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By Sally Torbey
About this blog: About this blog: I have enjoyed parenting five children in Palo Alto for the past two decades and have opinions about everything to do with parenting kids (and dogs). The goal of my blog is to share the good times and discuss the ...
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About this blog: About this blog: I have enjoyed parenting five children in Palo Alto for the past two decades and have opinions about everything to do with parenting kids (and dogs). The goal of my blog is to share the good times and discuss the challenges of having a satisfying family life in a community where parents set a high bar for themselves, their children, and the schools and organizations that educate and socialize them. I grew up in the Midwest, attended a small liberal arts college on the East Coast and graduated from medical school in Chicago. I left a pediatric residency to care for our then infant son and spent the next dozen years contentedly gestating and lactating while having four more children. My husband grew up in the Middle East, came to the US for graduate school and works in high tech. Our eldest son graduated from a UC, and after working in the Middle East for a few years, now attends law school in NYC. Our eldest daughter graduated from a Midwestern Big Ten University and is a journalist in Texas. Our middle child studies engineering at a UC. The youngest two girls are in middle and high school in PAUSD. We are celebrating 20 years as PAUSD parents! I volunteer in the public schools, our church, and scouting.
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Packing for the Women's March
Uploaded: Jan 18, 2017
This week I am traveling to Washington DC. My Houston-based daughter and I are meeting there to attend the
Women’s March on Washington this Saturday. On the event website, there is a detailed and exhaustive list of Rights for which we will enthusiastically march, and a location and start time for the rally, but otherwise, specifics of the event are scant.
When traveling I take
great pains to pack whatever I might possibly need for safety, comfort, productivity, and enjoyment. With over 200,000 people expected at the Women’s March, and the possibility of rainy winter weather, inadequate facilities, and spotty cell coverage, I would prefer to carry my entire earthquake-preparedness kit so we would have everything we would need to be self-sufficient for three days, including a portable radio, spare batteries, and a bedroll. But I can’t. For security reasons, attendees are limited to one 8-by-6-by-4-inch tote, which is barely enough room for my reading glasses. What to do about my waterproof-but-breathable rain pants, first-aid kit (complete with mouth barrier for administering CPR), and laminated Metro system map?
Tomorrow I am heading to REI, tape measure in hand, to find a fanny pack that when stuffed full of essentials exactly fits those dimensions. I will also buy a coat with numerous huge pockets to stash my gear. I will look like the Michelin man, but it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind I will have by being totally prepared!
Local Journalism.
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