Tony’s Travels- AAC 2012

October of 2012, Boot Size 12

…. Oh, no, I don’t have an explanation for my absence  Take any combination of life, college, and been out traveling and that’s pretty much. If you want to know more about the everyday events of my life, I have a Facebook page and an Instagram (vivianaayre). It’s easier to be active there.  Anyways, on with the story!

Not long ago, Tony and I ventured up to New Hampshire to attend Another Anime Convention 2012 to have a truly nerdy time. During our time there, Tony met some pretty awesome people, and saw some cool cosplays.

First he chilled with some Narutards and one adorable little Kayleigh (from Firefly) cosplayer.

Then he helped out Misa on Wheels, New Englands favorite cosplayer on wheels, with her wheelchair. For some reason she wouldn’t let him install rockets. 

Check out Misa on Wheel‘s Facebook page! She’s an inspiration for all

Next was a trip to a Brentalfloss concert

Next Tony demanded to see some lady cosplayers. The pervert!

After harassing the ladies, security decided to have a word with him… but Tony has that kind of charm that just draws you in.

Overall both Tony and I had a blast with all nerds, sharing our love for anime and and good times with the rest of New England.

Until our Next Adventure,

Viviana Ayre and Tony

Time for a Backpack Upgrade!

July of 2012, Boot Size 10

My dear readers,

So as July comes to a close I find myself being hit with a huge cage of cabin fever. With my need to save up a ton of money for college, and having to pay for a cracked radiator, I haven’t been able to get out much this summer. And since I’m a huge travel blog reader, I’ve actually been sinking into a mild depression of sorts due to how stagnant my life is shifting into. But I’ve started to snap out of it, and with my birthday coming up, I’ve been planning how to fix my cabin fever.

As noted before, my birthday is coming up in about two weeks. My mother and I have a habit of finding cool things I like that she’ll nab for an early birthday present. In this case, she found my new travel day pack. And I’m in love.

Is it sensible? Not really. It’s definitely a day pack, and not good for a full blown backpacking-across-Europe trip. But for a casual traveling trip, it’s pretty awesome. I’ve already been using it  to go to and from work (it makes it easy to change after my shift and not look like I work there 😛 ). I’ve had it for about a week now, and I’m rather attached. I won’t wear it every time I travel, but definitely for my short little road trips I’ll be bringing it around.

Okay, about the backpack itself. It’s an Avengers backpack. Yeah. It’s that awesome. There is one main pocket for my notebooks and/or clothes, and a front pocket for knick-knacks. Then on each side is a water bottle holder. Considering my need to drink a lot (of water I promise!) it’s really helpful. Though I’m thinking one of those drink pockets will turn out to be Tony’s travel pocket so he can see all the sites with me.

Now, whenever I go on an adventure, there are items that are always in my backpack of awesome. Whether I’m running to work or running to the airport, you’ll more of then not find these in my bag (it’s a weird day when I forget them).

Take a look at that awesome. Just… Take it in.

Included here is:

• Avengers backpack
• My mini Avenger water bottle (Though surprisingly it got hidden in the shot)
• Writing utensils (pen, pencil, and Sharpie!)
• Wallet
• iPhone with earphones
• Either my Spiderman journal for conventions, or my green tribal journal for travel
• My DS, currently loaded with Pokemon Soul Silver and a container of extra games
• Lip balm
• Gum (sometimes I run out, but when I have it I gotta keep in with me)
• Gotta have the goggles!

Yeah… It’s coming to be really obvious how much I’m letting out my inner geek. But ya know? Every traveler has their quirk, and my is my unabashed love for comics and games. Now I’m off to take Tony to the park for some R+R, walking, and flag work (I still practice colorguard. If you haven’t heard of it… well… look it up).

What do you guys always bring around with you? Do you have a favorite travel bag?

Until my next adventure,

Viviana Ayre

Tony’s Travels: White Mountains!

July of 2012, Boot Size 10

I introduced Tony to you all not long ago; well, it’s time for him to share his experiences when he joined my mother and I on a trek up to the White Mountains.

Our first stop was at DirtVentures ATV Rentals. Tony hitched a ride with me on my ATV

ATV-ing is a lot of fun, and very adrenaline pumping. But despite being an all-powerful superhero in a superior suit of armor, he made sure to wear his helmet. It was a little big though…

After ATV-ing for two hours we all decided to kick back and relax. Taking the lengthy jaunt up to our hotel, Tony learned how lovely bed and breakfasts can be. We had made reservations at the Jefferson Inn, a huge house with some of the nicest accommodations.

Some of the accommodations including a movie collection for families to enjoy, an all-access hammock, and a porch filled with comfy chairs with a view of the mountains. The best accommodation of all though was the unlimited, free hot chocolate and tea.

Oh and did I mention the marshmallows? Yeah we definitely indulged in like… five cups of that amazing stuff in the span of eight hours (two at night, three in the morning). TOny agrees that nothing is better than watching the sunrise over a warm cup of cocoa.

Tony’s opinion, along with mine, is that B&B’s are a very peaceful and enjoyable experience. Those who love travel should try a B&B out at least once. You will not be disappointed.

Until our next adventure,

Viviana Ayre

Don’t Wait Last Minute to Pack!

June of 2012, Boot Size 10

My Dear Readers,

It’s t-minus three hours until my mother and I take off for a weekend trip to the White Mountains, and boy can it get exciting. I have a bad habit with packing on weekend trips…. it that I pack the day of the trip itself….

DON’T DO THIS!

Honestly it’s a dumb idea. Granted, I have what I want to take planned out in my head and essentially just grab stuff out, but this still runs the risk of forgetting a LOT of potentially important items. Nevertheless this is what has happened, and I’m pretty sure I’m mostly packed. So with out further ado, I’m going to share with you my packing list that is going into my duffelbag and daypack.

Not everything is pictured here xDDDDD

Clothes

• Two pairs of shorts
• Two pairs of pants
• Socks (not pictured)
• Undies! (not pictured ^_^)
• Flippy floppies (not pictured)
• Hiking boots
• Casual sneakers (To defend… my boots are heavy and I might not want to weigh myself down)
• Knee brace
• Two tank tops
• One t-shirt
• One long-sleeve
• Marvel fleece blanket of awesomeness
• Bathing suit

Other stuff

• Toiletries (includes stuff for teeth, hair, body, armpits, etc.)
• Travel journal with pen
• Book, namely Fool Moon of the Dresden Files series
• Wallet
• Tony (of course)
• Snacks
• Camera and all its needy accessories
• Hat (sadly not my awesome hat, but my Team Rocket hat…. My Iron Man hat is still in the mail xDDDD)

So yeah, that’s what I’m bringing up to mountains. At least right now.  At the last minute I’ll probably add a couple billion little things that I won’t need but that I want to bring along. I may not be as bad of a packer as most women… but I’m quirky. Sometimes I like bring weird things. Like an umbrella hat! Which yes, I have one.

Now that I’m at the end of this post… It’s now t-minus two hours to departure, and I need to make a few finishing touches on my stuff. And breakfast… Gotta have the breakfast! Orange scone here I come!

My adventure begins soon,

Viviana Ayre

Appreciating the Small Stuff

June of 2012, Boot Size…. Wait…. I was wearing toe shoes!!!!

My dear readers,

So a midst my busy life of of working to save for school, conventions, and visiting Tomas, I have decided to change some aspects of my life. You see, I used to be an avid biker, but then I met the internet and we were swept into a passionate love affair. So my once muscle toned body fell into disrepair, and while I am lucky that I am naturally thin, I am now massively out of shape and have more fat (though well contained fat), than muscle. So when I decided to change my diet to alleviate my ADD (no more high fructose corn syrup since major studies in places like UCLA and such are coming out and saying HFCS aggravates ADD and ADHD), I decided to also get active again. And I started yesterday with a nice, brisk walk with my mother in our local park for an hour before my 7-3:30 work shift. During that trip I got some lovely pictures of the lake and the local goose families with my phone.

A bunch of geese and goslings! The goslings have gotten huge in the past couple weeks.

After my shift I stopped at my dad’s house to watch Legend of Korra before using his Kinect to do an exercise routine. Dear goddess my legs were burning a bit by the end after all the walking and standing from that day, so I kept it short and stayed with the tutorial before calling it quits. I broke a small sweat considering I spend most of my time hooked to a laptop when I’m not traveling, so I figure it’s a start. Add in my new diet choices and I’ve had a good start.

Well this morning the mother, Tony, and I decided to take another walk. This one was a little later in the day (started around seven) and I traded in my boots for my toe shoes in the hopes I could do some climbing. Well unfortunately my mother’s foot acted up so we stayed on the easy trails, but I got a few more pictures in.

You see, I have extreme issues working in a gym. I’m rather self conscious (thanks elementary school) and I don’t like other people creeping on my excercise. But taking walks in the park? Especially one with really awesome hiking trails? For me that is how I like to excercise. Because there is more to the work than just walking in place. I mean, which would you rather: running in one place with creepy people trying to look over your shoulders to see your burned calories, or walking though this?

Tony enjoyed the ride, since I found my old mini purple backpack. So that’s his place to chill when he’s not being a perv and riding in my shirt. We found the beaver dam, but no beaver sadly. Our music was the sound of bullfrogs croaking out a jazzy tune, which was pretty sweet. Hopefully we will get there early next time, and if we’re quiet we will be able to spot more wildlife. While boots keep your feet warmer, my toe shoes helped me walk a lot quieter considering I have a heavy step. So when I go for nature watching I’ll definitely wear them again.

Yes, I’m wearing my favorite sweatshirt, and Iron Man suit. Paired with yoga pants. I’d just woken up, sue me!

Tony was rather put out that the geese weren’t out today. But he loves lake scenery!

Now I’m just getting ready for a trip up north to the White Mountains this upcoming Tuesday/Wednesday! It’s a gift from my mother, and I’m pretty excited to go. I will definitely post pictures while I’m there.

Oh and did I mention we saw the cutest chipmunk ever?????

I love my phone’s camera…..

Until my next adventure,

Viviana Ayre

My New Traveling Companion

June of 2012, Boot Size 10

My dear readers,

When my sister traveled independently for the first time, she had a little pink bunny oh-so-cleverly named… Pink Bunny. I’m sure it had another name, but I have no recollection as to what it was. When I went out of the country (aside from Canada) for the first time it was to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. And when I went, my sister lent me Pink Bunny to take with me and snap silly pictures with.

 

When I went to Japan, I want to start my own trend. My uncle and I had been exploring the streets of Portsmouth and we found a little wind up robot that was absolutely adorable. I named him KillRoy (if you know the reference, you get a cookie!). He was fun, but unfortunately Japan seemed too much for him, and he short circuited into retirement.

While scrolling around the travel section of WordPress, I stumbled upon the blog Meandering Around, which stars a stuffed purple hippo going on adventures. This reminded me of Pink Bunny and KillRoy and suddenly I was struck… I no longer have a travel companion. And that’s no fun.

So it got me thinking… Who could be my new travel companion? I kinda wanted to keep with the robot theme I had going for myself. Plus I’d love to incorporate my geekiness into it, considering I’m incredibly proud of my geek aspect; comic books, manga, anime… Almost everything nerd appeals to me.

That’s when I was reminded of a small buddy of mine. He’s not quite a robot, but he’s powered by a robot! He’s a hero who has saved millions of lives and jobs! Sure he’s a bit a player… and likes booze a little too much… But hey, everyone needs a vice!

Plus he’s played by Robert Downey Junior, the sexiest man alive.

Yeah, my travel buddy is going to be Iron Man Mark IV. Though since Iron Man Mark IV is way too long to type, I’m just gonna call him Tony. He is adorable.

If you hadn’t figured it out, I’m a giant Iron Man fan. I’m overly obsessed to the point where it might not be healthy. Anything Iron Man themed, I gotta have, to the point where I do spend the ludicrous amounts of money on the delicious Hot Toys that they put out for Iron Man. Plus I have as many articles of Iron Man clothing as possible.

It only makes sense that Tony will be my travel companion. He’s strong, reliable, and one of the best superheroes ever. So he will now accompany me on every adventure I take, whether in country or out of country.

Until my Next Adventure,

Viviana Ayre