Friday, January 8, 2010

It's Almost Like it Was DESIGNED for This...

When I went home for Christmas break, I had the poor luck to choose to travel on the ONE day it snowed hard enough to shut down bus service. Now, I'm not a stranger to vagaries of weather and travel. I CHECKED the bus website before I left, to see if there were cancellations. The website specifically said that service "is canceled to all points south." 

I, dear internet, was going west. So I packed up my duffle bag, (full of heavy Christmas presents for my family), and hiked my way all the way across campus to the subway station. I gratefully sat down and took the subway to the middle of the city, then schlepped myself to the bus station. I waited in line behind ten people at the ticket counter, only to find that buses had been canceled west, as well as south.

Bugger.

So I slung my bag over my shoulder again, and retraced all my steps to make my way home.

The next morning, I repeated the whole process. Everything was good this time, and I finally made it to my destination and had a fantastic break with my family. When, sadly, the break was over, I once again packed up to go home. This time, I had an even heavier bag full of the generous, fabulous gifts from my family.

And as I was hoisting myself across campus for the fourth and last time, that bag kept getting heavier and heavier. I tried switching shoulders, or carrying it in my hands, but any way I tried it was just awkward and uncomfortable. Toward the end of the walk, I found myself going slower, and slower, trying to estimate how many steps I had left to take... straining to make it the last few blocks.

And I had this thought - WHEELS. Just that. What, you think in complete sentences? Well, my mind is just efficient like that. So - wheels.

Wouldn't this process have been so much easier with wheels? Enter a Target run:
And now (on sale no less), I am now the proud owner of this duffle bag with wheels.

Ah, the power of product engineering... never mind that it took the actual engineer four trips to think of it...

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