Saved From the Bin--Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Thou Shalt Become Less Dependent on Foreign Oil
One of the best things about living in the UK, and Cambridge specifically, is that one can live without a car. In fact, you can get to most places within Cambridge on a bicycle faster than you can driving. My friend, Luda, has a car and if we both leave to take our kids to school at the same time, Alex and I get there first. If you translate the price of petrol from liters to gallons and pounds to dollars, it ends up being about $7-8 per gallon. Even people who do have cars are much more careful about how they use them. They tend to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars. They tend to share rides with others. My friend, Kirsten, shares her trip to the grocery store with me.

There are four things, however, that are less than perfect about cycling in Cambridge:

• Tourists. There is a steep bridge over the river Cam which has quite a picturesque view. It is also the main through way to the City Center for cyclists. Tourists stand in the middle of the bridge totally oblivious to what is going on around them. And if you are coming down from the highest point of the bridge, it is very difficult to control your speed. You can ring your bell over and over again and they won't move until you are right on top of them.
• Mobiles and I-Pods. People who have one of these devises stuck to their ear(s) make for very bad cyclists.
• Helmets. In Cambridge, you have some of the most brilliant minds in the whole world going to one of the finest Universities in the world. I find it amazing that many choose not to protect their investment/livelihood with a helmet!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

The final thing is sweat. It can be the coldest day of the year, but if you are cycling you will still sweat like a pig. Not only is this uncomfortable, it makes for a bit more laundry.

This leads to our "saved from the bin" item for today. I buy my laundry detergent in tablet form and it comes in a nifty little box. I've altered this box as storage for our bicycle tools. (They used to just lay in a heap in front of this icon of Jesus.)

These boxes would also make good storage for crafty bits and bobs, gift boxes, storage for greeting cards, storage for small toys, you name it!