The Night Before

Last minute packing, and immunizations.

8/20/96 10:00PM

I still haven't packed, but it's OK because my flight doesn't leave until 3:00 PM tomorrow. With the suggested 2-hour allowance for check-in time on international flights, that means I can pack in the morning, then leave around noon for the airport.

That's when I check the ticket and notice that the flight leaves at 12:00 -- 3 hours earlier than I expected. With no time left to pack in the morning, I was forced to start packing that night.

I packed three bags -- a large black duffelbag, a Jansport backpack, and a small satchel with a shoulder strap. Here is what I packed:

• small satchel
  
  
  • main compartment
    • book: VRML sourcebook
    • 3 CDROMs of archived source code
    • power cord for laptop computer
    • Polartec 200 acrylic fleece vest
    • Apple Powerbook Duo 210, 12MB RAM/500 MB hard drive. My "souped-up Volkswagen" of a computer, as Ron Breger calls it, because it is a slow, cheap, powerbook stuffed with memory and hard drive space.
    • Duo power adapter
    • spare batteryfor Duo
    • #1 Torx driver
    • #2 Torx driver
    • small Phillips head screwdriver
    • standard/Phillips head combination screwdriver
    • ViceGrips, 5 in.
    • medium grit sandpaper, 6 in. square patch
    
    
  • inner pockets
    
    • spare eyeglasses
    • close-up lens for digital camera (for shots closer than 3 ft.)
    • wire cutter/stripper
    • fountain pen, medium nib
    • mechanical pencil, Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 0.9mm
    • black felt pen, Papermate
    • Leatherman multi-purpose tool
    • 1/8 in. braided nylon string, 7 ft. length
    • SPF15 lip balm
    • in-ear earphones (for the in-flight movie)
    
    
  • outer zip pocket
    
    • Apple Quicktake 150 digital camera
    • Olympus Infinity Zoom camera
    • serial cable, for digital camera to computer connection
    • sunglasses
    • toothbrush, Crest Complete (I like the little ridges.)
    • toothpaste, Crest Smooth Mint Gel, trial size
    • 3-prong to 2-prong outlet adapter
    • 6 in. phone cable
    • 2 mini PhoneNet LocalTalk connectors
    
    
  • outer flap
    
    • spiral notebook
    • book: Berlitz Hebrew Phrasebook and Dictionary
    
    
  
  
• Jansport backpack
  
  
  • inner chamber
    • floppy disk drive for Duo, and adapter
    • floppy disks
      • Duo 210 Disk Tools
      • Quicktake Software Installer, Disks #1-4
      • 3 blank floppy disks
    • one day's change of clothes
      • jeans
      • t-shirt
      • boxer shorts
      • socks
    • one capsule Typhoid vaccine in ziplock baggie with ice (must remain refrigerated because it is a live vaccine)
    • quick-drying pack towel
    • book: HTML Sourcebook, by Ian S. Graham
    • book: Programming perl, by Larry Wall and Randall L. Schwartz
    • SPF30 sunscreen
    • 10x25 mini-binoculars
    
    
  • outer pocket
    • aloe vera gel
    • 6 ft. poly strap with Ancra quick-release buckle
    • 1 ft. poly strap with Ancra quick-release buckle
    • multivitamins in ziplock baggie
    • small roll toilet paper
    • 3 canisters Kodak 200 speed film
  
  
• black duffelbag
  
  
  • desert hiking boots
  • Asics running shoes
  • smaller blue duffel (within the large duffel)
    • 4 pair jeans
    • 4 pair other pants
    • several t-shirts
    • 3 button-up shirts
    • underwear
    • socks
    • rope belt
    • 4 pair shorts

Addition preparation this week has included receiving the following preventative medicines, which were recommended by the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, but not required:

• tetanus booster shot
• measles booster shot
• hepatitus shot
• polio shot
• oral typhoid vaccine capsules
• prescription for malaria pills (in case I enter the Nile Delta area of Egypt)