mea mecum porto

“I carry with me,” “mea mecum porto,” with philosophical roots, implied, that a person’s sense of self, community, and integrity is all that matters. What we all carry with us.

The question is what I carry every day. Mostly, just crap I stuff in my pockets. Keys, wallet, phone. Sometimes, reading glasses. Pocket knife if I’m not going someplace where I can’t carry a small, folding blade. (High carbon steel on this one, sharp, and innocuous.)

Most days, I’ll throw earbuds in my pocket. I try not to have too much stuff rattling around in my pockets.

I opted for an 11-inch NutSac, so far. Makes a great purse (call it what you want — it is what it is — a purse.)

mea mecum porto

Reading Habits

While facts are buried in time, lost to an ocean of hazy memories, one standard travel tool is a book. Something to always have with me. Something to read. Odd, as much as I raged against digital books early on, now they are an accepted part of my life. That means a tablet, and charger plus a cable, so my book doesn’t run out of juice.

(Sources.)

So there’s a case, then a series of battery packs, chargers, and cables. Sort of depends on whatever the current configuration is, but there’s always a collection, the original Apple iPhone charger, the ubiquitous small USB bricklet? They are safe, if not quick, and those charge just about anything, so I tend to carry at least one of those.

The point is always have something to read. Book, novel, historical text, scholarship, fluff, or research. When I used a slightly larger carry-all (purse), I included a copy of either 101 Zen Stories, The Way of the Tao, or a copy of Marcus Aurelius — never can tell when a planetary mishap can leave me stranded.

All of my trashy reading tends to be digital, now, post-pandemic.

mea mecum porto

Just as an exercise, the current set-up…

1. 11-inch iPad
2. Small wall charger
3. USB C cable
4. Apple Watch cable
5. iPhone cable
6. Micro USB cable
7. Wireless Earbuds
8. Spare battery
9. Can opener multi-tool
10. Notepad (Field Book size, not branded)
11. Spare pen(s)
12. Travel Toothbrush
13. Triple-A pocket flashlight
14. Reading glasses
15. Good luck bag, currently contains
    1. Tiny rosary crucifix blessed by a Pope
    2. Feng Shui coins linked with red twine
    3. Feng Shui envelope with lucky Vegas chip
    4. St. Benedict medallion
    5. Tiny piece of all natural citrine
16. Tarot Deck (pocket version)
17. Chapstick

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Portable Mercury Retrograde – Kramer Wetzel