📕 Part 1: Carrying things

Rory, what do you carry with you when you go out?

I think I almost always have my phone and my keys, and my earbuds on me. And that's usually enough. Maybe some sunglasses if it's a particularly bright day. But that's it. I like to travel light.

When you go to different places, do you carry different things?

Not really. I almost always have my backpack with me. I travel overnight, so I have fresh clothes and toiletries, and my computer. I suppose if it's summer, I would pack lighter clothes. And in the winter, they would be thicker. But that's the only real difference here.

What do you do if your item is heavy?

I think that depends on how much it weighs, right? I can carry most things in a carrier bag or a backpack. But if it's something really heavy, like floor tiles or something like that, I usually just lug them up the stairs or enlist someone to help me.

What's the difference between the things you carry in the evening and in the morning?

I don't think there is much difference. Unless I'm going to yoga, like taking a class or something, then I'll have my mat in a special bag on my shoulder. That's not very imaginative, I know, but I think that's the closest it comes to me having a different thing to carry things with.

What a strange topic, again, you know.

There are never any normal topics, are there?

Sometimes, like ice cream, bags, jeans, coins, sitting. These are all normal, everyday topics. Right, dear listener, we carry things. Is there any synonym? We carry things. What else do we do?

We hold things.

Hold. Yeah, but like when you carry something, you carry. Like you have something in your bag or in your pockets. And Rory carries his usual items. So items or things, or I don't know, objects, but actually like items or things. And then you name them. So I always have my phone with me. I always have my keys and my earbuds. Earbuds. You put them in your ears, dear listener, to listen to our podcast. Or headphones. What do you have? Headphones, earbuds. And you can say, I always have my keys on me. On me. Like on my person.

So that's like carrying, I suppose. It's the closest we are going to get to carrying things.

Sometimes I have sunglasses. I like to travel light. This means that Rory doesn't care too many things with him. So I like to travel light. So I don't want to be heavy. I want to be light.

Although you don't really travel heavy.

Do you normally have a bag?

Not normally. I keep everything in my pockets. Unless it's like an overnight trip, then I'll have my backpack with me.

Some people carry a pocket knife.

Really?

Do you have a knife on you? Yeah, yeah, some people do that. Like a pocket knife, like a small knife. Maybe you carry a wallet where you put your money. Or maybe like a Swiss army knife.

I do not do that. I think the closest I come to doing that is when I carry a pen sometimes. Although it is important to point out that we were talking about synonyms for carrying things. And if you get bored with that, you could say you have something on you.

Like a pen or a pencil. Maybe you have a pocket, a notebook, or some note-taking device. Maybe medicine. Women usually carry medicine.

Do they? Why women?

Well, because all my friends have medicine on them, in their bags.

They are doctors?

I've never seen a man who has medicine in his pocket.

I feel like women have more to carry, though. If you're a lady, then this topic is gold for you. If you're a man, you don't carry so much.

A woman usually has a bag, right? With lots of things. But a man doesn't usually have a bag. So a man takes things from a woman who carries them in her bag. That's the system. Maybe, dear listener, you have a compact first aid kit. First aid - when someone is ill, you can help them. Maybe a handkerchief. Also, some paper. Gloves, for example. I don't know. A water bottle, dear listener. These are the essentials. Essential items. Or common items that I usually carry. Or essential items. I almost always have my backpack. Or I usually have my bag or backpack. If I travel overnight. So if I go somewhere overnight. So I go somewhere, I stay there, I sleep there, and I come back. I have fresh clothes. And toiletries. So toiletries, that's a nice word. Which means things that you use in the toilet to wash yourself, shampoo, and other toiletries. I usually pack light clothes. Or I usually pack some toiletries. If I travel overnight. Or some thicker clothes. If it's winter. Thicker clothes like sweaters. More sweaters.

It could have long-sleeved shirts.

Some items could be heavy. So, Rory, is your computer heavy?

I don't know. I think it weighs like a kilogramme and a half. I don't think that's particularly heavy, is it?

Yeah, and you don't normally carry a microphone on you?

No, why would I do that? I'm not a spy.

No, because I sometimes carry... Well, I used to carry a microphone and a laptop. When I recorded the podcast outside the home. So, yeah, that was pretty heavy. And it depends on how much it weighs. So, how heavy is it? Like, how heavy is your computer? For example, my computer weighs one kilo. Its weight is one kilo. Or it weighs one kilo. And sometimes I have a carrier bag. You can have a bag, a backpack, or a carrier bag. Like a special bag to carry stuff. And you can just Google a carrier bag. It's just a regular plastic bag. You normally do shopping with it. Carrier bag or plastic bag.

You might get them from... Oh, where would you get them from? The supermarket.

If you go to yoga, you can say... If I go to a yoga class, I usually have my mat with me. Or I'll have my mat in a bag on my shoulder. Or I have some yoga pillows. Right? I have a yoga pillow. I have a yoga mat. I have special clothes for yoga.

A diamond-encrusted yoga pillow.

Exactly. Or if you work out at the gym, you can also say... I have some sports clothes. Or trainers. Sneakers. Like some shoes. What else do I usually carry? Toiletries. A towel, perhaps.

Your deodorant. And if it's something particularly heavy... You might lug it around or lug it up the stairs. But that just means... It's how you walk when you carry something heavy, which I had to do recently when I had tiles delivered. So I had to carry them up the stairs. And I think they weighed upwards of 25 kilogrammes a stack. So I had to lug them up the stairs by myself. If your laptop weighs more than a kilogram... You might feel like you have to lug that around, too.

Right. You know, some crazy things that people usually carry with them... Could be a cat. A small dog. Like you carry a cat in your bag. Or maybe a rat. You see a person who's walking down the street... And then they have a rat on their person somewhere. On the shoulder. Or a parrot. Like a pirate.

What?

People sometimes have their pets on them. You've never seen, Rory?

That's crazy. No, I have never seen that.

Well, you can't leave your cat behind or your rat behind. When travelling, some people carry pillows or bedding. Like sheets that they put on their bed when they sleep. Anything weird, anything strange, dear listener, that you carry?

Probably most people carry normal things. So it's okay to acknowledge this when you're talking. And I did it there when I said at the end... It's not very imaginative. I know. But you could use other words like... It's not very creative. Or it's not very interesting. I know. And still, you would be recognised for handling the conversation well.

We haven't talked about money. Rory, how much money do you usually carry on you?

What? You mean like folding money? Like cash?

Yeah. Do you carry any cash? What's going on?

No.

Oh, okay.

I always carry... I have my cards. And now I have a new phone. I learned to link my card to my phone.

Okay.

It's all very self-contained. There's a good word. You could say I'm very self-contained. I don't need many extra things. Oh, that would be a good answer. I don't need to lug around a lot of stuff with me.

Yeah. Lug around a lot of stuff with me. Yeah, I'm self-contained. Like, I don't need much. Right? Yeah. Even if you do carry a huge bag on you every day, you just can say like... I'm a self-contained person. I don't need much. Right? So... Sweet. Thank you very much for listening. And we'll get back to you in our next episode. Okay? Bye.

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