(The title of this post is a reference to "To Be Free" by Tonight Alive.)
After we finished training, it was time to begin the 1400 mile trek from Los Angeles to Dallas. You might be wondering how we managed to fit a 20-by-30 foot tent, all of our gear, ten activists and all of their luggage in to one 15 passenger van and one smaller car. The answer is a real life game of Tetris, with the longest tent poles slid under the seats of the van, boxes and gear and luggage piled on top of that (a few suitcases stayed under our feet!). We left Los Angeles on June 19, and drove to Flagstaff, Ariz. that day, where we had dinner at Red Curry Vegan Kitchen.
(The title of this post is a reference to "Life Changes" by Good Charlotte.)
Once upon a time, I made it a goal to myself to get a job on the Vans Warped Tour. Six years ago I made the promise to myself that when I got a job on Warped, I would dye my hair pink again, at least for the summer.
Last year, I drove around to several dates to photograph the show (more photos and a blog about my experiences here); in 2011, 2012, and 2014, I volunteered at and photographed several different dates. This March, I got the confirmation that I'd be on the first half of Warped Tour (from June 24 to July 16) with peta2; two weeks ago, I dyed my hair pink (using a mix of Virgin Pink and Purple Rain from Arctic Fox).
(The title of this post is a reference to the song "Slam" by Southern California indie-rock band The Gromble. I saw them open for Parade of Lights in Los Angeles back in January.)
After a relaxing weekend off, we headed to the University of Illinois- Chicago to set up. We ended up spending most of the day leafleting; while it was unfortunate to not have the display up, it was pretty cool to know we handed out literature and info to over 700 people! After grabbing takeout from The Chicago Diner (vegan buffalo wings and poutine loaded with vegan bacon? Yes, please- and better wash it down with a chocolate peanut butter milkshake!), we headed to Madison, Wisconsin.
