What Do I Bring To Work?

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I have a weird job. It doesn't really have a title and it's not really a "real job". I work for my uncle and most of the time, I don't know what I'm doing until I'm doing it. I babysit, I read documents, I sit around and wait for assignments, and when the political junkets begin, I'm swamped with mailing letters and campaigning. All in all, it's a weird job and I don't know what I'm doing half of the time. Since I am usually clueless about every day's happenings, I have to pack everything that I think that I would possibly need. These items include, but are not limited to:

1. My laptop

My Mac comes everywhere with me, equipped with its charger and a charger for my iPhone (it dies so quickly!). When I have a lull in work, which as of late has been all the time, I hop onto the internet and do unproductive things and productive things (like this blog!). I check my e-mail for anything from my uncle and patiently wait for something to pop up for me to feel like I'm earning my paycheck.

2. A book 

When my laptop dies, or if I've gone through every possible pin of cupcake recipes, I'll resort to reading (as if it's a bad thing, hah). I carry a book with me everywhere and have most definitely read at inappropriate times. My aunt recently had told me that she was watching my cousin, who's 15 now, do exactly what I did when I was her age: sit in the corner secluded from the family on her phone. Except she said that I wasn't glued to my phone, I was glued to my book. Oops!

3. A magazine

I need a lot of reading material. Magazines are great for reading when you're not supposed to be reading. I kid, I kid. I also babysit for my aunt and uncle, so magazines are a great alternative to books when the kids are in the pool and I'm watching them. I don't want to be completely focused on a novel when I'm supposed to make sure that my cousins don't drown on my watch.

4. A notebook (and a lot of pens)

My uncle is a busy guy, so when he is physically in the office, he's running rattling off assignments and information at warp speed. To retain all of this information without screwing it up, I write down the most important parts before he goes off to make a slew of phone calls for an hour. I bring a lot of pens as well because 1. I lose them all the time and 2. I need to whip one out from somewhere in my bag before he moves on to the next point.

5. Lunch

Conveniently, my mom's office is around the corner from where I work, so I occasionally take advantage of that and ask if she can join me at lunch.  On the days where I'm feeling guilty for making her buy me, a perfectly capable young adult, food every afternoon, I'll bring a lunch to work. It always depends on the day of week or what leftovers we have left. I usually always bring some sort of fruit, though, because I can snack on it during the day without feeling like a slump.

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Everything, of course, is stuffed into my ever so durable and multi-purpose Play the Field tote bag from Kate Spade. I want to be buried with this bag, I love it so dearly. I can fit everything that I could ever need and more into it. Plus, it gets compliments all the time. It's a complete win-win.

What is an absolute must for you to bring to work?