Brian profile picture

Brian

Go to www.whyvegan.com

About Me

I'm a college professor in New York City, and I live in lower Manhattan. I'm originally from Philadelphia and finished my doctorate there in 2005. I like to travel, exercise, read, volunteer, camp, hike, and bike. I have a black belt in Shotokan and have also practiced Aikido. I dislike owning and acquiring a lot of material possessions. Do you you own your things, or do your things own you? I travel a lot and have traveled quite extensively. I've been to all 50 US states and all of the continents. Well all right, I haven't been to Antarctica, but I'll get there eventually. Although, I've been thinking about the environmental impact of air travel lately. I like trying new vegan restaurants in every city I visit. I generally like to walk around different cities, including my own.

My Interests

Being VEGAN (for more info go to www.whyvegan.com), straight edge, animal rights/liberation, avoiding second hand cigarette smoke, social justice, blue states, activism, volunteering, living car free, listening to NPR, complaining about suburban sprawl... very dreadful, circumnavigating the globe, adventure/travel, and going to vegetarian restaurants.

I'd like to meet:

Fellow travelers.

Music:

Favorite bands are the Smiths, Morrissey, the Misfits (1978 to 1983 era), Danzig, and Samhain. Also like Endpoint, Shelter, Downcast, Gorilla Biscuits, 108, Earth Crisis, Murder City Devils, 4 Walls Falling, Unbroken, Split Lip, Inside Out, Chokehold, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion, Vegan Reich, You and I, The Cure, Johnny Cash, Texas is the Reason, Beastie Boys, Ramones, U2, Walleye, Into Another, Weezer, Minor Threat, Bob Marley, Talking Heads, Rage Against the Machine, Sleater Kinney, Promise Ring, Piebald, Mean Season, The Rentals, Lincoln, and too many more to name. Oh yeah, ashamed to admit it, but Saves the Day isn't bad. Pretty much I listen to a lot of 90's hardcore, Indie rock, and punk.

Movies:

My favorite movies are Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Also like Back to the Future, Point Break, The Lost Boys, 7 Years in Tibet, The Beach, The Bourne Identity, Trainspotting, Interview with the Vampire, Stand By Me, Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket, and European Vacation (and the original Vacation). The original of The Omen, The Exorcist, Halloween, and The Amityville Horror. Sometimes mainstream movies... other times documentaries and Indie films.

Television:

It's probably better to read or go outside.

Books:

"There's more to life than books, but not much more." I read mostly non-fiction about politics, social issues, and philosophy. Also I like classic literature. Some books I've really liked in no particular order are Animal Liberation, Atheism: The Case Against God, Dracula, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, The Devil and Tom Walker, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, Gulliver's Travels, The Jungle, works by Chomsky or Zinn, works by Poe, Sherlock Holmes, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord of the Flies, A MidSummer Night's Dream, On the Beach, Night, Hiroshima, The Geography of Nowhere, and Lonely Planet travel books. "The inexorable passage of time makes every project we undertake ultimately futile."

Heroes:

I want to be like Batman, or maybe Indiana Jones... and a Jedi Knight. I go around the world like Magellan (or at least like his crew).

My Blog

Travel Ranting and Reflections on Long Trains

In my last travel log about Eastern and Central Europe (read that first) I mentioned that I spent quite a lot of time on slow trains with broken tracks.  Well, I ended up spending many hours in a...
Posted by Brian on Wed, 19 Jul 2006 10:08:00 PST

Adventures from the Far Corners of Europe

I just got back from Eastern and Central Europe.  As usual, it was quite an exciting adventure.  As many of you have been reading of my exploits know I often find myself in a bit of a situat...
Posted by Brian on Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:03:00 PST

Pictures in Central Europe

The first picture is the Reichstag in Berlin.  The second is the Berliner Dom.  The next picture is the site of Hitler's bunker.  The next picture is the Soviet World War II memorial in...
Posted by Brian on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:49:00 PST

Pictures in Russia

The first four pictures are from old Soviet architecture.  The next two pictures are of a Lenin statue and a soldier at the World War II memorial.  The next one is my hotel in a bleak Soviet...
Posted by Brian on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:42:00 PST

Pictures in Transylvania

The first four pictures are of the ruins and surroundings of what's considered the "real" Castle Dracula.  This was a castle built by Vlad Tepes.  The next two pictures are of Bran Castle.&n...
Posted by Brian on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:21:00 PST

Pictures in Greece and Istanbul

I decided to separate my pictures from the last trip into regions.  The first two pictures are of the Acropolis.  The second two are of a student riot I witnessed against the police in Athen...
Posted by Brian on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:13:00 PST

Soldiers, Riots, and Oranges

Part I: Gaza I want to keep this journal entry separate from my general travel log for my trip to the Middle East because of its particular interest.  This story involves my attempt to enter th...
Posted by Brian on Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:36:00 PST

Middle East

I'm back in one piece from the Middle East.  I've just concluded my journey through Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.  I wrote a separate travel log regarding my more adventurous moments. ...
Posted by Brian on Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:32:00 PST

Pictures of Petra, Jordan

I had many more pictures from my trip to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan but I had a problem with my digital camera's memory card.  Only pictures of Petra have survived.  Here are some picture...
Posted by Brian on Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:30:00 PST

Pictures from Brazil

Here are some pictures from Brazil.  The first picture is what I think might have been an iguana.  The next two are from Corcovado.  The following two are from Tijuca.  The next th...
Posted by Brian on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 10:14:00 PST