Posts Under Travel Category
The crowd at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
The boy and I took a somewhat impromptu trip to Washington, DC on Halloween weekend to attend Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity and Stephan Colbert’s March to Keep Fear Alive. Although we couldn’t see much from where we were (we moved locations about 5 times, and finally gave up to sit and drink some water), and it was hard to hear at times, it was an overall great experience.
Me at the Rally
We met some people from all over America who were in attendance (and a few Canadians, as well) – who were all there for the same reason. They wanted to see some semblance of sanity restored to American politics. “Just because we don’t agree politically doesn’t mean we have to hate each other, or disrespect each other,” I overheard one man say.
And, from a Canadian perspective – I agree. Some of my closest friends don’t share the same political ideologies as I – hell, my own boyfriend and I are placed on opposite ends of the political spectrum – but that doesn’t mean we yell, or hate, or disrespect each other (well, except maybe in a heated debate on occasion ;). So why should America settle for a system where radical activists – on both sides – take things too far?
“I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.” -Jon Stewart
You can view Stewart’s (rather passionate!) final speech at the rally on YouTube.
One American asked us why we, as Canadians, were there (besides the obvious reason that, come on, it’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert! ;). Whether we like to admit it or not, American politics play a huge part in our lives… both as Canadians, and on an international scale. It’s hard to be a leader in global economics, policy, and culture and NOT have your politics seep over into other parts of the world. So yes, even though I am Canadian – and even though I did largely attend the rally for fun, and because I have a huge crush on Colbert (shh, don’t tell the boy!), I also do care a lot (perhaps more than I should!) about American politics.
And, a little more on the light hearted side: Buzzfeed has the 100 Best Signs at the Rally (my personal favourite, although I didn’t see it there, is #7… my nerdiness is seeping out! ;)
You can check out my photos (as posted on Flickr) below.
(Oh, and PS: Our Mountie & Moose Halloween costumes were a TOTAL hit :)
Burning Man 2010
What is there, really, that can be said about one’s first time at Burning Man?
My friend Laura has been going to, what I explained to people as, “a hippie dippy radical self reliant contemporary arts festival in the middle of the Nevada desert for a week” (although I know it’s so much more than that, it was really the best way to sum it up in a few words!), for a few years now- and this year the boy and I (along with a few other people) decided it was time to experience it for ourselves.
It was so many things- things I both expected, and did not expect.
I was prepared for the heat (and really, it was a dry heat which is MUCH nicer than the humidity we get in the city!).
I thought I was prepared for the cold, but (as my boyfriend so endearingly says) I’m extremely cold blooded and a long sleeved shirt, sweater, leggings, flannel PJ pants, slipper socks, and 4 comforters were simply not enough to keep me from shivering all night (note to self: in the future bring more blankets, a toque, and mittens!).
I was over-prepared to stay hydrated (which is certainly not a bad thing!). I drank more than 5 litres of water a day, and STILL had many jugs left over by the end of the week. While on the playa, I carried it around with me in my new BFF (this camelbak!)
I also thought I was prepared for the dust, but as I discovered (very regrettably!) the night the Man burned, simply a bandana does not help a panicked, lost girl having an asthma attack in a wicked, can’t-see-my-hand, worst-of-the-week dust storm. (Note to asthmatics: Skip the somewhat cool golf cart ride to the medical centre unable to breathe and invest in a carpenters mask! I’ll be doing this next time I go to BM: trust me on this one, your lungs will thank me.)
I won’t lie: the heat, extreame temperature changes (upwards of 40 degrees in the day, 7 degrees overnight), dust, lack of sleep, and noise can make people get cranky, VERY cranky; but it’s all a part of the Burning Man experience (or so I’m told) – so you need to be prepared for arguments and, uh, getting upset over things that, under normal circumstances, would not be upsetting in the slightest (like who ate my last pop tart ;)
Despite the hard parts of the week- it was an incredible experience I would not trade for anything. I would do some things differently next time (like getting a proper dust mask!), but I would most definitely adventure to the playa again… hopefully sooner rather than later.
There’s just something incredible about waking up in a hot desert, with 50,000+ (this year!) friends you haven’t made yet. As I said at the beginning of this post, I’m not sure I really have the words to describe what the week was like to someone who has never been.
I think I can best sum it up with a few pictures.
You can see many more over at my flickr page by searching the tag “Burning Man”.
EEP!
Well, not quite today – but on Monday I sure did. I went to a press conference at the Lloyd Richards’ Hangar at the Timmins Victor M. Power Airport (quite the mouthful, eh?) for Young Eagles Day, which is coming up this weekend. I was expecting a quick shoot – bing, bang, boom, vis, interview, done. But, when I arrived, one of the local newspaper reporters had arranged to fly with one of the pilots – and asked if I wanted to go along. Um, YES PLEASE!
Now, I’ll be honest here – I just could not turn down an opportunity like that. But I’m a nervous flyer. I’ve flown a whole total of 6 times in my life – two when I was so young, I can barely remember (both times to Flordia). Another two times to NYC – and yes, I was nervous then. Especially on my most recent NYC trip with friends, when the airline decided to put me miles away from the boy AND my 2 buddies we travelled with (not so fun). Actually, make that 7 times – I just remembered I took a sightseeing helicopter ride over Niagara Falls once, and yes, if I recall correctly, it made me feel pretty sick too. Especially when the pilot turned the damn thing sideways to “give us a better look” at the Falls.
Yup, THIS was what I flew in.
And lastly… two times from Timmins to Toronto, on a little Air Canada Jazz plane – and I thought THAT small a plane was nerve wracking. Let me tell you, it was NOTHING compared to the little guy I was in a few days ago.
But the nerves, the shaky hands, the hours it took me to get my “ground legs” back, and the waves of nausea were so. totally. worth it.
Sitting in the front seat was actually really fun, and I felt fine. Sitting in the back however… lets just say I should have remembered how sick I’d feel as a kid in the back seat of my parent’s SUV before getting into the back of the plane. Let’s just say the plane was 300 times worse. I can liken it to the dizzy, sick feeling I get after spinning around in a desk chair for a good 3 minutes.
It actually was so bad towards the end I couldn’t look out the window for more than a few brief seconds – and let me tell you, there was NO way I could have held my camera steady to film a shot. Sadly, that meant missing out on some potentially amazing shots of the Xstrata Met Site (which is WAY bigger than I ever could have imagined), the open pit Dome Mine, and some other mines in the area. My dad (who used to fly with my grandfather when he was a kid) says it has something to do with not being able to see the horizon – I guess the horizon keeps you feeling more “grounded”, which would help explain why I felt fine when I was in the front of the plane (plus, I had controls and, you know, FLYING THE PLANE! to concentrate on). Good thing I’m not an astronaut -there’s NO horizon out there to save me! (which possibly explains why 50% of astronauts in NASA’s space program get sick in space).
Now, onto the most important part of my flight – flying the plane! So, our amazing pilot Yvon asked me if I wanted to give it a whirl. And I mean, how could I say no? So, I grabbed the wheel… and he promptly let go. Gulp.
Allow me to show you, rather than tell you, what happens next.
Yup. I might have scared the beejebus out of the newspaper reporter who kindly offered to film my flying attempt (and I may or may not have squeaked “OH MY GOD I CAN’T DO THIS!” at the pilot… but he just said “Hey, I’ll level out the plane for you and then keep trying”. Yvon was really patient, helpful, and trusting - which was awesome. When I finally got the hang of it, I was so excited – and it felt amazing to be FLYING 3,000 feet in the air, all by myself. Very cool moment. I did give the controls back to Yvon after only a few minutes though, since we were approaching a dark cloud and some rain.
I now totally want to get my pilot’s license one day (and then I’ll fly myself to Bermuda! Or somewhere balmy and warm ;)
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- Yup, THIS was what I flew in.
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- Spiffy 2006 Digital Controls
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- Timmins!
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- View from the sky
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- Yvon, the pilot
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- Looking down
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- A rainbow! :)
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- EEP!
In less than 72 hours I’ll be on a plane to one of my favourite North American cities (okay, despite the fact I haven’t been to very many!) – New York!
I’m going with a few friends (and a few more classmates) for the College Media Advisers conference, which is March 15th-17th. My friends and I decided to stay a few extra days on top of the actual conference, and will be there until the 20th.
There’s so many things I want to do, though I’m not sure I can squish them all into the week we’re spending there.
Central Park is a must – my roommate has never been to New York, so we’ll be spending quite a bit of time here I think – especially since we’re staying about a 5 minute walk away. And I definitaly want to check out the Central Park Zoo and Belvedere Castle (both should provide some great photo ops for my Canon Xti and I).
Last time I was in NYC, I visited Battery Park but sadly did not actually make it out to Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty. Both are on the “to do” list for this trip. While we’re over there, we figure we’ll also visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (time permitting).
My roommate wants to visit the MOMA (among other galleries) – and although I love art, galleries are not really my thing. I think while half of our foursome is there, myself and Mike will head over to the UN (I can never get enough of that place!). I love how when you’re inside the UN, you’re no longer technically on American soil. We’re also going to visit Ground Zero (and the nearby memorials) – I’m looking forward to seeing how much progress has been made at the site over the year (I was last there at the end of April 2008).
We’re also going to make it our mission to visit as many bagel shops as possible, and hit up one (or more) of the celebrity-owned resturants in the city. I want to visit Harlem, and shop on Canal street. Macy’s is – of course – another shopping destination (just don’t tell my bank account).
I could go on, and on, and on with my list of things to do – catching a Broadway show, the St. Patricks day festivities (did I mention how much I’m looking forward to spending one of my favourite holidays in NYC?), Harlem, the Rockefeller Centre… But I think I’m going to stop here.
You can expect both hundreds of pictures, and a huge blog update when I return (and hey, maybe a few while I’m there if anything interesting happens).
