Spent the day Saturday attending different events for Cal Lutheran Orientation (a truly wonderful day staffed by truly wonderful people.) Because of the irregular schedule for individuals like myself, I drove the car, and used the car for errands between events.
So, there I was at my credit union and a couple of big box retailers driving the car short distances, looking for parking spaces so I don't have to walk too far, and feeling a bit of self-loathing for shunning my goal of not driving a car on the weekends.
Today, I made amends with my goals through biking to the post office, Home Depot, and by meeting up with my wife for lunch. Total trip was 5.3 miles and 41 minutes, and was easily biked.
The whole experience made me think about my reactions to recent TED (Technology, Education, Design) talk I ran across on the Reddit biking forum. A brilliant woman named Mia Birk (who served as a bicycle transportation coordinator for the City of Portland during their last-decade bike transformation) talks about that experience at http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxPortland-Mia-Birk-Peddaling .
Of course, I was inspired by what she had to say, especially as she discussed trying to get people to just leave their car at home for one trip per week.
Here's where the mania comes in...it just so happens that I will be in Portland in two weeks to attend a higher ed risk management conference. I am deliberately staying a couple of extra days to visit some peer institutions, and also plan to really take in the bike culture while there. So, I think, "wouldn't it be awesome to meet this woman and maybe show her a campus map at Cal Lutheran and get a couple of ideas to promote bike advocacy on campus and generally just let her know that I am a fan of her work?"
Google quickly reveals that she has a public Facebook page, and I think, "she wouldn't have a public Facebook page if she didn't WANT to be contacted". So, I sent her the following message:
My name is Ryan VanOmmeren. I am in charge of planning at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. I am also a long-time bicycle commuter and becoming more of an activist as a citizen of Thousand Oaks, CA.
I just happen to run across your TED talk, and I just happen to be traveling to Portland the week of 9/11 (university risk management, URMIA). While in Portland I had planned to make some observations regarding biking, and after I saw your TED talk, thought I'd inquire if I could stop by with a map of our campus and get your thoughts. I promise to at least buy your book in return I promise I will limit my visit to whatever time-frame you have available.
I am also going to attempt to friend you on Facebook, so you know I'm for real. I have a few bike related posts on the page, and I have a link to my fledgling blog where I identify my personal goals regarding bike advocacy. I am a huge believer in your thoughts regarding just making a couple trips per week by bike.
No word back as of now, and fortunately, no restraining order either.
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