Turkey Bike

Every year as the holidays approach I think about how much I don't enjoy them. In a country where we have so much wealth and obsession with the material things we sometimes tend to forget the fact that people are still suffering from lack of basic things. Food, clothing, healthcare; it seems to me that we could do a better job. Anyway, I have decided to stop thinking negatively about this stuff and just try to contribute in small, simple ways. So this year I thought I would bring my turkey to the Community Food Bank. Then I thought, I'll ride my bike to bring my turkey to the Community Food Bank. And then I figured, why not challenge some other folks to do the same thing? Voila! Turkey Bike! I sent an email out on Wednesday and on Saturday 9 people showed up to do one simple, good, thing for someone else. So what? Well, it's a small thing, but 9 families will have a better holiday because of the actions of 9 total strangers. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Turkey Bike! from Brendan on Vimeo.

4 Months!!

Time is flying! It's now over 4 months since I started my year without cars. I will confess that, recently, I have been using my car more than I would like. Since I started in July I have joined the board of directors for the New Jersey Bike Coalition and I have to drive to meetings all over the place that are just too far to ride in the amount of time that I have to get there. Such is the problem of our car-centric society which has been designed to enslave us to the auto and oil industries.(See my last post for more on the enslavement!) Currently I am the chairman of the committee for mounting a New Jersey Bike Summit which will be happening on February 27th, 2010. More info on the summit at http://njbike.org . One of the things that has grown from my project is "Bad Driver TV".  I am now making a video record of all my cycling and capturing all the examples of bad driving I encounter. Yeah, we need better infrastructure that accommodates comprehensive inter-modal transportation but what we need first is for people in cars, pedestrians, and  cyclists  to just stop being stupid and selfish. Anyway, presented for your viewing pleasure, episodes 3 and 4 from "Bad Driver TV". As always, if you're a cyclist, keep the rubber side down. If your a driver, thanks in advance for giving us a break!

Bad Driver TV Episode 3 from Brendan on Vimeo.

Stop Signs Are For Stopping! from Brendan on Vimeo.

Copenhagenize.com - The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog: The Social Ideology of the Motorcar

America has been enslaved by the very machines that falsely promised to make us all equal and  set us free.
Automobiles are the greatest scam ever perpetrated on such a grand scale. Read the article at the link below and you will come to understand that a truly free society moves under it's own power!

Copenhagenize.com - The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog: The Social Ideology of the Motorcar

Roosters at a liquor store?

The year without cars is going by quickly! It's been 115 days and I am riding a lot. Maybe not compared to some but for me it's a lot. The weather is turning colder now and if I ride home from work it's in the dark. The rides in the morning have become routine and although I wear my helmet camera I have not been accosted too badly so I am just enjoying the crispy air and quiet time. Occasionally I do run across some strange things and I do see a lot of dead things in the road. Would it be weird to start photographing road kill? Anyway, on Monday, I took the short ride to the store on route 46 when I came upon this weirdness. I thought I was hallucinating but the video would not lie and so it is presented here to make testament to my witnessing two roosters clucking around the parking lot of a liquor store at the side of the highway. Now, mind you, this is not exactly farm country so seeing roosters running around a parking lot is pretty unexpected. Just a note here-These were some pretty fine looking roosters. Anyway, I came to learn a little later on that the deli next door to the liquor store apparently keeps a chicken coop behind their building. I guess they are making their own eggs for fresh and tasty egg sandwiches. Enjoy!

Roosters At The Liquor Store from Brendan on Vimeo.

Back From Austin!

This past weekend was the Livestrong Challenge in Austin, Texas benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This amazing event had over 3700 riders and 900 volunteers joining together to raise money supporting cancer education and outreach, research, and more. My buddy Steve J and I travelled out to participate in our third ride as members of the Pharma Flier bike club based out of Sanofi Aventis and sponsored by Cycle Craft. Below are videos and photos from the event. The event day video is the one to watch if you're limited for time. Right near the 11 minute mark on the video is one of the most amazing things you will ever see. No more excuses!

Day 1

Livestrong Challenge Austin 2009 Day 1 from Brendan on Vimeo.
Day 2

Livestrong Challenge Day 2 from Brendan on Vimeo.
Day 3-The Event

Livestrong Challenge 2009 from Brendan on Vimeo.

Slide Show

Denville Gets Serious About Bad Driving

I saw this sign coming into town today. I jumped out of my car to capture it. People texting and talking on their cell phones drive erratically and are a danger to everyone around them. I don't care how good you think you are, driving distracted is a bad idea. It's good to see at least one town getting serious about it.

Bad Driver TV Episode 2

Here's a short one. I wish you could see the face of this knuckle head. He looked right at me, knew he should wait, and pulled out anyway. The old "F.U." Although I was not really in danger of hitting this guy, or vice versa, because I was paying attention, the situation could have been much worse had I been another second up the road. This guy's selfish behavior is infuriating. It is bad enough when people do stupid things because they don't know any better (see episode one), but when someone does something they know is wrong but just don't care, it is very frustrating!