The Joys of Riding a Bus

Photo by scott webb

There have been multiple studies done lately on how public transit affects people, mainly negatively, yet when I’m stressed I’ll often turn to transportation. By this, I don’t mean the common ones like a plane, train, or even a bus tour, but a city bus.

Why?

Exploration

When you’re on public transit you don’t have to worry about switching lanes, and can just enjoy the scenery without being restricted by how far you’re able to walk. When it’s colder you can keep warm easier. This makes it easier to see where places are, like the closest park or grocery store, or discover somewhere you might want to visit on a later adventure.

Relaxation

If your parents were anything like mine they discovered young children, at least ones like me, will always fall asleep in a vehicle -- even if it’s just a trip around the corner to the convenience store. This has passed to all transit now, so even if it doesn’t bring on the z’s it’s hard not to be calmed. The passing scenery, may it be trees or people hurrying on the street, is fascinating.

People

Buses expose you to people without the requirement to actually socialize. Unlike the mall, you aren’t forced to interact with multiple people when you switch stores. It’s nice to greet the driver when you get on, but you can always get on through a back door if you are avoiding social interaction. The most interesting things can be heard on the bus, such as “it turns out my dog doesn’t like it when furries are on TV,” or you can hear entire stories.

A bus journey is an enjoyable experience that shouldn’t be put in a bad light, but if you’re one of many who don’t enjoy it, try making a game of it. Count how many people are reading, or listening to music. Or if you’re traveling with someone, play a car game.

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Elizabeth Ayana Hall

Elizabeth is a second year professional writing student who lives on anime, books, and cheese.

She does not actually spend time outside, it is a eco-wall behind her.

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Anime North vs. Fan Expo

Which is the better GTA Anime Conference?

Two of the largest conventions in the Greater Toronto Area happen in the months of May and August. Anime North is the only yearly grand scale Anime convention, while Fan Expo is an speculative fiction convention, that once held the CNAnime convention inside it before becoming one with the entire convention. Cosplaying can cost a lot though, along with the inevitable shopping the stalls will bring, so if your bank account will only let you go to one, which one should it be?

Guest List

One of the best parts of going to conventions is seeing the people who voice your favourite characters. So which has a better guest list?

They actually seem to be pretty balanced, even with Anime North being a Not-For-Profit convention. Anime North has had Eric Vale, Micah Solusod, Barbara Radecki all in attendance, compared to Fan Expo who’s guest have included Bex Taylor-Klaus, Todd Haberkorn, and Maile Flanagan.

Anime North’s quantity of guest can vary year to year, but are usually free or cheaper to see then Fan Expo, where you need to pay to talk to the guest or get their signature. Because of this payment though, guests get paid more at Fan Expo, so they usually have a larger quantity of guests available yearly.

Location

Fan Expo is located in the main city of Toronto, and so after the convention the ends or you need a break from the excitement there is a lot more to do, while Anime North is held on the outskirts in Etobicoke.

Anime North is also spread over a few venues, sometimes involving a fifteen minute walk to get from one to the other, while Fan Expo is all held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This means all of Fan Expo is held in AC (not including everyone who just hangs out in cosplay outside of the centre), while much of Anime North is held outside, often in the first heat wave of the year.

Attendance

Anime North caps their attendance for tickets at 20,000 a day while over four days FanExpo regularly has over 130,000 people in attendance. Your opinion of crowds may help influence which convention holds more interest for you.

Ticket Cost

A weekend admission cost $60 at Anime North, while a deluxe pass for the full four days of Fan Expo starts at double that, $125 or $137 at the door. Fan Expo has a few different packages that may interest people. Children (age 6-12) only cost $10 a day at Fan Expo, while tickets for children (age 6-13) at Anime North are only half price.

Anime North’s tickets price start at $35 for the first and last days, which would be Friday and Sunday, while the middle day cost $45. FanExpo ticket’s cost $5 more when you pay at the door, meaning booking in advance is better when being price conscience. Thursday is the cheapest day but the doors are only open for 4 hours, meaning it only cost $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Friday is the next cheapest, costing $40 in advance, and Sunday is the second highest price with tickets costing $45. Saturday is the most expensive day with tickets costing $60 in advance or $65 at the door.

Which One is Better?

Fan Expo has more then just the Anime convention so the price has a lot more included, along with a much better location if you want to fill the entire day with activities, or would prefer to stay in the air conditioning. If you are only interested in Anime though, Anime North would be your preferred convention.

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Elizabeth Ayana Hall

Elizabeth is a second year professional writing student who lives on anime, books, and cheese.

She does not actually spend time outside, it is a eco-wall behind her.

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Rolling. Falling. Cheese.

Two hundred people annually meet at the top of Copper’s Hill, in England, to chase a cheese wheel down the hill. The real name for this sporting competition is Cheese-Rolling and Wake. There are roughly five races each year, depending on how many cheese wheels are available if it’s in a time of emergency.

The hill is almost directly vertical which adds the risk of participants falling from their feet. It’s rare for anyone surrounding the event. Even watching the race is dangerous in itself because of the steepness. Many injuries are minor, but concussions are a norm during the event.

The origin of the race is unknown, but some families have documentation of their ancestors participating as far back as the mid-1700’s, and some believe that the tradition came from when Roman’s invaded in 54BC. The race has not always been done with 7-to-9-pound wheels of cheese. Alternatives to the cheese wheels are different types of pastries, such as cake or buns, to help bring either self-fertility or the fertility of the harvest.

Why people participate in the event besides the enjoyment is unknown unless a large percentage of people crave the taste of the flaky, closed texture cheese. The only other reason that people want to participate in this event would be for the sheer novelty of the event, and being able to say they have participated. Videos of the event have spiked interest across the internet to the unusual sport and raised tourism for the event and surrounding area.

This is the reason I would like to bring it to Canada, but instead of using an unpopular or unknown cheese type as double Gloucester, I suggest using the popular cheeses of mozzarella, or for a more Canadian twist, a giant cheese curd. Imagine this: a giant curd of cheese rolling down a hill with a crowd racing after it, each one apologizing as they stumbled or tumbled into another.

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Elizabeth Ayana Hall

Elizabeth is a second year professional writing student who lives on anime, books, and cheese.

She does not actually spend time outside, it is a green wall behind her.

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