Sometimes I love my purse, sometimes I just don't want to be encumbered by a purse. It was the latter case Monday night when I stopped off at a convenience store to buy a bevvie & Subway sammie. So (like a man) I just jammed my wallet in the back pocket of my jeans and headed in.

When I went to pay for my armload of goods, I yanked out aforementioned wallet. It felt thicker to me than usual....my curiosity is piqued at this. Have I gotta wad o' bills in here I forgot about?? Sweet... I am holding the wallet a bit away from me, at counter level, as one is apt to do when extracting their cash/ plastic. I turn the thing around, and on the underside of my wallet was a pad I'd had been toting around in my jeans pocket. (Just as "Ultrathin" as the packaging claimed...'cause I hadn't even realized it was in there) A quick upward glance confirmed that the cashier was in fact staring at my sanitary napkin. Terrif. I very quickly stuffed it in my parka pocket.

I concede--I was a smidge embarrassed. Usually I wouldn't be (for the record). I'm sure as hell not embarrassed to buy 'em...I mean you gotta buy such things (I don't want to meet the chick that handcrafts her own femme products. That's just taking the DIY movement TOO DAMN FAR.) And I've had 'em pawed over by airport security before and don't really give a rat's arse. I think what got me Monday night was how--just for the span of 2 seconds-- that guy at the register looked utterly aghast. Perhaps he was all panicky at the notion that I may be about to try and pay in some frightening new lady currency. "Do you just take Mastercard and Visa or can I pay with my Always? Oh, and how many sodas can I get for three tampons?"

It might have been amusing to attempt a barter, but I can't bear the thought of possibly being banned from that Expressmart because they make my particular variation of the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sub just perfectly.