career courier...

Follow us as we show how they do what they love and love what they do. Because whether you were a messenger for a day or a decade, most agree it is the best job you’ll ever have.

for more info head here. can't wait to see the trailer for this documentary. it's been a while since the last courier based film. btw, the man needs a bit of help to get this film going properly...



don't be afraid to kick the man some loot. see what i did there? i said kick cause it's on kickstarter...man.o.man...my jokes get better and better...peace.

this friday...

chris dilts will be showing pics never seen from his trip to tokyo last year for the worlds. also...the talented adam clark will be participating and showing off some skills...

pic seen here...

those book ends would look great in my home. for more details keep your eyes open here. dont sleep on this opportunity to see some great art work...peace.

velocity chicago...

we are about a month away. mark your calendars. thank you to "cee" for the flier. stay tuned for more news and sponsors. the grand prize are tickets to guatemala for messengers but there will be other great prizes that anyone can win. even if you don't race...come out...peace.

you know what tomorrow is?

throwback thursdays!! thats right kids...the chicago cuttin'crew is putting together a series of stories to remind us how it was to ride/race as a messenger back in the day. the crew is filled with many, many, many years of experience. check out the first post here...

Careeriers, freelancers, whatever you wanted to call them, they were old school, fast, and generally worked for themselves with a client list and a pager. Rumor had it they did forty runs a day at $10 each. Yup, that’s a six figure income right there.

i like six figures! anyway...don't sleep on this weeks story. can't wait! i know it's not quite throwback thursday but...





r.i.p. guru...peace.

just another day...

"every dog has his day"...in this industry you constantly roll the dice. you can never really predict where the work will come from. you might clean up at the hancock and roll to the mart to stand-by...then all of a sudden all the work pops from 900 north or the hancock...the place you just left. sh*t! sometimes the decision to stand-by at the mart pays off...Lord knows that place can jump off at any minute.

as a dispatcher...there's not much we can do. when we get slammed all we can do is dish the work and hope it gets spread out evenly. i know, i know...alot of the time it feels like you're getting the short end but, like i said, you roll the dice in this industry. the other day...i had msngr 1 clean up around 900 mich...very cool. why? cause i had a car solo popping out only going to 300 north lasalle. it's late in the day and i don't have much work on the board...who am i kidding...even if it was busy i would probably still swipe car work. why not? it's there and these cats need to make loot.

anyway...now i got this guy busy rocking out a car solo. he grabs and moves. then...all of a sudden i got work popping from the hancock...right across the street from 900 north. damn! i can call that messenger back to get them but...not really. i got more work that popped at 300 lasalle and he's carrying that solo. got to make that one for sure plus that messenger center sometimes takes too long. i look around the board and i hit up msngr 2...

j.dot...yo, yo!

msngr 2...whats up? im headed into ibm.

j.dot...cool. after you get out...head straight to the hancock. i got two solos coming out.

msngr 2...10.4.

...after a little bit the company dishing out the two solos out of the hancock calls in another solo...then another...then another. i think the msngr ended up with 5 solos. nice! meanwhile...i got msngr 1 busy rocking out other packages heading into the loop. while this was happening...city hall decided to jump off...damn!! like i said earlier...it's late in the day and Lord knows only a select few stick around to play after 1600. you would think cats would stick it out but they dont...no sweat off my back...i can't hold them and the crew that does stay gets hooked up.

anyway...city hall decides to hit us up with about 8 or 9 solos...f*ck! not that big of a deal...they're mainly solos because we need to get them out before 1700. i call up one msngr to go and pick up 1 solo going west. he doesn't mind just grabbing one...he lives west and wants to call it a day. i got a car run headed north that the car board can't cover...hmm...ok, i'll take that one too! there's about 2/3 more car jobs sprinkled throughout the loop i can dish with that one for the msngr i find to head that way. that leaves me/us with about 5 more to dispatch and 2 on the car board that i can't cover. those two are going too far south ...i call up msngr 3...

msngr 3...whats up?

j.dot...yo, i got 5 solos coming out of city hall...you interested?

msngr 3...you gonna cover my mail runs?

j.dot...of course man. you know i will...you want them?

msngr 3...i got you.

...while in there i had him pull the two car runs going south to dish to drivers. why? it's just easier for the drivers. they don't have to drive around in circles looking for parking. plus...the biker gets a cut for the pulls. ok...now i got to find somone to cover his mail runs. i call up the biker that was busy messing around 300 north lasalle...remember? i have him cover those two jobs. they pay a car rate and he will more than happily take them.

while all this madness was going on...i still had some work to cover here and there. luckily i had 1 other guy roaming around to cover the short loopers. after 1600 our crew goes from 13/15 to 4/5...it's hard to cover the work and very stressful but when the work flows you just go with it. little by little it all gets done. that day...more than one msngr had a good day. i thank the crew for helping me clean the board say good night...go pick up my little man, hold hands with my wife(ha!), and head home to cook only to sleep and wake up to repeat...peace.

when pedals strike...

well...we don't really know what happened cause eight-7 doesn't remember but what we do know...he looks better now than he did before...ha!



im just jazzin'...what happened? the man simply does not remember. was he hit? nope. was he doored? nope. according to witnesses...something came out of nowhere and caused his front wheel to do a 90 degree angle causing him to fly over the bars and do a faceplant. he went to the hospital and they cleared him...well, he did get a slight concussion. no sleep i told him...stay in dim lighting and relax. thats all you can do.

i kept talking to him trying to figure out what happened. he was making a turn when all of a sudden his front wheel made the 90 degree. sounds to me like he had a good ol'fashion pedal strike...ugh! making the turn his pedal hit the ground causing his bike to get up in the air a bit...he was still in mid-turn so his arms were still making the turn but with no ground to push against...his arms kept making the turn but the bike didn't. next thing you know...he comes down with his wheel turned too far causing him to fly over the bars.

im really happy to hear the man is ok. he's got bumps and bruises on his arms and legs but his face took the biggest hit. he was wearing a helmet but in this incident...it didn't help. i am glad he was wearing it though. he'll be down and out for some time. this sucks for him but really sucks for me...see what i did there...im about to make this story about me...ha! seriously though...he's one of the few that sticks around late with me. not only that...he's one of the better messengers on the squad. he will be greatly missed and i can't wait for him to come back out. heal up kid. i'll try and save work for when you come back...peace.

milwaukee messenger invitational...

edinburgh...

the first annual british irish cycle courier championships. don't miss your opportunity to be a part of this...later on you can tell all your friends how you were there for the first one...ha! looks like if racing on the street isn't your thing they have reserved a lovely track for those who love to go fast and turn left.

BICCC 2010: City Time Trial Route - Part 1 from SCMA on Vimeo.

good luck not getting lost. the cut through the parking lot got me dizzy...ha? ride safe kids. im sure great times will be had...peace.

if you're in new york...

Please join Transportation Alternatives and the Montefiore School Health Program as we ride in memory of Meg Felice Charlop and dedicate her ghost bike.

Meg was killed on March 17th while riding her bicycle to work in East Tremont in the Bronx. She devoted her entire life to helping New Yorkers fight for health, dignity and a better future. She was a respected colleague of Transportation Alternatives and the Montefiore community for many years, a devoted mother, and a wonderful, caring woman. She is deeply missed. Join us as we honor her.

Saturday, April 10th
Bike Ride, 1pm

for more/all the info head over here. meg is the mother of a good friends-friend. my prayers and thoughts are with the family and friends. ride safe kids...peace.

naccc's...registration...

guess what...the kids out in atlanta have the registration wide open!! it's been up for a while so if you haven't taken the time to check it and register...go there now. i really like the set up they have...


people with kids have priority housing and i get to register as a dispatcher?! what?! thats awesome. say...if i register as a dispatcher does that mean i automatically get 20 extra points or something? you know...dispatchers need a head start for two reasons: first, we don't ride as much so will naturally be slower. two, if we don't get the extra points we'll make your life miserable at work...ha!

in all seriousness...head over to dirtysouthmessengers and register. don't be afraid to volunteer as i know this will take alot of (wo)man power. good job to the kids in atlanta. btw, keep an eye on the site cause they have been throwing event after event trying to raise money for this. if you're in the area...participate. cant wait for more updates...check them out on twitter, facebook, and flickr.

see you kids in october...peace.

it's that time again!!

this year it's hitting 4 cities. if you're close to one of the four then you HAVE to attend. no excuses. btw...i hear through the grapevine that chicago will take place at the kenosha veledrome on the 22nd of may. mark your calendars now and get ready. the way i see it...all messengers must attend and all non-messengers should attend. this will be filled with fun and great prizes...peace.