This is my travel bag, or has been my travel bag.I mentioned this a few days ago and this has been w

This is my travel bag, or has been my travel bag.

I mentioned this a few days ago and this has been with me for at least 20 years, perhaps 25 or 26 but after having this thing for decades, I finally got a new travel bag.

I got this bag from my uncle, who at the time was working with the hotel industry in Honolulu. It was a company that deals with tour buses so when tourists go everywhere, it was my uncle’s duty to put it in the lost and found. The items have a time period so that the tourists can get it back if they are missing it.  After the time period, the employees are able to take a few things.  My uncle was never a hoarder so if he obtained something, he would give it away.  He once gave me a 35mm camera that became my camera of choice for years when I documented the local punk scene and another time, he said he got a travel bag and wanted to know if I wanted it. I had no plans on traveling *at the time* so I said sure, I’ll take it.

I don’t remember if he had given it to me in 1988 or 1991, one of the years when I went back home so I’m unsure if this was the bag I had when I went on by first and only trip to New York City.  Well, I went to NYC in 1986 on a rescue mission for my auntie (long story) but that was a trip to the motel and back on the plane the next day.

Nonetheless, I know this was the bag I had when I went to Atlanta, Chicago/Schaumberg, through Indiana, and Springfield, Ohio. In between were airport stops in Utah and Dallas/Fort Worth.  It was with me when I went back home in 1998 and 2000, the last year of which involved going to L.A. and when a lady from Atlanta suffered a heart attack and died on what would have been her first trip to Hawai’i, the plane had to turn around and we stopped in San Francisco, which to this day remains my only stop in San Francisco, at least for now.  SF has been high on my bucked list for decades.  The bag has also been with me countless times to and from Seattle and Portland, in terms of going to countless shows, festivals, shopping trips and whatever.

I decided to get a new bag because I’ll be traveling to Virginia next month, as my cousin is getting married. This bag looks “had it” already, the strap was being held up by tape but barely. It has been very durable and as far as not updating/upgrading it any sooner, I’m not here to impress anyone. However, it was time to get something new so I just got a black duffel bag, nothing big. Not sure how long it will be with me or I’ll begin to be sophisticated and have a new bag every two years but I hope it will involve more travels.  Here’s to traveling.

BTW: This bag doesn’t look that decrepit, it was in a corner in my closet and thought “eh, let’s toss this out for good.”

ALSO: This is the 6th anniversary of my Tumblr page.