interview...

my apologies to molly for some of the questions...the entire time i was under the impression that she was just wrenching and not actually messengering anymore. i'm really bad at this whole interview process but she still managed to provide great info...in any case, thank you molly for a great interview and rep'n the ladies...


1.why did you decide to messenger?

I'm a hopeless romantic / masochist.

2.when did you start this biz? has the time been on/off or straight?

Summer of 2003 - fall of 2005. I moved to Iowa for a year or so, then came back and have been messengering since.

3.what bike did you start on? what bike are you rocking today?

Oh man, it was a major p.o.s. I knew nothing about bicycles at the time albeit i loved them lots. It was a blue steel 1970's Sanwa i bought from the brown elephant for $40. I still have the frame on my apartment wall. As for today i ride a couple different bikes: 1. 2007 Lemond Chambery with Campy 10 speed 2. an older black Soma Rush track 3. recently purchased a cross bike I've been riding for the last week. i think this is the ideal work bike. It's steel and isn't much to look at, plus i bought it off a guy i work with for practically nothing so i wouldn't be too upset if it got beat up some. I have a couple more in the works, hopefully.

4.there's no hiding that you're a lady...how did that go in a male dominated field? negative, positive, or both?

This is a loaded question, I'll try to keep this light. Both. Negative because people didn't take me seriously at first. I was young when i started so people thought i was trying to piss off my parents - many variations, but to that extent. I had male courier stalk me for a while - not flattering, scary. When people wanted to express their misdirected traffic rage i've been called "Dyke, Bitch, Cunt" all the lovely insults to make a female feel as though she hasn't the right to be strong, independent and faster than you. My favorite line ( they're *so* clever) "hey baby, can i get a ride?" (cabs, peds. mostly)

Trying to prove you can be like "one of the guys" is a subconscious and curious part of being a woman courier; Or at least in my earlier experience it was. "Even if you are a woman who achieves the ultimate and becomes *like a man* you will always be like a woman. And as long as womanhood is thought of as something to escape from, something less than manhood, you will be thought less of, too." I just finished reading this book "Female Chauvinist Pig" i think this quote describes much of the confusion a newbie gal working a "man's job" can expect to face. I no longer care what i'm thought of in this context one way or another - the ego is an unnecessary, heavy burden to bear.

Pros? Duh, I'm surrounded by attractive guys who ride bikes! Silliness aside, I have a bunch of big brothers. Some of these guys are like family - Mad Max claims to be my father. This one particular incident stands out in my memory : I was riding east on Lake Street when a particularly large man in a large SUV cuts me off and he did so whilst on a cell phone. i was right next to his open window shouting obscenities and the like trying not to get sideswiped; he looks over, rolls his eyes and smirks as if I'm interrupting his conversion with my petty life. I'm not proud of this but I completely lost it and spit in his face. This got his attention. He starts swerving and hollering things like he's going to "kick my ass" I get out of the street asap and i see him turn down an alley to double back at me..Shaking with anger and fear i see Blunt Man. I run up to him distressed and quickly explain what just transpired. He told me to get inside and he'd take care of it. Blunt stood on the street with his arms folded over his chest and waited for the guy to come back (for those of you who don't know this messenger, he's a super hero with arms to match) The man in the SUV did return; saw Blunt standing in front of me and kept driving.

The Negative aspects have very rarely come from messengers themselves - though recently i have heard there's been a couple funny rumors about me. I guess everyone gossips no matter where you are, though i feel females probably get talked about more so in the messenger biz.

5.you've seen many come and go...any stick out in your mind?

Andrea Murphy was one of the first people who introduced themselves to me. She did so much for messengers as a community. Morgan was just this general bad ass who i really admired. I fancy and recall the hardcore messenger ladies


6.what are you up to presently? would you consider coming back?

I work at Dynamex Messenger Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday and Thursday are spent wrenching at Mission Bay Multisport on Randolph by Halsted.

7.what do you miss and not miss about the job?

Everything.


8. Anything about messengering that helps you with your current profession?

working on my own bikes i learned necessary skills to become a bicycle mechanic and I get excellent deals at Mission Bay for messengering. Messengering taught me to be more out going and that has helped me with life in general.

9.any advice for rookies?

yeah, prolly. let's see.... Calm the fuck down. that's a good one. It's a job, treat it like one. Throwing locks, spitting at cabs, stealing from other cyclists and purposely scaring oblivious pedestrians makes us all look like d bags. Try to be civil & respectful to the buildings security guards when they enforce annoying rules.. they're just trying to do their job like everyone else, plus sometimes when they like you they will bend these rules. empathy is key. Just because you're busy and stressed out doesn't give you the right to treat everyone nasty. Oh! Just because you ride a fixed gear doesn't make you a rock star, really no one is that impressed. sorry to be a bitch about it. Shower.

10.are you taken? if not, is perkins an option?

I'm married to my bike. i can still date though.

Perkins? is that a bike brand?

Perkins? really? i mean, i love my team and all...

sorry perkins...i tried but no dice. anyway thank you again molly for sharing with us...i noticed you signed your last e-mail with a quote so for the readers we'll end like this...

"The mind is it's own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven".

bff...

it's that time of year again...check hipsternascar for more updates. also, buy your tickets here. i'll definitely be attending the road to roubaix on friday and maybe the urban bike shorts on saturday. in any case, i'll be at the blockparty on sunday to watch the sprints and skids and the mechanic build-off...peace.






wtf?! you could win a capone frameset damn it!!

6717...

as much as i only refer to them as "just numbers" sometimes some soldiers stick in your head a bit more. im not even sure if seventeen was with us for over a year but she was with us through alot of the cold, wet, hot, dry, busy, and slow days. not sure why she left but much like 6682, she will be missed. i didn't have the pleasure of working with her everyday cause she usually was one of scott's soldiers but when i did i knew i could count on her. never complained and just wanted to keep moving...just wanted to work. as a dispatcher you can't ask for anything more...i wish her all the best with whatever it is she's up to...

i was looking all over for a goodbye song and i really like this one soooo...


see you cats around. good night, safe ride, and all that good stuff...peace.

chicago is getting some love?

a friend of mine sent me this link... apartment therapy. in case you don't want to read it here is a quick snippet for you to get the idea of what has come to the windy city... message in a bottle...


Opening today and spreading love for the next two weeks, Austin-based artist Jaclyn Pryor has brought her Pink project to Chicago. Pink: A (Love) Courier Service has set up its Love Factory in Wicker Park (St. Paul's Cultural Center, details below), where a team of artists and volunteers has transformed the space into a temporary pink, white and gray factory. Anyone can pop in and write a message of love (with or without the help of a resident poet), have it processed and bottled in an old-fashioned assembly line, then delivered via bike courier to your local loved one.



man.o.man...you read articles like this that talk about the extinction of the bike messenger but i have a feeling it'll be around for quite some time. sure people will not need solid signatures in the future but you still need other type of packages delivered.

i haven't quite decided what to think of this "love project" but in the end...work is work and messengers need to get paid somehow. although...after reading further it seems that this might be volunteer work and maybe not a pay-out gig...wtf?! i hope it does pay. as cute as it may be messengers need to get paid...eh, this love thing might just use some hipsters to deliver the sillyness for free or some sh*t. in any case, i still stand by my words that the bike messenger will be around for some time or at least i hope cause then im out of a job...peace.

i've been tagged...

so...apparently im not too old for chain letters. well, this one isn't so much a letter or, at least we are calling it being "tagged" so that we don't feel so old and a bit more hip. in any case...hipsternascar has graced me with a tag. it's a game of tag that started with the fatcyclist...well, let me give it a go...

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?

i wish i could have my old bianchi pista...remember, the one with the teal lettering and the flat black frame. that sh*t was too nice...or at least i thought so.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?

no. no. why? well, cause anyone who actually still owns one probably has it really beat up and not worth me trying to convince them to sell it to me.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

i became a dispatcher for a reason...i want to tell others what routes to take.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to do for the rest of her / his life?

what? i don't get it...a dispatcher?

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow-minded?

mountain? what is that? is that like a bridge?

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why, If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.

nope. although, if i own clipless sandals it's only a matter of time till i get one.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?

nope but i know someone who has.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?

ice cream...im hypoglycemic, no sugar allowed...aaaaaaaaaaahahahhahahhahahahahhah!!

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.

is your best day off a bicycle better than your worst day on a bicycle? yes.

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?

simple. being from chicago and a bears fan i would befriend the bear, have a few brews together, and smack some cheeseheads around.

Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below.

chicago cuttin' crew
messenger of doom
trackcats

crowded...

ok...so we don't work in the best environment. what i mean by that is that the space we work in could use more space, better ventilation, and so on. there are 7 of us that are supposed to literally sit in the crowded area but at times we can have 10 or 12 people in the space. ugh! it gets very, very frustrating and from time to time the frustration shows.

look...barely any room for track stands...wtf?!

today the bike board was a bit slow so i figured i would check to see if the car board needed some assistance. no big deal but i should have known that communication was going to be a big factor. the city dispatcher stepped outside to have a cigarette...at the same time 6706 calls me clean. i check both boards and notice that the city board has a solo run that is starting to go red. what do i do? well, i send 6706 for it. i figure no big deal...i help the car board cause they seem to be getting backed up and 6706 gets hooked up with a decent paying car job...everyone is happy, right? nope. some time goes by and i hear..."who's 6706?".

i don't say a word but call 6706 to see where he's at. he's at the pick up i sent him from the car board but apparently the city dispatcher, while outside smoking, called one of his drivers to pick up the same package...sh*t! now what?! well...

j.dot...yo, yo. i sent 6706 to pick that package up a while ago. whats going on?

city...so did i. 1221 is there picking it up.

j.dot...wait? what?! man, 6706 is already there...wtf?! i sent him a long time ago while you were smoking and the job was still on the board.

city...what?! i dispatched that order also while i was having a cigarette.

j.dot...wtf?! that isn't fair. man, i gave that sh*t out a long time ago and my guy is there. you know, forget it...take it. i don't care. don't ask me for help anymore. im always helping your board out and...man, forget it. just take that sh*t but don't ask me for anymore help.

...see, what happened was that the city board dispatcher before he stepped out for a cigarette took a mental note of the work he had on the board. he dispatched the order without actually pressing buttons or being in front of his screen. no big deal cause Lord knows i've done the same in the past. the problem was that i had no idea it happened and i sent a messenger for it. it actually wasn't that huge of a deal cause it wasn't too far but it was frustrating cause i should have fought to keep the run. it's more tiring for a biker to get to packages than a driver. sure he wastes gas and that's getting expensive but my guy wasted energy for nothing. i was soooooo angry. i blame the crowded space we work in for the sillyness on my part and the city board dispatcher. sometimes with the small space all you want to do is yell and tell everyone to stfu but obviously we work through it. i never apologized for snapping at him but i think he understood the frustration. we joked later on and things are good. sh*t happens.

funny part...a few hours later one of his drivers needs help...

city...hey, you got someone who can pull a package for 6198?

j.dot...no. man, im always helping him out. isn't he a messenger?

city...come on. he's older. there's no parking around there. he might have to walk two block.

j.dot...what?! 2 blocks? oh.no!!! not two blocks...poor guy.

...i teased him enough but called 6706 to the rescue for 6198. see, 6706 is a very, very good worker. he shows up and just rocks sh*t out. i jerked him over early with that car run and still he helped out another driver with a simple pull. gotta love that.

happy birthday!!

i'm all alone today...my fellow bike dispatcher abondoned me. something about birthdays or some sh*t...anyway, happy birthday scott...peace.

soothsayer...

am i really this good?

you hope it rains for a brief second to at least catch a break but then have to deal with the humidity.

the very next day after posting this line it rained. not all day but enough to give the crew a break from the hot weather. not only that...the rain continued today. it didn't last all day but stuck around for most of the morning to provide some coolness for the hot day. i thought i would be able to beat the rain myself but wasn't quite quick enough...oh wells. i should state that once it did end the humidity began to take hold of the air but still...nice break?

in other news...picked up my dispatch101 shirt after work today. turned out great...





if you kids are good i'll have a few more printed...peace.

treats...

lately chicago has been getting hit with some pretty warm weather. Lord knows it's been alot hotter than low 90's but you throw in that famous chicago humidity and it gets hard to bike out there.

well, what does one do? drink as much water as you can...obvious. from what i hear is that in times like these the company used to send out gatorade for the crew. so far no signs of the famous drink but im gonna get on it again tomorrow. i've heard others bring it up to management but maybe short term memory isn't so good so i'll try to remind them again.

sooo, whats left? well, chicago always has people that love to give out free stuff. sure it's promo's and most likely not good for you but it sure helps get through slow days and hot days. so far the big winner has been the m&m ice cream bars. a couple times this week they've been spotted at illinois and lower michigan. go get them while they're hot(or cold or whatever). not trying to plug them more than they need to be but they are keeping the crew happy and cool which is fine by me. also, at michigan and lake i believe the rockstar juiced drinks have been spotted. maybe energy drinks aren't the best for super hot weather days maybe they are...in any case, again, they keep the riders cool and happy which in turn keeps me happy(ha!).

riding all day in the summer can take a toll on the messengers. it can be just as rough as the winter. sure the winters can be miserable but some summer days can be difficult. you get all sweaty and smelly. you get all dirty from riding outdoors. you have a bag on your back filled with packages and tools to fix your bike. you have food and water. you hope it rains for a brief second to at least catch a break but then have to deal with the humidity. so many things that messengers have to deal with so it's no surprise that a simple free ice cream bar can bring so much joy. the minute something free pops up the messenger will call me or scott to page the rest of the crew of the finding so that everyone is able to have a minute of enjoyment.

funny thing is...soon we'll be talking schmack on the cold days. the only thing about that is...nothing is free in the winter...peace.

is the face ok?

pic taken from cuttin' crew site...

the lovely jeff perkins had an accident at the race track on tuesday. he's ok but probably down and out for a minute. let's all wish him a quick recovery. im sure it's only a matter of time till he's back racing and working. damn kid...it's bad enough you're busy dodging traffic...take it light. if you need anything you have my number...peace.

cmwc 2008...

im sure many of you have seen this vid but just in case...



great video. if you blink you might have missed some cameo's by chicago's very own...cuttin' crew. don't forget...naccc's are just around the corner...peace.

bad form...

as some of you know, 88 left us for a minute to get settled into his other job as a chef. the plan was to leave for a month or so till he figured out a set schedule with the restaurant. im my mind it was no big deal. take care of your business and when you're ready to come back the door is open. 88 is a very good messenger...very fast and never had a problem with him. sure, from time to time he would get into some accidents but it comes with the profession and the man never bitched about it...or at least not to me(ha!).

well, i was wrong...when i approached the heads that run the situation i was told that we would have to terminate 88 but in his file they would write...terminate with intent to rehire. cool...right? well, double 8 comes back to work today and i head to the people that deal with the hiring. they look at me like im crazy...

j.dot...hey, whats up? remember 6688? well, he's back from figuring things out with his restaurant gig and wants to come back with a new schedule.

big-wigs...well, is there room for him?

j.dot...umm, yeah. either way, we terminated him with the intent to rehire. everyone knew the situation.

...apparently not everyone knew the situation. they told him to leave from what i understand. wtf?!! now what? now i look like a f*cking moron and a super, super jerk. granted, im always a jerk but not this time. 88 did not deserve to be treated like this. in my opinion it's very, very bad form...it makes everyone at the company look bad. it makes us seem like we're not people of our word. it made me feel like crap. i brought it up again to one of my managers(i have a sh*t ton of managers)...he looked at me like i didn't know anything. he just shrugged his shoulders and moved on. i really hope they called him and told him to come back...it's foul and has left a sour taste.

in any case...88 if you read this blog im sorry kid. i swear i fought with them all day about this. it isn't fair to you at all and im really pissed about the situation. unfortunately i don't have control over the overall hiring process which sort of blows. im sorry kid, i wish you luck and hopefully i'll see you out there...if you pick up another chef gig hit me up. i would love to come through and check your skills.

in case he doesn't read this and some of you cats know who 6688 is...tell him sorry for me. tell him good luck for me. tell him...well...peace.

go cubs!!

well, any chance i get to talk about my cubbies i'll take. today 6706 picked up from gucci...what he picked up i have no idea. all i know is that he calls me from the drop...

6706...0-6. 0-6.

j.dot...what up? what up?

6706...hey, who is this package for over here at ## east *****?

j.dot...(i open up the order)it's for alfonso soriano. wait...IT'S FOR ALFOSO SORIANO!! oh man, if you see him make sure to tell him julio saravia says hello.

...God i wish would have been there. unfortunately the doorman signed for the package but it's still brings a chill up and down my body knowing we made a delivery to soriano. oh, in case some of you don't know...the CUBS are in 1st place...peace.

all pics taken from cubs site.

it gets worse...and worse...

so...as some of you might remember, we have a rookie on our hands. five-o actually came around alot quicker than i anticipated. i haven't been helping him get to places at all since the first couple of days. chicago doesn't take much to learn quickly...i love the grid system.

well, it's only his second week and things have been very, very rough on him. i wonder if he'll stick around. let's see, where to start...

6750...hey julio.

j.dot...what up?

6750...my gears keep hoping around. it won't stay put. what should i do?

j.dot...man, i know absolutely nothing about gears. umm, i'll see if i can find someone to help but for now i'll take those two off of you while you figure things out...cool?

...well, he sort of figured it out. apparently his chain was falling apart and finally snapped while he was trying to ride it to figure out what the problem was. no big deal...i tell him some bike shops and he heads out to buy a chain. he shows up to base with the chain but we have no chain tool to remove links...damn!! now he has to head back out and get that taken care of. he calls me...

6750...hey julio, im good to go. where do you need me?

j.dot...alright, umm...head to the mart.

...on his way there his derailleur starts acting up. he heads back to a different bike shop. apparently they tweak it enough for him to get through the day but they give him the bad news..."you need a new one". alright, so now i send him some other work cause i had to take the mart off of him. he delivers it and calls me clean from the mart...

6750...im clean at the mart.

j.dot...cool. umm, head out to ibm.

...he doesn't call me this time. he calls his father to break the bad news...someone just stole his front wheel. wtf?!! his day went from ok to bad to worse. he was pissed off when he showed up to base carrying his bike most of the way...i don't blame him wanting to beat up on stuff. he smokes a cigarette and chills a bit. luckily his dad was only 30 minutes from getting off of work so he didn't have to wait long for a ride home.

now, i know what you cats are thinking...that shit sucks! right? well, it gets better...today the poor kid got hit. yup, some driver ran a red light and hit him. then the driver stopped for literally one second and took off. some messengers who saw the accident along with some pedestrians chased the car down and forced the man to pull over. thank God five-o was ok. he has some scrapes and his bike is fine(i think). when he showed up to base his wrist was waaaay swollen so it was decided that the e.r. was calling his name. the man who hit him ends up getting arrested...not sure on the details but im sure running away from the scene had something to do with it(which is funny cause this guy did it and got away with it).

anyway, i hope 6750 heals up quick and hopefully this whole week can be put behind him. he called me tonight to tell me he was going to try and ride tomorrow. i did my best to convince him to take the weekend off but...well, im just his dispatcher and since when to messengers listen to their dispatcher...peace.

stolen bike alert!!

just now at 1150 or so...40's red/black univega was stolen in front of cal's on wells and van buren. white fork, ultegra components, and easton wheelset. any info e-mail me at jcs@juliosaravia.com. or call 4star courier at (773)227-7171. any help would be greatly appreciated...


crisis averted...bike was found. thank you to any and all that helped get the bike back...

this is too funny...according to perkins...

shop owner next door over thought it was a customers, took it inside for a while and customer says its not hers. haha! simple misplacing. some massage place.

...40 is getting old and acting like a rookie...peace.

why obey?

6706...0-6, 0-6.

j.dot...what up, what up?

6706...i was just hit by a car.

j.dot...what? are you ok?

6706...yeah, im fine. need some time to chill for a second. im a little shaken up. it was a cop.

j.dot...wait, what? a cop?

6706...yup. he was in an unmarked car. he hit me and some words were exchanged then he jumped in his car and took off.

...wtf?! seriously, what is wrong with people? why obey laws if the police isn't going to. this is really f*cking ridiculous. according to 6706...the policeman was trying to beat the light and floored it. when he saw 6706 he swerved and was able to just side swipe my messenger. the bike is/was fine and so was 6706...although, any accident can f*ck with you mentally. i don't get it...6706 said that it would be his word against the cops so what's the point? you got to be kidding me...i sat there with my face in my hands for quite some time after.

even if it wasn't the cops fault he just hit someone...a f*cking pedestrian, cyclist, human. it's a damn accident that could have gone waaaaay worse. the cop should have filled out a report...the fact that he didn't leads me to believe he knew he f*cked up. obviously my messenger didn't get the plates or anything so i couldn't even try to convince him to make a report. im glad he was fine and just needed a minute to recover. he jumped back on his bike a few minutes later and was rocking out packages like nothing happened. he's definitely one of our best guys and did not deserve something like this to happen to him(not that anyone deserves to get hit).

i would have never imagined to have a hit-n-run by those who are supposed to protect us...

it took a while...

finally an article that makes messengers look and sound pretty damn good.

Messengers admit to breaking traffic laws and riding aggressively.

"A lot of times it's very likely the messenger who just broke the traffic law you saw is delivering a document that directly affects your life," said Augie Montes, 34, co-owner of 4 Star Courier Collective and a bike messenger for eight years.

"It's not really about trying to be the biggest badass downtown. It's trying to get the job done and trying not to break your neck in the process," he said.

good job augie, rene, and amy on not making (us)you guys look crazy...ha! not to mention...great plug for the chicago naccc's...peace.

pics provided by firewater...

i could use a brew...

ok...many of us have been there. you know, you're at work and it's been a long day but it's only 11am and you dont get off till 1700 and all you can think of is having a cold brew. well...we had one biker do it. im not blaming him but to drink during work let alone play in traffic in the loop and be tipsy just isn't a good idea.

first off, you make yourself look bad...do you want people looking at you tipsy all the time? from delivery to delivery people are going to know...they will smell it and notice it. second, you put yourself and others in danger riding tipsy. i don't think i have to explain how that works. third, you make the company look bad. why would people continue to do business with a company that hires irresponsible messengers? then you take money away from the company when clients decide to go with another service. when clients leave no one gets paid...especially the messengers.

well, apparently this biker was reported by one of our clients. he was dropping off a package close to one of the sites for our company to do a test for drinking and so on. we send him over...

tipsy...say julio. i went into the building but there's no package. what do i do?

j.dot...no, no. just go in and say arrow sent you. not really sure whats going on but the manager here wants you to go in and say that. if you have questions call him on radio ####.

...i acted like i was ignorant to what was going on. why? well, honestly, i don't want to be the bad guy. if it was me, even though i would be risking the reputation of my company, i would bring him in and talk to him. give him the day off and if it happened again then i would run a alcohol test. anyway, he declined the test and the company fired him...rightfully so but still sad. he was a good man. a bit looney but a good man and a good rider. not the fastest but dependable...like i told my managers when we hired him...

j.dot...i remember him from my last company, he's good and gets the job done but is a fan of granpa's potion.

manager...do you think it'll be a problem?

j.dot...like i said, he gets the job done.

...i wish him luck and hopefully things will get better for him...peace.

shove-n-run...

not sure on the details but i know it wasn't a good situation all around. 6689 calls me during his deliveries that he has to go home...

6689...hey julio.

j.dot...what up, what up?

6689...i was just assaulted.

j.dot...wait? what?

6689...yeah, some words were exchanged with a driver and when i was stopped he jumped out of his car and shoved me to the ground. he got back in his car and took off.

j.dot...ah man, that sucks. are you ok?

6689...yeah, im just pissed off right now. i can't believe he took off. i can't ride anymore right now. im gonna drop these last two and go home.

...i completely understand where he's coming from. like i told him and many others before, "i can't have you riding angry out there". he called me when he cleaned up and i asked if he wanted to make a report but he declined. i don't blame him...seriously, you don't have a plate and very little info of what happened what can a report really do? maybe im being ignorant but i understood and wished him a safe a good weekend. eight-nine is a good and careful rider and a good person. this should have never happened to him. he's one of the few that has a level head out there.

the silly in me wishes the driver would have stayed so that 8-9 would have beat the hell out of him. if you're gonna shove someone off their bike then at least have the b*lls to stick around and face consequences. the more adult in me thanks God that 8-9 was not seriously hurt and that nothing more serious came of the situation. careful out there people...drivers are getting silly...peace.

happy 4th!!

the third was alot busier than i anticipated...around 1500 it finally just died...literally. no work for bikers or drivers(well, except for maybe a couple for drivers). anyway, a few things happened but i'll wait till a later date to tell those stories cause this weekend is about relaxing...happy 4th of july people...peace.

pic by aaron of tp...check more pics here...

give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...

tony rezko. if you don't know the name you should pick up the paper every once in a while. well, lets just say he's made some bad decisions in his life and other key witnesses and so on have been coming forward(not so much by choice) and risking their personal lives. case in point, i present stuart levine.

according to the chicago sun-times...(article here)

Levine's wife, Sheri, sued to end the couple's 33-year marriage two weeks ago, shortly after her husband testified about his "secret life" -- doing cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and other drugs with several male companions at all-night parties in hotel rooms.

so now what does one do? everything you have been working for is gone...where do you turn to? well...apparently the world of messengering. thats right people, stuart levine is an employee for one of the big messenger companies in chicago...

Levine is now living in a Skokie apartment and working for Chicago Messenger Service.

...sure, he's probably not biking around but it doesn't mean he isn't part of the messenger community. we/i see many type of cats come through...students, lawyers, artists, drifters, and so on. the messenger world doesn't discriminate...as they used to say at my last company, "you have a bike, bag, helmet, and lock?...you're hired". thank you lady liberty for the most appropriate quote for this industry...

give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...

anti-dooring campaign...

im a bit late with this as far as all the fundraising is concerned but check out hipsternascar for more details here and here. i never ever thought i would link to hipsternascar, especially cause most of my readers come from simon but hey...whatareyougonnado? enough with the sillyness. this is a great way to keep people informed about dooring and too look out for cyclists. ride hard, ride safe...peace.

what? why?

so it's been pretty dead at work. not much going around for bikers. actually, it hasn't been terribly bad cause messengers haven't been doing the usual bitch*ng but at base it feels slow as all get out. well...there have been a couple of times that our managers have given us the option to dip out early. again, this isn't huge deal cause me and/or the other bike dispatcher are very capable to handle the entire board by ourselves. we've been doing this for a while so it's not a big deal.

the managers give the other bike dispatcher the rest of the day off around one or two o'clock...can't really remember. at the time it was super, super dead at work. i was dispatching one at a time. it was a sad situation and i understood given the man time off while i took complete control of the bike board. well, around 1500 or so the work starts getting silly...one company decides to call in 28 orders. i know, i know...whats the big deal? well, it's all the way at harbor point...if you know chicago you know how annoying it could be to get all the way up there. the good news for the cats i did send up there is that they were picking up about five or so...give or take ofcourse. i tried to spread the love on the 28 as much as i could cause of how slow it was. now, the hard part was that while i got hit with 28 i also got hit with 12 or 15 solos back to back to back. solo's are our company's fastest service...half hour deliveries. so, i've lost 5 bikers or so to the 28 and now im left with a few to help cover the solos that are popping up all over the city. way up north, out west, south, and so on.

i've lost some of my crew cause of how slow it was so some left early. God i was pulling my hair out. what? why? i kept asking myself...this didn't make any sense. it's like all the clients found out i was all alone and wanted to test the skills. luckily the crew took care of business. they were patient with me freaking out and enjoyed the small spurt of work that hit us. it's always good when you can end the day on a high note.

on another great note...the weather in chicago has been amazing. not too hot and not too cold. hasn't been rainy but we've had just enough. God i love this city...peace.

holding hands...

so...we have a new biker on our hands. no big deal...just show him the ropes and he'll come around. well...not as easy as it sounds. he's the son of the city board dispatcher...city board meaning car/driver dispatch. thats not a huge problem but 6750 keeps communicating with dad instead of with me or scott, the token bike dispatchers. this is very difficult especially cause he won't get used to us dispatching him and how am i supposed to clean up my board when he's busy working off the car board...also, how am i supposed to clean up my board if he's not communicating the problems he's having out there? i told him and his father that at some point he has to talk to me or scott and we will help him through...i even promised not to make too much fun of him. every rookie has to go through some ritualistic ridicule of sorts...sh*t, if i don't do it someone else might...ha!

well, the other problem with 6750 is that he doesn't know the city at all. much the way i was...born and raised in chicago but not familiar with the loop at all. streets and direction(n.s.e.w.) are all hard to get to or understand. lets say he's at 25 east washington and he has to get to 140 south dearborn...

j.dot...yo, yo. how you looking?

6750...im alright. finally figured this washington out. which one do you want me to drop first?

j.dot...no worries kid. we'll get this. head to the dearborn drop first. now, what you want to do is head south. you can take wabash or state. when you get to adams hit a right and you should be headed west. once you see dearborn you're there and the building is on the northwest corner...cool?

6750...yup. i got it.

...well, he didn't really get it. even though i literally sat through it and held his hand to the delivery he didn't get it. he's blazzing through his stops for some reason. i think he thinks that as long as he goes fast then he's making the deliveries fast when in reality he's burning himself out and missing his stops. at my last company i dispatched for i found myself routing many cats and holding their hands from drop to drop. so this situation isn't a big deal for me and i hope 6750 comes around cause he seems like a good kid. after a good month he'll be flying through the city knowing exactly where everything is at and coming across shortcuts as they come. i do wish him luck. slow-n-steady wins the race...

on another note, some of you might already know but i am getting married and this holding hands situation has reminded me that "i wanna hold your hand" by the beatles might be the song we walk out to during the wedding...peace.