Pai Mei, I was surprised at how durable it was. It was the first backpack not to crap-out on me. I didn't see the need to replace it, and it's been with me ever since.

I've taken Pai Mei to places other than school. He has gone with me to Myrtle Beach as my "entertainment bag," carrying books, sketchpad, colored pencils, and a CD player. He's also gone with me to North Carolina's FFA Camp on White Lake all three years, where he provided me with a hairdryer, a straightening iron, and extra clothes for those hot and muggy days. He was also there with me when I came for orientation at UNC-Wilmington, acting as a suitcase for my overnight stay. It's important to because memories of the places I have gone are attached to it. And I'm looking forward to more before it finally breaks.