Conference turris::womannotes-v3

    Yup, I carry a Swiss Army knife.  Have for years.  Wouldn't leave home
    without it.  It has a big blade (about 3 inch) and small one (about 2
    inches) which get used for all the things you mentioned.  (Plus cutting
    cake when someone has a party in the office but forgot to bring a
    knife.)  It also has scissors (which I use practically every day), a
    corkscrew, a flathead screwdriver, a bottle opener, a toothpick, a
    leather punch and a pair of tweezers.  It's *wonderful*.
    
    I have never gotten any of the ractions you describe - just about
    everyone I know carries a knife!!!
    
    D!
    
    [PS: Maybe this should go in the differences between straight women and
    Lesbians but most of the Lesbians I know carry knives, more than
    straight women I know...wonder if that means something? :-)]

    Most of the women I've stepped out with carried Swiss army knives. 
    Gave me a nice protected feeling, particularly when I was unarmed
    around nasty bullying sandkicking bottles of good wine.  My ex also had
    a switchblade which she was inordinately proud of.  (She also broke a
    guy's jaw once, come to think of it.)
    
�    [PS: Maybe this should go in the differences between straight women and
�    Lesbians but most of the Lesbians I know carry knives, more than
�    straight women I know...wonder if that means something? :-)]
    
    I don't know, but is there a note on the differences between straight
    women and my women friends?
    
    Twisted Sister Ray

    Yup, I've got a black swiss army knife (Climber, I think).  I like to
    whip it out when someone in a field service course asks if anyone has a
    screwdriver.  Inspires respect in me in that situation.  And it's darn
    handy to have it around, too.  Can openers, two screwdrivers, tweezers,
    blade (good for opening boxes, packages, shrinkwrap).  Corkscrew hasn't
    seen much use (I don't really drink) but it's fun to have.  
    
    I had a buck knife in high school but I lost it.
    
    -Jody
    

    I have a little knife, with one blade, a nail file and a bottle opener.
    
    I did have a swiss army knife a long time ago but one of my sons
    appropriated it.
    
    Bonnie

    Yup, it comes in real handy whist driving down the road and quickly
    spotting a neat specimin of choice eating from the mushroom family.
    I screach to a stop and gather my little blade and check the trunk
    out for suitable carrying device....these little mushrooms can be
    as much as 25 pounders!

    justme....jacqui

>                        A swiss army knife sounds like a dull, boring,
>   practical thing to have.

    They're actually more useful if they're sharp.

               
    
    Lorna,
    
      That depends on where you go shopping for one!  Switzerland is very
    beautiful and the selection of Swiss Knives over there is impressive,
    although the prices aren't that much less.  But I thought it was a 
    great idea for a souvenir. 
    
    My first Swiss knife was of the camping varitey, complete with a small saw,
    but it was a bit too heavy for my dress pockets.  So on my last trip to
    Switzerland I picked up a nice small one that fits on my key chain, or in
    my change purse.  It has a blade, a file, siccors, tweezers, and a 
    toothpick.  All the frequently used items of my other knife.   
    
    I also brought back a half dozen of this style knife for gifts, each in a
    different color, pink, blue, red, gray, green, and yellow. And I guess
    they were a big hit, since my friends carry them all time.
      
    Allison

    
    For bicycling: I pop it into the tool kit bag (the bottle opener
    serves as screwdriver).
    
    For backpacking/camping/hiking/skiing: it just seems like I should
    have it with me going into the woods - opening food packaging,
    doubles as a dinner knife, opening canned goods and bottles, and
    the corkscrew for the occasional bottle of wine brought along on a
    backpacking trip.
    
    Sometimes it's in my purse, but I've found a lot less use for it on
    a daily basis.
    

    Ellen, I used to keep my knife in my pocketbook, but found that my
    pocket is much freer of lint and such crud, which gucks up the works of
    a knife.  Besides, I don't carry my pocketbook everywhere and I get
    annoyed if I want the knife and have to go get it...
    
    I have tried Swiss Army knives, but the smallest one was too small to
    be useful and sturdy, and the big one (with all the tools) was too
    bulky to ride comfortably in my pocket
    
    (picky, picky)

    Swiss Army knife for me.  Champion or something, it's big, has lots of
    stuff in it, and I carry it in a leather knife case.  It's on my belt
    when I'm wearing jeans and not at work, otherwise, it's in my
    briefcase.  (Being an out dyke has it's advantages, I only carry a
    briefcase at work, no purse for me! :)  )
    
    To answer another question, I am a dyke, I carry a knife for useful
    purposes.
    
    sue

    A small Swedish knife given to me by my Ex-husband in my pocketbook.
    It seems those Swedes know how to make knives; I've had this for
    4 years and the blades are still really sharp.
    
    A Swiss Army knife for biking, hiking, outdoors-types stuff
    (you never know when you need the cork-screw!)
    
    LB

    Many, many years ago, DEC caused me to start carrying a knife on
    a regular basis.  One with a screwdriver.  All the terminals had
    a baud-rate switch that *only* worked with a screwdriver.  When
    the old DEC-10 crashed (averaged a coupla times a week), all the
    terminal lines reset to their slowest rate.  To log back in, we
    had to set the switch to the low rate, log in, do some kind of command
    that reset the baud rate, and then reset the switch to the higher
    rate.  I got tired of never having the tool necessary to make the
    maneuver easy.  (Interesting statement on equipment reliability
    expectations there, too.  I'd never worked on equipment that stayed
    up more than a week at the time, so this was just a petty annoyance,
    not a major quality problem.)
    
    I still carry the knife - comes in handy for all sorts of things.
    
    Alison

My father gave me a pocket knife back when I was ten or so. He gave
me firm instructions on how *not* to use it. I believed I knew
better, and I promptly cut myself. Ouch.

Now I carry a Swiss army knife. Comes in handy.

Kathy

    I carry 2. I have the Isrealie army version of the Swiss Army knife
    which gives me both a regular screwdriver and a Phillips head one as
    well as bottle caps and several small blade, tweesers, etc. I also
    carry a locking Opinel with a 3 inch blade, very useful for packages,
    grapefruits, string, cutting flowers, etc. I often find people are
    surprised when I pull it out to use.
    
    Tamzen

    Gee, I thought *all* "computer people" carried a Swiss army knife...
    I've had mine since I was in junior high school: a girlfriend brought
    it back from a trip to Switzerland (her mother is Swiss), so it is
    "really Swiss".  I seldom use the knife blade, but the screw driver,
    small saw, boring blade, and file are real handy: I used to own a car
    that broke down a lot.
    
    My husband gets by with just a square metal thing on his keychain with
    four screwdriver tips of various sizes.  He keeps "real" tools in a
    tool kit in his old "Toy-auto" for when he needs more sophisticated
    tools.
    
    /Charlotte

    Hmmm. I used to carry a jack knife - cheap, black, two blades/awl/screwdriver-
    can-opener type - but lost it somewhere in the mists of time. [I bought it with 
    some birthday money from my grandmother, and I still recall my mother's 
    disbelief at my choice. "But what could you possibly want a *knife* for?" she 
    wondered. Many of my fondest childhood memories seem to involve surprising or 
    puzzling my mother... ;-)]
    
    I did select the DEC souvenir knife as my ten-year Crackerjack prize, but
    while it's nice and solid-feeling it's also hard to open and lacks the
    niftier blade-shapes, so I don't carry it around with me.
    
    Other useful things to have: somewhere among my possessions is an Army
    can-opener, one of the tiny ones with the hinged-fang affair. It opens
    cans rather well, and could serve as an emergency screwdriver too;
    maybe I should reinstate it on my everyday keyring, as it certainly
    isn't much use in the back of a drawer. (Come to think of it, this one
    probably got retired when I noticed that all my favorite beverages came
    in pop-top cans or twist-off-top bottles...)
    
    -b

Count me in. I have one very small (1 inch blade, pink handle) pocket knife that
I use to open all the documenation and media packages DEC sends me. And a medium
sized (3 inch blade) Joyce Chen knife in a wooden sheath that I carry in my
backpack (I use this instead of a purse) and use for peeling oranges and what-
ever else needs done. I also have a Joyce Chen knife with a plastic handle and
sheath that I bought for trail riding. I need something with wire cutters on it
and may eventually get a knife that has that as an option. 

I've had people express surprise when they see me peeling an orange at work. One
told me they thought my knife was illegal by DEC standards but I haven't looked
at the policy to see if there is a blade size limit. liesl

    Gee whiz, me too! I thought *everybody* carried a Swiss Army Knife!
    
    I,too, seldom use the blades, but I use the screwdrivers, toothpick,
    tweezers, and scissors all the time!
    
    --DE
    
    P.S. Reminds me of the line in "Crocodile Dundee" (one of my favorite
    lines of all time) [excuse the poor attempt at creating an Aussie
    accent]:
    
    	"That's no' a knoife. *THIS* is a knoife."
    
    

    and it was about 3 feet long wasn't it?
    
    BJ

A swiss army with two blades, a can opener/flat head, bottle opener, and a cork
screw.  Used to carry the larger version with 20-30 functions - seems like I
used it more often but it was too heavy.

People do indeed seem starled when you pull out a knife.  Not sure if they're
more surprised THAT you do or that you know how to USE it?

Barb

    	Well, I hope I'm not the only one around here who carried an allen
    	wrench on my keychain for many years - it came in very handy for
    	opening certain types of computer and disk drive cabinets.  I also
    	carried a small pair of needlenose pliars and many sizes of small
    	box wrenches, not to mention some very tiny screwdrivers and a
    	set of variable size blades that inserted into the butt of a screw-
    	driver *set*.  Oh, yeah - and a wirewrap tool (for adding some quick
    	jumpers onto backplanes I knew at the time.)  These all fit into my 
    	purse.
    
    	If I needed something sharp, I also carried an exacto (sp?) knife
    	with fresh razor blades.  I kept many additional tools in my tool
    	kit.
    
    	Computers tended to get very nervous and would work perfectly when
    	I walked into the room.  They don't like to be taken apart if it
    	can possibly be helped -  :-)

    No pocketknife, but for years I carried a CPU key and a "chicken
    plucker" with which to alter punched paper tapes.
    
    mdh

    Old US government issue pocket knife with two blades, an awl and can
    opener, bottle opener/screwdriver that I keep on my keychain.  Besides 
    opening documentation boxes, etc., it is useful in my gardens, when 
    hiking after work, and for a host of other things.  Also, since it is
    bulky, it makes it harder for me to lose my keys. (Family failing)
    
    Maybe it's the people I work with, but no one is surprised at my
    carrying a pocket knife.
    
    Meg 

    At this point no, but a Swiss Army Knife is on my list.
    
    However, all of my sisters now have Swiss Army Knives (one even has
    two), because I gave them as attendants gifts at my wedding!  I didn't
    want to get anything "pretty but useless" that would gather dust, so I
    went the practical route.  (And yes, the best man got one too!)
   
    
    Judi
    
    

    
    Liesl, only *you* would have a knife with a pink handle!
    

    Not to rathole this, but over Xmas in Taos, N.M., I saw (for sale)
    the most BEAUTIFUL knives - from the pocketknife size to the
    "knoife" size - inlaid with turquoise and the whole gamut of Southwest
    type stones on the handle. 
    
    And let me tell you: "That's not a price tag; *THIS* is a price tag!!!"
    
    --DE
    

    I used to have a single-blade pocketknife with a mother-of-pearl
    inlay in the handle, but some creep STOLE it from me!  My
    heavy-duty two-blade knife used mostly for cutting up fruit and
    slicing fishooks out of fish mouths was loaned to Daughter to take
    to Girl Scout camp a couple of years ago and it never returned.
    
    I haven't replaced them yet.  It won't be a swiss army knife,
    though.  They're too big and too cumbersome.  
    
    We carry one that has screwdriver and corkscrew blades in the
    car's glove box.
    
    Once at a conference, the hotel staff brought in the usual tray of
    fruit with a big pineapple in the middle.  I'm sure they intended
    it for decoration, but it was ripe, so we whipped out our trusty
    pocketknives and sliced it and ate it.  When the staff came in to
    clean up, they looked at us like we had slaughtered and eaten
    somebody's dog.  It was hysterical.
    
    --bonnie

	Bottle opener with flat-blade screwdriver & wire stripper,
	1" letter opener-fingernail cleaner-nail buffing surface,
	Compass on transparent inch & centimeter rule,
	Fish scaler with hook-removing tool,
	3" Blade with lockback & release,
	Spring-loaded Slip-joint pliers,
	Hacksaw with file surface,
	Spring-loaded scissors,
	Wrench, 3/16" - 7/16",
	Phillips screwdriver,
	Metal reem,
	Can opener,
	Toothpick,
	Corkscrew,
	Magnifier,
	Tweezers,
	Keyring,
	Woodsaw.


	It goes with me everywhere
	(Makes a bulge in my pocket)
	It hangs from my belt
	So i don't have to lock it.

	My pants sag on that side
	If it's late in the day	
	But i'm a lumberjack,
	And i'm O. K.
			mwr	8^)

    Gee, *my* Swiss Army Knife has:

	Table saw
	Router (designated)
	Lathe
	Drill Press
	Bandsaw
	Disc Sander
	Jointer
	Grinding wheel

    but no corkscrew, for some reason ...

    In re Dundee's knoife..
    
    I agree ;-) that it was really only about a foot and a half long..
    
    but it sure *looked* bigger in that scene..
    
    and in re mwr, having seen the gentleman many times in wmo, i can
    attest that he lists to the side where his keys and knife are carried!
    
    Bonnie
    
    (hi mike ;-) )

The Gardens Restaurant,
Murphysboro, Illinois, ~ 1966

I gracefully leaned over (being ladylike in my floor length plum silk
gown) and stretched to reach the yellow pocket knife behind the
cocktail lounge couch.  Felt lucky to find such a nice knife, and 
I carried it in my purse for years. Still open the daily mail with it.

For everyday use, I graduated to a Swiss Army knife with 
ten widgets.  Use it, on average, about twice a week.  Would use it
more often if it had a Phillips.  I also use it for lunch duty, to
avoid using a plastic knife. I truly covet the model with the
plow share on it, but my purse is already an anchor. Not buying that 
one was an exercise in self-control.  (For protection in bad 
neighborhoods, I carry my heavy police model flashlight. If I 
had to defend myself by opening the knife, it would be hopeless.)

Last year's department xmas party, when the call went out for a 
corkscrew, two of us -- Mary and I -- were so equipped.

Judy B! You're a genius. I'll bet the wedding attendants were
surprised AND pleased. Put me on your gift list, wouldja :)

Shoppers Alert:  Last week, K-mart was selling 1" to 2", one and 
two blade knives, with very nice wooden handles from $1 to $2. 
 
          Meigs

    Yup, big ol' buck knife with a 6-inch blade heavy enough to chop wood
    with.
    
    But after using Catherine T's Swiss Army model when we were sewing up
    the =wn= banner, that's what my next one's gonna be.
                                 
    
    I also typically carry in my purse a set of small screwdrivers, a pair
    of mini-pliers, a mat knife, and of course a pair of dykes.
    
    						=maggie

    well, thanks to you all for all these replies.  Next time someone says,
    "Sara, you carry a *knife*?" I'm gonna answer, "You mean you *don't*?!?"
    
    Observations:  I don't like Swiss army knives myself.  I could use the
    screwdrivers from time to time (both types), but I don't use the rest
    of the doodads enough to offset the bulk and weight.  I so rarely need
    a corkscrew in the woods.  Tweezers?  that's why I keep my fingernails
    long.  Speaking of which, thumbnails are tools in themselves.  The
    scissors are too small to be effective.  The awl I have never really
    used, since I rarely sew leather; I can make a hole in a belt with the
    tip of the knife blade.
    
    I've thought of getting a buck knife, to carry in a sheath on my belt. 
    Seems like overkill for going to the office, though :-).
    
    My antique would be a good throwing knife, it feels well balanced, but
    it is not sturdy enough anymore for the abuse of learning.  Besides,
    though it would be impressive, it would not be real useful.
    
    in sum, I would never have given up my knife, but I am glad to know
    that so many of you carry them too.

    
    I carry Swiss army knive with me. It's best "little toolbox" I've ever had.
    For me, it has nothing to do with self-protection.
    
    -Tuula-
    

    re: .36
    
    Maggie, a pair of dykes??!!  Now really,  where did you find a pair?
    
    (I actually know what dykes are, but couldn't resist)
    
    Hi to you :)
    
    sue
    

>    (I actually know what dykes are, but couldn't resist)

Well, I thought I did too, but I have yet to see a pocketbook
that could hold *one*, say nothing of a pair of 'em.

What are they, Maggie?

Kathy    

	dykes = diagonal wire cutters (vs lineman's pliers)

	I usually call them "diags" to keep down the strange looks from folks.
And, I own two pair, in two different sizes.


						--D

    We used to call them dykes also. not sure why. A woman I knew that was
    a Lesbian couldn't find hers. She was working on her car and asked to
    borrow mine. Mine had never been used and she called them "Virgin
    Dykes". We both got a chuckle out of it.
    
    Phil

    
    Dykes/Dikes are also defensive walls to keep out the unwashed heathens
    (such as the Welsh - as in Offa's Dyke).
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    Here in the UK I'm doing a self-defence course at the moment.  Last
    week we were told that if we carried a knife (of any sort) we could be
    arrested for being in possession of an offensive weapon!  No matter
    what you intended to use it for!  At the risk of going off the subject,
    if you buy a rounders (or baseball) bat over here you can't walk
    through town with it uncovered - that could also be an offensive
    weapon!  Mind you, Mace is also illegal in the UK.
    
    Sam
    

    
    Yes, but your instructor is stretching a point. People have been "done"
    for offensive weapons for carrying a pen knife, but usually only as an
    aggravating offense attached to something else.
    
    MACE incidentally is not an offensive weapon - it is a PROHIBITED
    weapon under the firearms act (up to 10 years in jail plus a big fine
    for possession).
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    Re -1
    
    Thanks for clarifying.  Mind you, I still don't carry a penknife - and
    I don't know anyone who does - I've never really needed one.
    
    Sam
    

    I carry two.  The older is a Solingen I picked up in N�rnberg,
    back before some of you were born.  It has one 2.5 inch blade,
    a bottle opener and Philip's head screwdriver, a can opener, an
    awl, and a screwdriver.  The newer was my second-to-last DECpresent,
    and is a Gerber with only the one, 2.2 inch locking blade.
    
    It is possible to learn to open a jackknife one-handed.  (It says
    here, but I haven't succeeded yet.)  Grasp the blade as usual with
    thumb and one or two fingers, but don't hold it with your off hand,
    and try to open it by pushing with your little fingers against the
    handle.
    
    						Ann B.

    
    FWIW: I can open my lock back by holding the blade and flicking the
    knife so that the momentum of the handle causes it to open and lock.
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    
    My pocket knife is small with a whiteish/pearl handle.  
    
    It needs to be sharpened.
    
    I also should dig out my boyscout knife with the leather sheath and the 
    match-case in the handle....
    
    kath

    Gee, no one has mentioned butterfly knives.
    
    I like carrying a Swiss Army knife because I *use* it's zillions of
    functions, but if I decided that I just wanted a *knife* (with no bells
    and whistles) I would definately take the butterfly knife over the
    lockback.
    
    It's easy to open, double-edged, and you can play with it when you are
    bored.  :-)
    
    D!
    
    [Are they illegal in MA? I know they are illegal in some counties in NY
    state and not in others.  Many of my friends at school carried
    butterfly knives because they were legal for sale in Troy, NY.]

So, this whole topic asks the eternal =wn= question. Are we typical of women in
general or once again a crazed sub-set of knife wielding feminsits? :*) liesl

    
    	RE: .56  liesl
    
    	:*)
    

    
    re .56 liesl
    
      the latter... don't ya' just love it? (-;
    
    re: the topic
    
    one ooooollllllllllddd rusty knife from my brownies troop
    
    and one swiss army knife i've had around for about 15yrs.
    
    ~robin

    re .56, I think you all know the answer to that. :-)
    
    Lorna
    

    Sounds, er, interesting.
    
    						Ann B.

    well, I'd gotten the strange reactions from
    	a) women I'd thought of as feminists
    	b) women I'd not thought of as feminists, who thought of me as 
    	   a techno-dweeb
    	c) men who thought I was a bit odd but cute to be carrying a knife
    	d) one man who thought this knife-carrying was an off-the-wall
    	   trait of my family (he saw me and my older brother using our
    	   pocketknives at the same time, and heard that our father has
    	   one too) (btw, my father is an engineer too! :-)
    
    Sara

    I think carrying a pocketknife seems like a sensible idea but I never
    really thought of it before.  I like the idea of carrying a very
    feminine looking, aesthetically pleasing knife.  (maybe something pink
    and/or intricately enameled or jeweled)
    
    Lorna
    

    I need to replace my Swiss Army knife.  I loaned it to someone [_you_
    know who you are ...] to whom it has apparently joined itself at the
    hip.
    
    Once I acquire another, I shall be able to stop hauling about small
    screwdrivers, icepicks and corkscrews.
    
      Annie
    

    >> (being an out dyke has it's advantages ... no purse for me! :)
    
    Does this mean that if I'm het I have to start carrying a purse?  
    Oh no!  :-)
    
    Karen.

    Goddes forbid Karen!! Oh no! Does not carrying a purse="trendy dyke
    look?", or is it just "gooby nerd
    
    Meg

I have several pockect knives; at least 4 Swiss army knives.  I guess
you could say I collect them.  I won't leave home without my pocket knife.

Robin

    I've never carried a pocket knife and right now I can't figure out why.
    Maybe it just never occured to me.  I tend to collect tools of all
    kinds and love fixing things.  This morning I brought in my cute little
    1/4 inch drive socket wrench and moved coat hooks for myself and some
    people in my group (the whole group just moved to a new office area).
    I used to do all work on my own car, but no pocket knife.
    
    This weekend my husband and I went X-C skiing.  He fell and broke his
    glasses.  We skiied back to the first aid station and they used a
    pocket knife to cut off some duct tape to fix his glasses.  Later in
    the day the sole of my boot separated from the upper while out on the
    trail.  It happened just as we came upon a woman on the trail.  She was
    a ski patrol and she reached into her pack and got out her pocket knife
    and some duct tape and we taped up my boot.
    
    I guess I need to get a pocket knife and maybe some duct tape too.
    Somewhere I remember Jody writing something about the virtues of duct
    tape.
    
    -Mary
    

        re .-1,                 
        
>> Somewhere I remember Jody writing something about the virtues
>> of duct tape.
        
        I don't remember the note number, but it went something
        like:
        
        	Duct tape is like the force--it has a dark side
        	and a light side and it holds the universe
        	together.
        
        Dan

    Yeah that's the one Dan.  I just couldn't remember how it went.

        Better late than never I guess. . .
        
        I can vouch for Sara's concealed weapon.  She pulled it on me
        in the lobby  one  day.  In all actuality, it's very uncommon
        for anyone, male or  female to be without a knife in Vermont.
        There's usually a need for  one  at some point, whether it be
        for opening mail, for use as a screwdriver, for cleaning your
        finger nails, or shredding your bosses office. :^)  
        
        Knives aren't really considered `weapons' per se in  Vermont.
        I'd have to say they're just like wearing a watch.
        
        JMHO. . .
        
        Matt

    
    re the sgean dubh (a dozen or so back) making Scots formal dress
    illegal.
    
    1) technically any weapon may render you liable for prosecution, *but*
    this one is covered by eminent tradition
    
    2) the law takes a dimmer view of concealed weapons, and since neither
    the sgean dubh nor the dirk are concealed this helps.
    
    On the other hand a Scot involved in a fracas in a bar might well find
    himself charged with aggravated assault (ie carrying the weapon).
    
    Finally I once (at Aberdeen) saw a Scot in full formal dress talk
    himself onto a plane with his dirk and sgean dubh after setting off the
    metal detectors with the firm assurance "Laddy, these are nae weapons,
    these are clothes" ...
                                                                 
    /. Ian .\

    re .64 Try to find a catalog from "Smoky Mountain Knife Works",
    some of their stuff approaches jewelry in design/materials/finish.
    Lots of small, almost miniature models. The craftsmanship from
    some of the smaller shops is amazing - too pretty to use :-)
    
    In bygone days, and perhaps still in rural parts of America, it was
    a rite of passage for a boy to receive a pocket-knife for his
    eighth birthday. Don't know what 8-year-old girls received.
    
    Since I've carried a pocketknife constantly for the last 17 years
    I sometimes find it hard to believe that everybody else _doesn't_.

    no.
    

WSD40 and Duct tape...

The Yin and Yang of America.

    Yep, I pack the "Executive" model, ever since I can remember being an
    adult (and even before I became a executive!:-) -- and before that, a
    boyscout jacknife.  I've assembled and debugged computer HW with it
    since my first PDP-8 in 1970, and before that, modular logic called
    "digi-bits" for a bunch of psych lab equipment, and before THAT,
    relay-racks in BF Skinner's rat/pigeon lab...  I've watched the price
    of this knife rise from about $15 to its present $~30, and whenever I
    move I'm always checking on where they're sold in case I should lose
    mine.  I know this knife (too small to be a knoife, by an order of
    magnitude, if not sharpitude :-) like the back of me hand...  Two
    razorish blades, nailfile-cum-Phillips-head screwdriver, orange-
    peeler/letter-opener-cum-regular screwdriver, springloaded
    scissors, tweezers, and toothpick.  I've lost several, and handed down
    several (minus the occasional toothpick or spring) to my girls when
    they were small, and when they went off to college we gave them each a
    new one.  When my kids were little they'd borrow it a LOT to repair
    fingernails etc., and it �got so common that they worked up a special
    tone to call my name which meant ONLY "can I borrow the knife?".  And
    the tweezers tenderly extracted many a splinter from many tender parts
    of me & my family...  I feel undressed when it isn't in my pocket. 
    It's a timesaving necessity many times a day, every day, especially
    when dealing with the American Packaging Industry!!  I even tuck it
    (but carefully, to be sure!) in my bathing suit when flying kites at
    the beach, because you can't deal with kites without adequate
    string-processing hardware.  :-)    
    
    And I agree that Duct Tape is a necessity but I haven't yet found a way
    to carry it around in a pocket convvenientl...
    
    And yes, I confess to also using it to peel or otherwise intimidate the
    occasional itinerant potato...
    
    The basenote asked what do we think of folks who don't carry
    pocket-knives...  I think they should, it bespeaks self-reliance and
    saves innumerable hassles.  
    
    Yep, Swiss Army Knives roolz OK!
    
    Dan Kalikow                                   

    Re: -.1 carrying duct tape
    
    If you take a length of duct tape off the roll and roll it up into
    a smaller flat roll it will fit in your pocket.  That's how the ski
    patrol was carrying it.
    
    -Mary

    re .80 ...and use a popsicle stick to wrap it around.

    Yup, I carry one.  I'll admit though, that in the last year or so,
    it's gotten more use cutting cheese and opening wine bottles than
    much else!
    
    C.
    
    
    

    
    And the best thing is my daughter gave it to me about 8 yrs ago.  I
    think it was a sign :-) .  It's a Swiss Army knife with lots of goodies
    on it...scissors/can opener/awl = anything Ayla would need and more! 
    I put a yupped up touch to it by getting an LL Bean carry case.  And
    the knife goes everywhere - skiing, hiking, Harvard Square; you never
    know when you'll need it!
    
    I also carry a calculator almost everywhere...I guess that's a
    precision issue on my part though.
    
    Carol

    Just got a Swiss army knife for my birthday......I'll be carrying
    it with me from now on.
    

    
    Hurrah!  Last night I found my Swiss Army knife in the pocket of a
    black silk jacket I haven't worn since last summer.  
    
    It's still unclear why I would have needed the knife while wearing 
    that particular garment.
    					clb

    My husband bought me a small two-blade pocketknife shortly after we got
    married ("No one should be without a pocketknife!").  Somehow I lost
    it two years or so ago but my brother picked up a Swiss Army knife for 
    me on his honeymoon in Switzerland.  He got one with a Philips head
    screwdriver instead of a corkscrew (more appropriate for engineers). 
    It has two blades and the standard screwdriver/bottle opener/awl/etc.
    
    						Jan

    
    After this topic I feel so inferior and so foofy for not having
    a pocketknife that I am soon to become one of She of the Blades.
    
    Carla
    

    I now carry a used pocketknife that was given to me by someone, who felt
    pity for me, because I said I didn't have one in this topic.
    
    But, I haven't had occasion to use it yet.  (Actually, I don't think I
    can get it *open*....)  (excuse me, sir, but do you think you could
    open this pocketknife for me....flutter..flutter...)
    
    Lorna
    

    Oh *sure*, Carla and Lorna!  Leave me all alone in the non-pocketknife
    carrying section.  snif
    
    E Grace

E Grace:

   You're not alone.

   I don't carry a pocketknife, either. ;-)

                                                -Robert Brown III

    one consideration in carrying a pocket knife is to ensure it is legal
    where you are carrying it, and how you are carrying it.  Frankly, I use
    the screw driver thingummies and the can opener thingummy (helps pry
    off the tops of drygas bottles in winter!) far more often than I use
    the blade- so there goes the concept of my being dangerous!
    
    And those of you who don't carry knives can carry - the dreaded -
    (*gasp*) - "Switchcombs"!
    
    -Jody
    

    I remember one of the times I flew to Europe the captain announced that
    the lady who had been carrying the Swiss Army Knife and the Louisville
    Slugger could pick them up at the gate.
    
    :-)
    
    ed

    one of the nice things about Vermont is that most everybody carries a
    pocketknife.  But I *still* got weird looks last week when I used it to
    cut up the meat I put in my salad...  I mean, they'd rather see me
    spray the salad all over when the plastic knife breaks???
    
    cheyenne, E, and a few others (sorry I can't remember all of you) who
    do not carry a knife:  no problem!  Who said you have to?
    
    Sara

    THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU, Robert and cheyenne lacking_blade!  I don't
    feel so all alone now.  whew!
    
    Oh, and -d?  About the only thing graceful about me is my name!  (*8
    
    E Grace

    hi eagles!
    
    No, I believe that I have at least *some*thing in common with every
    human, so either Robert and I both get one, or neither!  so there.
    
    Anyway, methinks Robert and I actually have much in common.  We may
    express it differently, but hey!  You say Potahto and I say potato.
    
    E Grace

        re -< What wrong note?  It's .100, isn't it?  :-) >-
        
        Why so it is!  E snagged a C.
        
        Dan

    Eagles!  welcome back!  I've missed your tag lines.
    
    I tried carrying my knife in my pocketbook, but in my pocketbook, 
    these little scrungles of lint and leather bits seem to arise by
    spontaneous generation, and they gunk up the works.  Besides, I carry
    my pockets with me everywhere, but not my pocketbook.
    
    Sara

    Yep, I carry a pocketknife.  Swiss Army knife, traveller model (with
    corkscrew, scissors, tweezer, and toothpick).  It was a gift on
    my 20th birthday from my best friend.
    
    It got me a job once.
    
    I always carry it.  I was interviewing for a job right out of college
    and was not really hopeful of getting that one.  BUT...  during
    the second interview, a picture fell off the wall of the office
    and the frame came apart.  The two interviewers went over the pick
    up the picture and tried to fix it.
    
    I got out my trusty knife (with two screwdrivers!) and offered to
    fix the frame.  I finished fixing it.  They offered me the job saying
    that I'd gotten it for resourcefulness.  Yay.
    
       Margaret   
    
    P.S.  Sure is good to be back.