This is not a post about my Pocket Guides. This is just a blog post about my pockets.

I am a creature of habit, in that I pretty much always carry the same thing in my pockets regardless of where I am going or what I am doing. If I don’t have the usual pocket stuff, then I feel weird. Pocketly naked, if you will.

So I thought it would be fun to show you what I carry in my pockets on a daily basis, and then ask you to report about your pocket geography (or, for the ladies, the geography of your purse).

1. My phone. It’s a Nokia model, but I’m not sure which. It is not an iPhone. I’m kind of a phone minimalist — I use it to talk to people, and pretty much for little else. I don’t text unless texted. I don’t use it for Internet connectivity or to check email. I like being “off the leash” when I’m away from the computer, so to this point I have avoided smart phones that make it easy to check email or whatever. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s how I roll.

2. Fisher Bullet Space Pen. I love this baby. It’s compact. It writes clean on just about every surface. It has a pleasing weight and feels good in your hand (when you take the cap off and put it on the non-writing end, it fits your hand like a regular pen). This is the pen I carry all the time to jot down notes or whatever. It’s supposed to work in temperatures ranging from -30 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, but I have not yet tried it in those extremes, and don’t really plan to because who has the inclination to write if you’re trapped in an oven or ice cave? Anyway, if you’re interested, you can get one at Amazon for $20 or so. Totally worth it.

3. Flash Drive. My current model is a Cruzer 1GB with a pretty little flourishy pattern. I don’t use it for much, other than a backup for manuscripts and articles and various photos to transfer between computers. I’m totally paranoid about having multiple manuscript backups, though. I’ve heard too many stories of writers who lost entire manuscripts because their hard drives crashed. Not me. I’d have to have about 5 hard drives crash simultaneously (including those at Google) to totally lose a manuscript.

4. Chapstick. This one’s by Avon, but I’m not any kind of lip balm brand snob. I really only use it about twice a week, but I always carry it with me. My jeans tend to develop little outside grooves in the denim from my chapstick tube. Whenever I need it and don’t have it? Really annoying.

5. Leatherman Micra Multi-tool. Since I was 16, I have never not carried a pocketknife. I have been through several versions, from Swiss Army models to three-blade Uncle Henrys to single-blade knives. But this exact Micra I have carried since 2000. How do I know that? Because I received it as a gift for being part of a friend’s wedding party. The date is engraved on it, along with my initials. Unfortunately, my relationship with this particular multi-tool has lasted longer than the marriage that occasioned the gift.

6. Elysium Mighty Wallet from Dynomighty Design. The coolest wallet I have ever owned. It was a Christmas gift from my aunt, and it’s awesome. It’s made from folded Tyvek (the stuff express mail envelopes are made from), so it’s expandable, tear-resistant, slim, and super-lightweight. I love a thin wallet, and the fact that this one looks cool makes it even better. It comes in several different designs, too. If you are the wallet-carrying type, you need one.

7. Keys. I got this keychain from a sporting-goods store in Lake City, Colorado, in 1999. I like it because it has a rope on it, so I can twirl it around like an insouciant lifeguard with his whistle. Also the double clips allow me to clip it to my belt, but I never do (unless flyfishing). But it’s nice to know I have that option.

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That’s what I have in my pockets. What do you carry in yours?