What’s In Your Overnight Bag, Violet Blue?

What intro could contain Violet Blue? Author, blogger, podcaster, general fuckin’-shit-upper, Violet also happens to have a column at the San Francisco Chronicle called “Open Source Sex.” You’d best read her blog alongside her column, though—Violet will often take her employer to task over what they won’t run, which is exactly what writers these days should be doing.

Hey, Violet: What’s in your overnight bag?

• Hideo Wakamatsu bags – I used to be a Chrome girl, but once I discovered the sleek beauty of a fetish-skintight black leather laptop briefcase from Wakamatsu, my travel life changed. Especially when I got a pink-and-black “three line carry-on”, which makes my gadget-and-charger-laden load seem lighter. They’re not cheap, but simplifying the explosive mess of glitter, flavored lipglosses and the usual bullshit of managing all those proprietary cables and chargers—a lot easier.

• Earplugs – It’s not just working at SRL.org for the past ten years that makes me reflexively travel with earplugs, but I’m convinced that crying babies on planes can indeed be painfully louder than our V-1 rocket engine. They’re also essential for getting rest, which is always a challenge, whether I’m at a podcasting media convention or a porn convention.

• A stick of pure cocoa butter – These cost around a dollar in most drugstores, and it’s a lifesaver for any bits that get dry, chapped, or even for blemishes. It melts on skin contact and feels a bit oily, but then sinks in and totally cures chapped lips and heals skin eruptions. It smooths out my laugh lines like a mofo, too.

• My TV-b-gone – There’s nothing like being able to shut off an annoying TV in a bar, restaurant, or anywhere you’re trying to have a conversation while being bombarded by commercials on TV screens.

• Philosophy’s Sugar Cookie lip gloss – It looks ultra-wet and smells and tastes like cookies. This way, I always smell sweet and even if I’m ragged from flights and convention first days, all I need is that gloss and it really picks me up (and makes my smile seem brighter).

• Nerd totems – For better or for worse, I always have a way to blog on my person *at all times*; either my Blackberry 8700c (which SUCKS), or my aging iBook. I also can’t function without a camera (+video) so I can document everything. I try to do what I can to keep the lipstick-to-power-supply ratio even.

• My Nano or Shuffle and my cube travel speakers – this is a must, being able to wind down, get ready to go out, or set the atmosphere wherever I am staying with music. I’m big on hotel room cocktail parties, and the cube speakers sound better than laptop speakers. (Plus it runs on its own batteries, which is nice for a variety of reasons).