Category: Travel

My actual travels, those I aspire to, and those of others

GRE and travel upcoming

The GRE is in four days, and I am pretty nervous. I don’t think it should be the most important consideration, when people are applying to graduate school. It is a very artificial test, largely based on some really narrow conceptions of how language should be used. I bet a lot of authors who have won major literature prizes would have trouble with their ‘reading comprehension’ and ‘verbal reasoning’ questions. Often, several answers are justifiable, and the rules according to which the test-writers choose which one is ‘right’ are somewhat arbitrary and parochial.

But I shouldn’t grumble too much. It will be over soon.

Getting in applications by the end of the month is a major undertaking. At the same time, I have a couple of exciting trips coming up. I am going to Ottawa next weekend for the launch party for my friend Andrea Simms-Karp’s excellent new folk album: Hibernation Nation. I have had the songs stuck in my head constantly since I first head them. Probably about 100 people have caught me humming them to myself on the subway to and from work, operating under the false assumption that everyone around me has hearing as mediocre as mine.

The weekend after, I am going to New York City for American Thanksgiving. I definitely need to have my applications in by then, as the trip will incorporate a 28th birthday celebration and is something that I want to be able to focus all my attention upon.

New Orleans photos

Yesterday I was able to do some minimal processing of my photos from New Orleans and put them online, using a rented Mac Pro at a printing shop.

A number of them could benefit from additional post-processing, but it is tedious to spend time editing JPEG files in Photoshop. I prefer to stick to a photojournalistic style and thus spend less time in front of glowing monitors.

Travel makes me appreciate all comforts and conveniences

Spending an extended span of time undertaking travel definitely makes me appreciate every comfort and convenience when they are available.

These comforts include a comfortable horizontal surface to sleep on in the dark and quiet; easy access to laundry; being able to have a shower; having internet access; being able to change outside a cramped bathroom or bathroom stall; being able to borrow access to a local telephone; being able to leave groceries somewhere cold; being able to hang up suits and dress shirts properly; being able to leave batteries around to charge; not having to worry about checkout times; and not having to worry about your things being stolen if unattended.

My period of transition is still not complete. I still need to relocate most of my possessions from Ottawa to Toronto and I still need to find somewhere to live in Toronto and shift all of my things there. That being said, I think I now have the basic requirements for being able to live and work. I can shuttle them around with me from place to place – as necessary – until I have a place of my own.

One lesson reinforced by this move is the general benefit of keeping personal property to a minimum, especially in terms of bulk. Every gram and cubic centimetre of objects you possess makes you less free, though much of it may be awfully pleasant and useful to own.

The road north

I am leaving on my return journey in a few hours.

I already have all the luggage Greyhound allows, so the smart course is probably to go to Toronto, drop those necessary items off, then carry on to Ottawa to get more things like work clothes and perhaps my computer.

The bus to Toronto takes about 20 hours. If I catch one this afternoon, it should arrive in the early morning of the 5th (estimate subject to amendment).

Returning to Ontario

Sometime between Sunday the 4th and Wednesday the 7th, I will get back on the Greyhound to return to Toronto/Ontario.

It’s awkward that I don’t have my own place to stay in either city, but hopefully I will find something in Toronto soon. It’s also awkward that it is proving complex and paperwork-heavy to get my stuff relocated. Hopefully, my physical presence will help.

I am not looking forward to another 20+ hours on the bus, but it will be nice to be back in familiar territory, even if I will not really be ‘home’.

Things to see in DC

I don’t have a great deal of free time, since my days are mostly being spent volunteering for the Tar Sands Action protest against the Keystone XL pipeline. Still, I would like to see a few unusual and interesting things while I am in the American capital.

Any suggestions for especially good things to see or do? Ideally, things that are a bit unusual and unlikely to be included in my Lonely Planet guide.