At my last job, I had a laptop for 2 years but I rarely ever took it off my desk. Totally not the case at FeedBurner. Here everyone takes their laptops home and works (or at least checks in) every night and in the mornings before going into the office. We’re also assigned support days on the weekend, so gotta have that laptop with me. I’m getting more used to it now, and more used to a startup atmosphere, but at first it was rough! Since I was 16 years old I’ve worked for huge companies with lots of money and offices all over the United States, if not the world. It was quite an adjustment.

Anyway, what I meant to be writing about here is my MacBook Pro laptop. And carrying it around. Remember, I also got my iBook around 8 months ago (note to self: get Applecare), and have been lugging that around so that I can work on Chicagoist and rachelleb.com where ever I am. The need for a comfortable laptop bag became critical to me. And one that I could put either laptop in, that would protect the computer, and that would not make my back ache!

Up until a few weeks ago I was using a sporty Adidas backpack. While this bag was comfortable, it always looked like I was going to the gym and it didn’t provide any protection for a laptop. It just sort of bounced around in there with my lunch and shoes and whatever else I was carrying.

I ordered this WaterField bag because I loved how it looked, but when I carried on the bus to the gym and then walked a mile and a half home from the gym it was killing my back. I need to be able to carry a bag for seriously like 45 minutes and not have problems. So I returned the WaterField bag and then I did some more research, decided I wasn’t going to get away from a backpack, but that I could at least get one that looks more professional. I ended up with the Hayes Day Pack by Timbuk2 in black. These are the things I like about the Timbuk2 backpack:

- The bag stands up on it’s own so I don’t have to worry about it sliding into people or down the bus aisle when the driver makes a crazy fast turn.

- My Adidas bag had these nice oversized zipper pulls made of metal. My Timbuk2 bag has pulls, but they have plastic on them, which is great because the Adidas pulls jingle-jangled a little too much for my liking.

- A seperate zippered area for my laptop. It’s cushioned like crazy so I don’t have to worry about the laptop getting damaged. This also makes it more comfortable on my back. Plus this compartment is lined with purple courderoy, which I find super cool.

-It’s big enough to hold not only my computer, but books, my lunch, gym clothes and whatever else I might need to lug around.

- The ratio of men to women at FeedBurner is about 9:1. My Timbuk2 bag is specially designed for a woman’s torso. All the guys were teasing me about what that actually means, and honestly I don’t have a clue, but the odds of someone at work getting the same bag as me are really slim!

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