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".
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