Halifax Tattoo 2009

All Done

2009-07-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

OK, last show is done, cast party has been attended, and it's time to hit the road. I'll write more once I get home. The last day is worth writing about.

Canadian Diversity

2009-07-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

It has struck me that there is a strong sensitivity to cultural diversity within Canada that must be difficult to accommodate, but probably worthwhile in terms of recognizing the differences between people, rather than homogenizing them.

All public signs are bilingual, with English as the primary language. At the Citadel I was struck by the fact that the content of the signs and displays had to be duplicated. The unintended effect of this is that the museum can only display half as much content, as as similar amount of space needs to be allocated for the translation into French-Canadian.

In another rather stunning display of respect for diversity I noticed the following consistent pattern demonstrated in the washroom of the St. Mary's University residence hall where we are staying.

Upon replacing several of the rolls throughout the last 12 days (in what I believe to be the correct "over the roll" configuration of the toilet paper) I have noted that after the cleaning crew have been through one of the rolls has always been flipped to the "behind the roll" configuration.

Clearly, this is a country that understands diversity on a level that I am not accustomed to.

The Reviews and More YouTube

2009-07-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest review, looks like the show is being well received:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife/1130179.html

Also, I've created a YouTube list that I will update with new videos of the Tattoo.

The YouTube onslought has started

2009-07-06T09:08:00.001-07:00

The News

2009-07-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

We are all having a little trouble with the news stories over the past week. We are in the middle of a fairly military centric cast and have heard rumblings on the size of the offensive in Afghanistan. The Welsh suffered a fairly high ranking casualty in the action, and the feeling is that this one is bigger than has been let on and may be being kept intentionally quiet. I'd like to think so, as the alternative is that we, as a people, are much more interested in the funerals of our pop stars than the fate of our sons and daughters that we have sent into harms way.

Especially with the fourth of July we have been cognizant of the sacrifices being made by the military of many countries. Last night while standing at the finale I spent some time thinking about our people who are in danger right now. I can't say that my good thoughts did them any good, but I hope they did. All of a sudden my sore feet don't seem like such a big deal anymore.

With these thoughts fresh in my mind, I snuck out to see the finale of the first act of the tattoo. This is a tribute to soldiers, and starts with some incredible staging set to the music from the Band of Brothers.

After the cast is on the floor the most incredible series of slides are shown on the large screen behind the chorus as they sing the hymn Nearer My God to Thee. These images, treated as sacred here, were the type not permitted by our former administration. The photos are from 2007, six Canadian soldiers were killed in a single roadside bomb incident outside Kandahar in Afghanistan and were returned home together. Not only was the arrival of their caskets filmed, it was celebrated as thousands lined the route to their homes (all were from this region of the country).

I just pulled out my camera and and took these pictures, which I think speak for themselves. I admire the Canadians honesty and quiet pride in their strength and values. They love their country without having to beat you over the head with it. I am not sure how they did it, but the tattoo producers turned something that could have been a really depressing series of images into an inspiring and uplifting moment.

And finally, the tri-service band of the Canadian Armed forces plays off the stage with the music from A Bridge Too Far. Note how as the tri-service band goes off the floor the tune is picked up by the band and chorus on the stage above the exit (just double-click on the image below to open the video). Wow!

From Halifax Video

The 4th of July

2009-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

So what’s the big deal about the 4th of July, or any national holiday for that matter? As a martial musician it always meant “two parades” a day, despite my understanding of the historical significance of the date. But if you are out of the country it means something else entirely. For the first time I had the opportunity to experience the holiday differently, and also to experience the graciousness of our hosts.

To set the stage for what happened to us on the 4th, it is necessary to understand that we are the first American group to participate in the Tattoo for 20 years. Apparently the brass in Washington decided that it is inappropriate to have a military band outside of the country on July 4, so banned any of the military ensembles that used to frequent the event. Naturally, the Tattoo staff was very glad to have us, and made a big fuss about the return of “the Americans” both to us and in the press. On Canada Day (July 1) were started to get the hint that they were very concerned about our being away from home and that they had thoughts on what could be done to make us feel more at home on the holiday.

The day started out early for us, as several of us had volunteered to do some maintenance on the drums. After a week of very moist weather the drums needed the slack pulled out of them. When we arrived at the Metro Centre we found that our staging area had been decorated by the props department with a giant “birthday” card and a freshly ironed American flag.

We proceeded to fix about four of the worst off drums then headed out to lunch, but it took much longer than we anticipated due to all the people stopping by to let us know how glad they were that we were with them on our holiday.

At show time the hits kept coming when, as we were dressing the children’s choir that dresses next to us was running through the Start Spangled Banner. Each evening during the Finale the cast plays and sings the Canadian anthem and the anthem of one of the participating countries. The Canadians had picked July 4 as the date to play ours along with theirs. The children sounded like angels singing as they got ready.

We were all doing pretty well until the civilian extras (people from the community who have volunteered to play roles in some of the vignettes) brought over an enormous birthday cake for us. I have to say, the care and thought put into this simple and kind act was overwhelming to all of us. We served up the cake and gave it away to our friends in the cast until it was all gone. Welsh, German, Danish, French, Canadian, and Americans eating red, white, and blue frosted cake!

That night, due in large part to the good feelings given to us by the rest of the cast, we played our best show yet. The music felt great, and the marching bit was as close to flawless as we had gotten. I also got some cool video of the opening of our show. We have a cool moment when we are waiting to go on, and the German Police Motorcycle group is performing just before us. We wait in the wings as they begin their act, then fill into the entrance when the stage hands close the curtain. I wanted a video of what it was like waiting, but there isn't enough time for me to shoot the video and step off in time. Michelle Godin, one of our support personnel took this video, and it really speaks to the moment for me.

As soon as the curtain closes we fill into the staging area. It's dark, but hang in there and keep listening. You will hear us struggling to get into line in the dark (kind of a brail thing), some snapping sounds as each drummer hits drumsticks with all the other drummers (our tradition of wishing each other a good show), and the drum major giving his commands. The music for the German finale is Nessun Dorma, the aria from Puccini's Turandot. At about 1:38 the curtains open and the colors advance onto the floor, and then the curtains close again. Just as the aria peaks the drum major calls us to attention, the curtains open, crowd is going wild for the Germans (or maybe applauding for the aria, we'll never know), and we are off!

From Halifax Video

We were all quite satisfied that the day was a success after our part of the show when the musical director, Captain Ebert, let us know that the fifes and drums would, of course, be welcome to play our national anthem along with the massed bands and choir during the finale. It was lovely, the band played very well, and our anthem sounded great. What an incredible moment of pride.

That night, MCV hosted a Fourth of July cruise on Halifax Harbor. Dubbed “Das Boot von MCV” we invited all the cast to attend as well, and got a reasonably good turn out. By the end of the trip all were quite happy, especially the Danes, and I wound up in a crowd of Americans with one token Welshman (Nigel of course) eating pizza at 2 AM before walking home and calling it a night.

Waiting to board

The Canadian fleet at anchor in Halifax

What's the big deal about the fourth of July? Plenty!

The Citadel

2009-07-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Friday started as a very foggy day, standing out amongst a week of foggy days. We had a full corps performance scheduled that was canceled due to weather, so touring the city for the first time became an option. Right next to the Metro Centre is "The Citadel" a fort built in the 1850's to protect against, guess what, an invasion of Halifax by the Americans!

Lovely Halifax weather

The glacis of the fort is mostly hidden by a ditch, attackers would have only the top of the parapets to shoot at.

"Parrot Gun"

Guard room

The noon gun (note how the weather has closed in)

We talked with several of the interpreters and found out the the drum major is a former Massachusetts fife and drum guy that one of the MCV drummers taught in 4H. Parks Canada staffs the fort with interpreters made of college students and the summer job goes from May through the end of August. They do a really fine job, and the fort is very impressive.

Catching up

2009-07-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday ended up being pretty busy, so here's a little catching up.

Last night was the third public performance (not including the final dress rehearsal that was open to the public) and the Tattoo is in a rhythm. The environment backstage is professional and friendly, and the groups are beginning to socialize a bit more now that everyone is prepared for the performance schedule.You can get a bit of the sense of the intensity/chaos backstage with this video. It walks the backstage area (about half of the area provided to the performers). Once the show starts all the equipment you see is in motion at one point or another, so it is pretty intense.

From Halifax Video

After the show we are encouraged to go out onto the floor and socialize with the attendees. It's a little strange as it coincides with the reading of the winning 50/50 lottery ticket, but we meet people, get pictures taken, and talk to the other performers.

From Halifax Video

Once we ran out of audience members to talk to the performers all started getting pictures taken with each other. Things started to get a little silly, as you can see from these photos.

This one is me with the Sr. conductor

...and the inevitable exchange of hats with the Welsh.

After the show our presence was requested at Boomer's, a sports bar across the street from the Metro Centre for a party hosted by the Pipes and Drums. Boomers was packed, and within short order the DJ turned off the music and turned over the floor to the musicians in the audience. What ensued was something like an open mike night, with groups playing and highland dancers dancing.

Our group got up and played... but having no drums had to borrow some instruments from the pipe band drummers. The bass drummers picked up a couple of tenor drums to play and a Djembe (an african drum) and five snare drummers crowded around two pipe band snare drums to play.

From Halifax Video

While I doubt we sounded like much after being in the bar for a bit, it was a lot of fune and the accolades and free beer from the other performers followed. While we probably should not have done so, we got up and played again. No doubt some of this will show up on YouTube, we are all hoping it does not come off too badly out of context with the moment. It was somewhat of a surprise when the lights went on and they sent us home, as the night seemed to fly by.

Video

2009-07-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

OK, I think I figured out how to post video without uploading it to YouTube. The Tattoo people are a little sensitive about public distribution of the show outside of their control, so lets see if this works. These videos were all shot at the very first dress rehearsal.

The First video is of the "Jeep race". Two teams of mechanics disassemble, then re-assemble a jeep!

From Halifax Video

Next, the Tris-Service Band from the Canadian Armed forces (plus a pretty big chorus). I think the music is from the movie "A Bridge Too Far".

From Halifax Video

And lastly, the end of the first act. This is pretty cool, should be corny, but it doesn't come off that way at all. In case you can't see to well, the fellows with the torches are in WWI uniforms, and by the end of the piece soldiers in desert camo come and take over the torches from them.The music is from "Band of Brothers".

From Halifax Video

Lastly, here is MCV running through our set during the prior days (undress) rehearsal.

From Halifax Video

Canada Day

2009-07-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today was Canada Day. Huh? Think of it like the fourth of July for us. Everybody wears red, they stay home from work, go to parades, and generally celebrate being Canadian. It is customary to greet people with a cheery "Happy Canada Day!" kind of greeting. Lots of flags, lots of pride in being Canadian.

For us, Canada Day meant a parade (in the rain), followed by a matinee show, the first official show of the Tattoo run. I think if it didn't rain then it wouldn't really be right for Halifax, so rain it did. Because of the rain MCV had some logistical issues, and several remote members of the drumline were released from the parade (me included). You mean I don't have to wear wool in 80 degree, rainy weather? Well, OK!

Instead, my friend Mark Reilly (Old Guard) and I hung out on the parade route and took some pictures. Best band of the parade? Easily the Royal Welsh Regiment, but everyone looked quite sharp.

Royal Canadian Mounties

Canadian Army Band

Big scary looking armored vehicle

Malmo Band (Sweden)

Royal Welsh

Estonian Club Piruet (gymnastics)

Middlesex County Volunteers

MCV's backstage area decked out for Canada Day

After the parade a little lunch (Maxwell's Plum was having a special, $5 Steaks), then back to the Metro for an afternoon show, the actual opener for the Tattoo. Before the show we had some laughs with our next door neighbors the Welsh, and my new friend Nigel detailed his plans to swap hats with us for the Finale on the final night of the Tattoo. He's got some other ideas, we'll see what actually comes to pass! Nigel is a reservist who has spent time as a signalman, a combat medic, and as a fitness instructor. An interesting group of people.

Scott and Nigel

Weather

2009-07-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

An interesting thing about the weather here in Nova Scotia, it has been consistently drizzly. I finally realized that Nova Scotia means "New Scotland", and the resemblence, especially in weather is very apparent.

Here's a sign from the Maritime Museum in Halifax that speaks to the normal weather patterns:

When you ask the locals if it is always like this they deny it. I'm not sure why, it is pretty undeniable - at a minimum, fog for half the day and usually a light mist to heavy rainfall.

10 AM in the morning, Halifax is still fogged in.

Note the trash bags that had to be placed over the drumheads to allow the group to perform in the rain!

So, how is Nova Scotia weather really? Muggy and damp at best!

Dress Rehearsal

2009-06-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

OK, Monday was fun. We started off the morning with a little soccer game at the sports field that ended in a downpour. Lots of fun, and it led to interesting conversation over breakfast as we ll dripped puddles in the dining hall. We then had some time to do individual practice and laundry before heading off the the Metro Centre for a 5 PM live TV broadcast and the final dress rehearsal before the show opens.

The media event went very well, but we received 15 different directions on where to go and what to do before we performed, and then everything changed again once the cameras were rolling. Dinner break followed by another warm up came next.

The dress rehearsal went well. Our show is coming together nicely, and the musical part that we play in the Finale is beginning to sound like something. I gave my camera to one of the support staff to take some pictures (we were banned from going into the stands as of this run through), and here is what she got. Really interesting shots, and I love this camera. It has a mode called ISO that allows you to take photos in low light without a flash, really good stuff.

Massed Pipes and Drums

MCV Enters

The fifes form a square around the drums

The fifes form a heart

Drums to the front (I am the second from the left)

Same sequence, wider angle

The drums open up ranks (Yankee Doodle)

Reforming the corps

The march off

Finale, first half

The Canadian Armed Forces "Tri-Service Band" - Navy, Army, Air Force

The Royal Welsh Guards

To my complete delight they played a 2 minute segment of the music from Zulu!

The Finale

You can see the MCV drummers in the last rank.

In the center of this picture is the conductor in the long blue coat, I am the drummer in the next file over to his right, and the only one of our drummers who can actually see the conductor. We were doing great in the rehearsals until the damned Canadian Army band guys put on their bearskins, then no conductor for anyone but me. It is now my job to keep the rest of the drummers on track during the Finale pice that we play in (MacPhereson's Lament).

The show progresses!

2009-06-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

The show is now being rehearsed "in sequence", which means they run the entire 2 hour show from top to bottom twice a day. The remainder of the day is taken up with warm ups, group rehearsals, production meetings, and trying to find food. Our first run through was in rehearsal clothing (khaki pants and a blue polo shirt) but with the addition of the full lighting sequence and screen projections (though none of us have any idea what is being projected). We then did a number of hours of sectional practice (just drums playing together without fifes) to isolate rough spots encountered in the last run through.

Sectional rehearsals, contingency planning

Due to the nature of the performance we need to prepare for every possibility. In this picture, note the banana peel that we are attempting to develop a contingency plan for.

After lunch, we had more sectional time, then dressed for the first run through of the show in costume. After we were ready to go we were given permission to watch several of the groups, here’s a few:

A German military band

Jeep Race!

Two teams of mechanics race to dis-assemble a jeep then put it back together again.

Backstage at our staging area

We are right next to the Welsh Guards staging area, but have not gotten past the “hey, nice day, eh?” stage. Their uniform makes me want to watch Zulu when I get home.

The Massed Bands rehearsing a number for the Robbie Burns tribute

NATO Vignette

The cast enters for a vignette on the formation of NATO. The bands are playing the theme from the “Band of Brothers” as uniformed characters from all eras of Canadian military service walk slowly across the space, followed by the Massed Bands of the Canadian Armed forces. The end of the piece is incredibly powerful – the Canadians have the courage to show what we have not seen in the US: As the narrator is speaking to the value of the sacrifice made by the men and women in the Canadian armed forces the giant screen at one end of the arena is filled with images of the caskets of 11 Canadians being returned from Afghanistan. The images of the flag draped coffins being loaded off the planes and into hearses for the journey back to their towns was something not seen in America, as these photos were banned by George Bush. Also powerful were the veterans, children, families, and whole schools that turned out along the highways and towns to honor these soldiers on their final trip home.

This is a strong show, very interesting.

A couple of pics from Day 2

2009-06-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

No time now for a big post, just a couple of pics from the day for you...

Massed pipes and drums rehearsing

Malmo Fire Brigade Band, Sweden

I think it is a rule that the Mounties need to be involved...

Jeep Race

First Rehearsal Day

2009-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

The first day of rehearsals started with breakfast at 7:30 then a bus at 8 AM. In typical fashion at these events, adjustments needed to be made on day 1, as the bus that was sent was about 20 passengers too small for the group. A second transport was ordered, and we were picked up and brought to the Metro Centre where the event is being held to pick up our drums. A hockey rink on the other side of town had been provisioned for our use that AM, and we drove over and unloaded into a very hot and muggy rink (sans ice) to run our show from 9 to 11:30. All in all, the first run through was pretty good, however the performance began to decline markedly as we got closer to the end of our allotted time.

We were dropped off at the Metro Centre to drop off the drums before being given a lunch break of an hour. The Tattoo has deals with a bout 100 local restaurants to accept meal vouchers that are provided to the performers. If you eat modestly, there is no cost. Pretty good fish and chips to be had, and excellent local beer choices. 2 PM brought our first time on the floor at the Metro Centre to run out 6 minute and 30 second show. The space is good, sounds pretty decent, and will seat about 9,000 for this event with 2,00 members in the cast. We did pretty well in our run throughs, with 4 relatively clean runs of the show before our time was up. The Arena Master was very efficeint in clearing the floor once our time was up, so off to dinner we went.

Next up came the rehearsal for the finale, which is staged very nicely. At this point, they have 2,000 performers either on the floor or on a giant stage build on one end of the arena. Our group is split up throughout the floor, and I am playing in a group of drummers who are at the very back of the floor of performers. Unlike Edinburgh, we have been written into the finale music in a pretty dramatic piece that features timpani, field drums, the massed bands, solo piper, and massed pipes. It's fun to play, and we can see the entire cast on the floor in front of us.

After the finale rehearsal we headed back for a meeting in our dressing area. The dressing area is basically a 15 foor wide section of the back stage area with tarps on either side to provide "privacy" from the other groups. It's really not at all big enough as you can see from the picture below, and we will have to take shifts changing on Sunday when we actually have to do the first dress rehearsal. This will be interesting.

It was during our meeting that we learned that the Arena Master has decided that we had done so well that day in our run through on the floor that he would give our time slot on Saturday AM to another group who was "not as well prepared" (which meant Saturday Am off). With that, our day was over, and we all grabbed a quick beer or two before walking the mile or so back to St. Mary's college where we are staying. I fell very soundly to sleep that night!

Travel and Arrival in Halifax

2009-06-27T18:52:00.001-07:00

Travel was uneventful, perhaps a bit tedious. The drive was long, and often pretty boring, but I put my iPod on shuffle and made the best of it, enjoying some great music to go along with the incredible scenery. It's funny what pops up, and in what sequence. I was helped along in the journey by two comedy recordings (Lewis Black and Eddie Izzard) that I downloaded just before I left home. If I had the talent to be a comedian, I'd want to be Lewis Black.

The only excitement came after I crossed into Canada when a deer tried to commit suicide (unsuccessfully) on the bumper of my Prius. He worked pretty hard to get in front of me, but I managed to steer around him. Lucky, because the trip would have ended there if I had hit him as I was doing about 70 at the time (or 110 km as they say here).

When I got within thirty miles of Halifax I started seeing other members of the group on the road, seems everybody was showing up at about the same time. We ended up with a caravan of 3 vehicles as we pulled intoi the residence at St. Mary's university. Check in was easy, but I had a hard time keeping a straight face when I looked at the name tag on the girl who was checking me in, "Britney Sears". Imagine going through life one letter away from a train-wreck of a pop star...

The rooms appear to vary widely in size, with mine being what must be the smallest! I only need a place to hang up my clothes and sleep, but this is a little tight even if only for that. So far, not too bad.

Father's Day

2009-06-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't say that I expected Father's Day to be a part of the whole Tattoo experience, however it has turned out that way. It's really about the leaving part, and it so happened that my last full day with Henry and William was spent on Father's Day. There are a lot of reason's this Father's Day is a bit more special than in the past, and the last day with the boys for two weeks was just one of them.

Here's the deal: We (performance-minded people) thrive on the "big show", however I haven't yet been able to convince 7,000 people to come see me perform in my back yard so that I don't have to inconvenience myself by leaving home. The performer is the traveler, that's just the way it is. This is the performer's lot, for there to be a big show there also has to be a journey away from home. The goodbye is something you end up having to get used to, or you just stop performing.

Father's Day started off slowly enough, sleepy boys and a few cartoons. We headed out at about 9:30 to go to a local Diner, but found that to be too crowded. Next stop, the New Colony Diner in Bethel.

After a 20 minute wait we were treated to an excellent breakfast: William got a cheese omelet, Henry had the "meat lover's" egg wrap, and I had Banana Pancakes. The food was delicious, and the boys were in a great mood. at about 11 we paid the bill and headed off to the Norwalk Aquarium.

The drive to Norwalk was uneventful, and we parked in the garage across the street from the Aquarium. The facility is lovely, and just the right size for a short visit. We lazily wound our way through the exhibits, and stopped longest in front of the giant sea turtles, the sea lions, sharks, and the jellyfish. The boys both helped to take some beautiful photos along the way.

I was most impressed with the fascination with the Jellyfish. The slow motion and the elegant forms of these creatures held sway on the boys for quite a while.

When we got tuckered out we stopped for a light lunch, then headed home. Sleeping boys all the way home, mission accomplished.

After some R&R at home we were off to a fantastic Sushi dinner in Brookfield. Everybody went outside their comfort zone a bit, and Will really enjoyed sushi, somewhat of a first. The kids were really excited about the Hamachi Kama, literally the neck area of the Tuna that is broiled and served with a soy-based sauce. It was incredible.

In the end, it was a wonderful experience for all. We were close, and all was right with the world for that whole fantastic day. The day ended with a dip in the hot tub, lots of hugs, and a host of warm and happy thoughts that will travel with me to Canada. While saying goodbye is always hard, if we didn't say goodbye once in a while I doubt we would treasure these moments in the same way. Thanks, boys - I love being your Dad!

Here's all the photos in case you are interested: http://picasaweb.google.com/scottmitchell56/20090621FathersDay2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7zycKG9fHZOw#slideshow/5349945701658419970

2009-06-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

OK, it's time to get down to planning out the travel.

At a high level, it's a 14 hr drive... ewwww.

Here's my plan:

Get in the car
Start driving
Stop when I need to pee
Get back in the car
Get out of the car when I get to Halifax
Got to Maxwell's Plumb for a pint and a steak

OK, so it's not a great plan, but I have my passport, a credit card, AAA, and a reasonably fuel efficient car.

View Larger Map

Packing list

2009-06-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to start thinking about what goes in the car. Here's where I get anxious - if I forget it, I am in Canada without it. The 400 different pieces of MCV kit, camera, various chargers for cell phones, computer, contact lenses and solution... it's a long list.

Then there is the pre-departure list:

Get an oil change for the car
Buy some new underwear
Make sure you know how to get in touch with the boys
Print maps

Ah, I think it is time for a real list! For expediency I will start with Andrea Wirth's list and modify...

UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT

bicorn, wig, wig cap (if necessary), pooftie, and blue hat bag - all in hat box
2 prs white trousers
2 uniform shirts
MCV duffle
stock and garters
marching shoes, polished
black socks, several pairs
suspenders
3 prs sticks
Remo practice pad on a stand or bass pad stand (IMPORTANT!)
music book with pencil
Stick bag for drum (forthcoming)
drum sling/harness
shoe polish, white polish for swords, and button polish, if needed
second drum pad for practice in dorms
hat to cover up wig head (optional)
extra wig hair net and white bobby pins

CLOTHES

1 sweater/sweatshirt
up to 4 short/long sleeved shirts (maybe less)
2 navy blue shirts, preferably MCV shirts (maybe more)
1 pr khakis (maybe 2)
1 pr jeans or other pants
1 pair of shorts
swimsuit
2 pairs of comfortable shoes or sandals/flip-flops
MCV fleece
MCV rain jacket
up to 5 sets of underwear and socks
nightshirt/boxers
robe to run to bathroom
Workout clothes

NON-CLOTHES

Passport & passport holder under clothes (must legally have on your person
at all times)
photocopy of passport to keep in your luggage
Canada insurance card, if you are driving your car.
ATM card with numerical PIN number (If yours is alphanumeric, convert it to all numbers in your head. The letter/number combination on the keypad may be different in the USA than everywhere else.)
major credit card
Canadian cash
Health insurance card
AAA membership card
1 lightweight travel umbrella
laundry detergent, clothesline, stiff dentures toothbrush for scrubbing
small back pack
camera, batteries, large memory card, charger, cord to download to laptop
3-4 extra empty ziplock bags in medium and gallon sizes - good for dirty laundry, organizing and lots of other uses
water bottle
expandable foam ear plugs
pen and small notepad
ziplock bag of travel kleenex, a token amount of pain reliever, travel sickness medicine, tablet Pepto-Bismol, a couple of bandaids, decongestant, etc. Meant to tide you over until you can get to the druggist.
1 paperback book
MP3 player, for music and/or audio books
photocopied pages of guide book (lighter than bringing the whole book)
map of Halifax, from Googlemap to Halifax!
AAA Tour Books, etc.
wristwatch with alarm or travel alarm clock
medicine and vitamins (prescriptions in their original packaging; others taken out of packaging)
extra eyeglasses, contact lenses and fluids
sunglasses and sunscreen (for the optimist...)
toiletry bag
washcloth in a ziplock bag
small bottle of bug repellent
extra hangers
sewing kit/1-2 safety pins
plastic drinking glass
iron / ironing board (share with your flatmates)
Metronome
MP3 Recorder

WORK STUFF

Laptop
Power cord
Full Sized Mouse
Paper
Pens
Cell Phone and power cord
Blue tooth and power cord
Ethernet cable