this is too exciting...

it's coming. finally. i didn't have a hand in this madness so i would like to thank any and all who made this possible. especially augie of fourstar for bringing the naccc's to chicago. i missed my chance to go to this several times in different cities but finally...it's coming to me.

the madness kicks off on friday...

5pm to 8pm - Registration at Mother Hubbards - 5 W. Hubbard (Hubbard and State Look! A Map!) Then from 8:00-kick us out o'clock we're moving it to Av-Aerie at 2000 W. Fulton (Fulton and Damen - Another Map!) where we party until you're sure you have ruined your chance to qualify. RSVP to chicagonaccc@gmail.com so yr on the list (yeah, there's gonna be a list, it Chicago dog). Registration will be happening there as well, if you're getting into town late.

check the naccc site for more details...i know, i know, how many times must i post about it? well...26 times a day if i have to. this sh*t is gonna be great. btw...here's a chicago vid to tie you cats over until you get here...peace.

lies, lies, and more lies...

it happens all the time...dispatchers get lied to constantly. no big deal. sh*t, most of the time i know when it's happening. i mean seriously, how many times can you have the stomach flu in a week? sometimes it happens to try and sneak in more work...

6721...clean.

j.dot...where are you? on the hill?

6721...yup.

j.dot...alright. umm...gimme a second. i got a solo for you out of 180 stetson.

...a few minutes pass and i hear my radio go off...

6721...hey julio.

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

6721...hey man. im sorry i lied. i haven't dropped this package and i need a name or they won't accept it.

...ha! no big deal. i gave him the name and he kept rocking. 6721 was trying to be quicker on his deliveries by lying to me so that he could get more work and make more loot. no big deal...i completely understand.

i call up 6463 to see how he's doing on a couple deliveries...

j.dot...six-three.

6463...ya, whats up?

j.dot...yo, how you looking out there? almost clean?

6463...yeah, im clean.

j.dot...cool. let me get your p.o.d.'s

6463...give me a second.

...i thought he was getting his manifest out but actually he hadn't delivered the last package. again, no big deal...i just had to wait a little bit more than the second he told me for that last p.o.d. to keep him moving. see...he figured if calls clean maybe i'll dish him more work.

i call up 6745 to see how she's doing on a pick up at the mart. she tells me she has it on board so i give her a couple more orders popping out of the mart but...i get a call from 1168...

1168...oooooooo, julio.

j.dot...what up?

1168...hey, you probably already have someone for this but check on order ###.

...i check it and it turns out it's the package that 6745 said she had on board already. again, not a big deal cause she was in the building picking up the other packages and sooner or later she was gonna grab it. again, much like 6721 or 6463 she figures if she seems like she's going faster maybe i can dish more work. no big deal.

the one thing these stories have in common is that if you seem quicker then your dispatcher will most likely dish you more work and these cats have figured it out. the thing is that sometimes those lies catch up to you and you end up working a bit more for that one delivery. you never know, you might get stuck in an elevator, traffic isn't flowing quite right, security is acting up, and so on. all these variable can mess up the other deliveries given out because of the simple white lie. now, im not blaming them for it...sh*t, i've done the same in the past. all im saying is be careful with the lies cause they might catch up.

btw...it's always nice when cats trust you enough to just tell you the truth...6665 calls me today...

6665...hey julio.

j.dot...what up?

6665...man. im not coming to work today. im hungover as shit.

j.dot...o.man.i understand. no worries. we'll see you tomorrow.

6665...yup. do me a favor? tomorrow, don't say good morning. just tell me happy birthday and lets get the day going.

j.dot...haha! no worries.

...alot of times cats tell me the truth which is greatly appreciated. alot of times cats lie to me which is understood...peace.

next weekend...

o.man...



looks like the people across the seas did it good. lets hope chicago can show them up and show how we do it in the states. don't forget to register for the naccc's...peace.

cash on delivery...

at the risk of sounding repetitive...it was slow the other day(ha!). i call up 6745 and see if she has any interest in doing distance. the car board could use some help and we don't have much going on. it's not that the city board is dying for help but i figure...why not? she's hesitant at first cause, although she's young, she knows that sometimes car runs just don't pay too good. i inform her that it would be worth it and either way...what else is she gonna do? sit around for work to pop up in the loop?

well, she gets moving...i almost forget but i catch it in time...

j.dot...yo, yo.

6745...what up?

j.dot...don't forget, the one on clybourn is gonna be a c.o.d. order. pick up $$$ when you get there and bring it to base later.

6745...ok.

...i hook her up with two going out and one coming back. if it gets done properly and quickly the pay out is pretty darn good. 6745 isn't too bad on a bike and knocks it out with time to spare. the day comes to an end and she shows up to base to drop her sheets. i completely forget that she was holding loot for the base but call her on the radio a couple minutes after she left...

j.dot...4-5, 4-5.

6745...yo, what up?

j.dot...man. how far did you get? i completely forget to ask you for the loot.

6745...what money?

j.dot...wait, what? the money from the clybour pick. remember? i told you it was a c.o.d. order.

6745...oh?! umm...i thought the money was supposed to go to the drop.

...sh*t! i tell her she needs to go back and get that money to bring to base. unfortunately, she has to run...something about a bears game. i don't blame her...not that any of you readers care but God do i love my CHICAGO BEARS!! anyway, i tell her to make sure she doubles back there at some point to see if she could get the money back. the next day i talk to her...

j.dot...soooo, what happened with the loot?

6745...umm, the guy that signed for the package isn't working till monday.

...damn it!! i inform our accounts people. at this point it really doesn't matter. the person sending the order payed for the package, it got delivered, they got a receipt, and all is well? well...everyone is well except for 6745...that loot is coming out of her paycheck. it's unfortunate...even when im trying to hook cats up something wrong happens and the biker is left paying instead of making...peace.

love/hate...

the other day was somewhat steady...not busy, which was annoying, but steady enough to keep people moving. most of the day was a one-at-a-time type of day but still...kept cats moving. 6745 calls me clean at 303 east wack...

j.dot...o.man. umm...well...alright, i guess...head over to 1 east wacker for one.

6745...o.come on. at least sound happy when you give me work that way it doesn't sound so bad.

j.dot...i would except that i already had you going cross-town and now the 1 east is gonna send you way up north again. i guess...when i got good news i'll make sure to tell you. i just need your help on this one and i know im working you.

6745...eh. thats me...im like a rubberband bouncing all over the place.

j.dot...thanks lady.

...thats all i could say was thank you. forty-five understood that work is slow and whatever comes around is good news. sure your legs get some work in for not that much loot but at least you keep moving and who knows, you could get lucky at one of the drops or pick-ups...you might hit that spurt that every messenger loves. plus, it beats sitting around for work that may never pop around you.

in other news...i've been working on the car board alot lately. personally i hate it...why? well, i know my crew already and they know me. sure i can do it but i rather not. i love working with bike messengers...i especially enjoy the bike board waaaaay more than the driver board. the drivers are too pampered if you ask me...prima donna and i rather not deal with them. anyway, as you may know, it's been slow...not just for the bike board. driver 1451 is used to doing alot of runs, even for a car, and he is also used to doing van work. unfortunately i didn't have any...

1451...come on julio. you need to do better than these peanuts you're tossing my way.

j.dot...i wish i could but i don't have the work for you. best i can say is truck it back to the loop for some more peanuts.

1451...man. you know you're off on the wrong foot. you're gonna become a bad dispatcher man.

j.dot...well. you're not the first driver to hate me. the problem is that they put me on the driver board when it's slow so i can learn meanwhile you guys get angry at me cause it's slow...oh wells.

...see, sometimes messengers love you. work is flowing and it's everywhere. we keep messengers busy and no complaints...well, thats not so true. sometimes they complain that they could use a break(understandable). when there's no work...well, they hate you and are quick to blame the dispatcher. they start calling around and comparing runs with other messengers. jealousy and anger kicks in...what cats don't realize is that every dog has his/her day...sometimes cats are at the right place at the right time.

i wish more cats were like 6745 and just understood that work is like that sometimes...eh, actually i don't cause she complains to me also...i don't think a dispatcher ever wins until messengers move on to other companies and realize that what they had wasn't so bad. as 542 told me the other day, "you're still my favorite dispatcher ever". i should state he was drunk at the time...ha!

wait...but then you get into the whole, "lesser of evils" situation...i guess we don't win...peace.

buy ryan a beer...v.2...

goodtimes...it was good seeing old faces and new faces. r.i.p. ryan...for more pic click here...peace.


edit: i didn't take many pics cause i was busy getting drunk. btw, i got a text late in the night from perkins...turns out even though not many came through we still raised 191.oo bucks...holy sh*t!! i think we accomplished our mission to get ryan tipsy. it isn't alot, alot, but it's alot...thank you to all who came out. thank you to perkins for helping set it up and a big thank you to gina the pizza lady aka "messenger mama" for spreading the word for us.

entertainment...

well, left work after sitting in my chair for about 30 minutes. started getting dizzy, head started pounding, hot flashes, and feeling a bit nauseous. if i didn't know any better i would think im having a baby but nope...not quite. got home and slept and then slept some more. woke up to the sound of jets...wtf?! completely forgot...it's that time of year again when chicago prepares for the air and water show.

i know, i know...why post on a bike messenger blog about it? well, it was always pretty cool to watch them practice. it's one of the few things that makes the job awesome. you get to witness first hand these jets flying by and doing there thing. it's pretty surreal watching them blast through all the buildings. it actually helps the crew out alot on slow days. i don't know if we're busy or slow today but still...i know what it was like before so i would imagine the crew is enjoying them fly by much the way i did...



the video is boring but the first few seconds gives you an idea of the jets flying through...peace.

let me guess...

the other day was pretty slow. if you've been keeping up with my silly posts you already know that work hasn't been so kind to the messengers. anyway, i was left alone cause the other bike dispatcher was busy taking care of personal matters. it's no big deal but can get annoying. instead of dealing with half the crew you deal with the entire crew calling you non-stop. like i said, no big deal but i just got used to having two bike dispatchers which is a good way to handle things...less stress.

well, as much as he is a good messenger 6686 has his problems. he calls me clean around mich/wack...

j.dot...cool. let me get your last four p.o.d.'s.

6686...man. all i want is work. why won't you give me work? i don't get it. im here everyday and i work hard. i ain't got time to waste time with this.

j.dot...10.4.let me get your last four p.o.d.'s...alright, stand by.

...well, the day continues to slowly get by but 6686 hits a spurt. what do i mean? well, the work is coming and going to all the spots he is at. sometimes it happens that way. messengers are at the right spot at the right time. i start hooking him up with hat-tricks here and there. then he gets to the mart and i got a couple for him headed north around 1530...

6686...what? man, do you have anything up north that'll bring me back? i mean, i don't want to get all the way up there for nothing.

j.dot...umm, how am i supposed to know if something is gonna pop up north. all i know is that i got these runs going north for now and need to be covered. you said all you wanted was to work...well, i have work.

6686...yeah, but, i live on the southside and if you don't have anything taking me back then it's not worth it.

...see, 6686 wants work but only wants it if it benefits him. i completely understand where he is coming from but thats not how this business works. work can pop up out of any location in the city and i have to send cats to cover it. the two i had sent him where in the building he was at but he wouldn't take them cause they were going north. i took them off of him and told him to stand-by. some time goes by...

6686...hey man. im sorry about all that. you did alright today. you tried.

...after he said that all i wanted to do was tell him to shut the f*ck up!! i was so pissed. like i need the man's approval and he's the one watching my every move. f-that noise. i didn't say anything. all i said was 10.4 and let it be. funny thing about those runs going north is that the cat i did give them to had two more up north bringing him across. i didn't know they would be there but by the time he got up north work kicked in for him. meanwhile, 6686 waited for work to pop around the mart for him taking him south...it never happened...peace.

moment of silence...

mid-afternoon i got the news. i didn't believe a word my messengers where saying. not everyone was sure so i started making phone calls. little by little i found out...we lost ryan. as soon as i got off of work i blasted over to cal's...silence, thats all there was.

you didn't have to know ryan...if you were/are a messenger you understood and felt the pain. the bike messenger community is tight knit...sure we may not all get along from time to time but that doesn't matter. we all feel pain when we lose one..."an injury to one is an injury to all".

i've said it time and time again...i've seen many come and go and they're all just numbers. well, sometimes you don't forget those numbers, those faces, those names. let's all take a minute today and just chill and remember our fallen soldiers...peace.

buy ryan a beer...

i have written this post several times and keep erasing it. i can't come up with the proper words so i'll just say it. on 08.13.07 the chicago messenger community lost a messenger.friend.father...ryan boudreau. i had the pleasure of working side by side with the man. as a messenger you couldn't ask for anything more...worked hard.didn't deny work.went distance.carried all kinds of weight.was fast. as a friend...well, it doesn't get better than ryan. you always knew that ryan had your back no matter what. it didn't even matter if he knew you...he had every messengers back.

i received a text yesterday from perkins about setting up a celebration in honor of his memory. ryan has two kids and a lady that miss him dearly and the least we can do is honor his memory and raise some money for his family. we got together and came up with the details...on friday august 15th after work we can all meet at cals. for some, actually many messengers, it's a usual hang out spot. it's located at vanburen and wells in the loop. we'll have a jar/can for cats to "buy ryan a beer". sh*t...last time i was there the pbr's were 2 bucks a piece so don't worry about hurting the pocket. any donation would be greatly appreciated.



if anyone wanted to donate but can't make it please contact augie at augiem21@yahoo.com or hit up the chicago couriers union.



we miss you ryan...peace.

F*UCK YOU NEXTEL!!!

i know i have spoken about my hatred towards nextel/sprint before but this is getting ridiculous. it seems like 2 or 3 times a week our i.t. guy comes in and tells us nextel is having service issues again...wtf?!! again?!! are you serious? what's wrong with them? i don't get it. why even provide a service knowing that your service isn't even good? i guess the answer is simple...what else would we do? open channel radios would be cool but don't think they would fly with our management. also, i'm sure it's not all rainbow's and daisies with those either.

nextel has been dropping alot of our calls which gets very frustrating. have you ever been cut-off while in the middle of a conversation? it's freakig annoying and all you want to do is take a hammer to the damn phone. the paging system is constantly down...seems like everyday we have about 3 hours of verbally telling our messengers every drop and order number. i know, i know, whats the big deal? well, that sh*t ties up the phone and other cats are trying to get through to you. nextel is getting to be very frustrating.

i can't think of one damn solution so for now i'll just say f*ck you nextel...f*ck you very much...peace.

3 weeks and counting...

straight from the naccc's web page...

HEY 'YALL. Just to get it out there and clear up any confusion, everyone is welcome to participate in the race. Non-Messengers are encouraged to compete, and will be placed in their own category for ranking and prizes. Also, just to warn you, bring a helmet and plan to wear it. You should already know this, but just in case...

hope everyone and their mama comes out to this event. should be a great time. alot has gone into making this happen. make sure to visit the site for a schedule of events and register here...if you need a spot to sleep contact naccchousing@yahoo.com

i've already registered...

Dear Julio Saravia,
This email confirms that you have paid NACCC 0809 Chicago

...and the cats setting the whole event up were even kind enough to drop me a line...

do you have a preferred rider number? i'll put it down for you if it's not
already taken. augie.

fuck yeah i do...not really but if 753 or 912 are around i'll take
those...thanks for asking. hope all is well...peace.

...why 753? cause it was my very first number. why 912? cause it was the number given to me when i made a return which, by pure coincidence, was the area code of savannah, ga. where i lived while away from the industry. can't wait...see you cats there...peace.

the good news...

not too get all personal with the readers but today i am officially one month away from one of the biggest steps in my life...im getting married. to keep this post somewhat messenger related i present robin thicke...



...some of you may or may not have seen the video. it's hilarious. i wonder if he did his stunts in the video. i thought it was funny that the roses he delivers make them in one piece...although, it has been done before. i also freaked out a bit when he receives a tip...wtf?! since when do messengers receive tips...well, maybe not in chicago?

well...im also a HUGE R-n-B fan which means that i actually do like robin thicke. maybe not the video so much although i did find it very entertaining. that being said you can expect some robin thicke played at my reception...

it's slooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!! my goodness today lasted forever. we thought yesterday was slow cause of the tornado's and crazy winds that hit chicago the night before.

we figured most people were stuck dealing with the mess left by the storm but after today i just don't know why things have been slow. i think i took a couple naps today. i would apologize to my crew but this sh*t is out of my hands. God i hope the rest of the week isn't like this cause im not sure i can take it. sh*t...i know for a fact the crew can't take it.

apparently im crazy...

one flyer said pilsen but this flyer i think is legit for the bff afterparty...



i'm a bit old...actually not that old but sometimes i think im going crazy and just blame it on age. anyway, i should be there...hope to see you cats there with your dancing shoes on...peace.

car runs galore...

remember when me and the city board dispatcher had a few words and i swore to not help him out anymore...well, all was forgiven on the first of the month. yesterday completely kicked me in the nuts. i sit on a damn chair all day with the occasional stretching break and i was worn out by the end of my shift. i can only imagine how the crew was feeling, especially on a hot day, but the work load was much welcomed(at least i hope so...ha!).

the bike board was fine. we had work but not a crazy amount. little by little they all checked in and all the bike work was getting done and slowly we were running out of work. i click over to the car board occasionally and notice his board getting more and more red. well, this is the fun part...

j.dot...yo mike. i got a cat up north that checks in around 10 or so i can grab your norhtern work.

city dispatch...take whatever isn't dispatched.

...thats all me and the other bike dispatcher needed to hear. we look over the 3 pages of work sitting on the car board. yup...the poor guy is short staffed and is in desperate need of assistance. me and the other bike dispatcher discuss which ones to grab and come up with a few sets to give out. i call up 6706 and have him pick up a set up north bringing him in. as his picking up all that madness i call up a 6721 to pick up a set in the loop headed north. as one is leaving the other is coming in...perfect...why? cause i never lose coverage in the loop to keep tabs on my board...the bike board.

it's friday so we have work coming out of base so now i lose 1168 and 6665 on car sets. no big deal...that one was expected. 6731 has an emergency he had to go take care of. no big deal...i tell him to call me when he's ready to rock again. he calls me from way out west and again, i click the car board and low and behold, i set him up with a set from the northwest coming in. 6706 cleans up in the loop and i keep him somewhat busy and the car board is still slammed...well...

j.dot...yo, yo.

6706...what up?

j.dot...wanna strut some muscle?

6706...you know it. what you got?

...i hit him with boxes and some more boxes. by now it's getting a bit later and work is dying off on the bike board. it's about 1600 or 1615 and i call up 6752 to rock out one last job which happened to be a car run that would bring him somewhat close to base so he can pick up his check and call it a day...great way to end things, right? well, for 5-2 it is but i still need to stick around and help the car board clean up.

by now the late dispatcher has arrived and has stolen 1168 to play clean up...meaning, he's picking up packages all over the loop to dish off to drivers. company's are starting to close and we need to grab these deliveries before it's too late. there's a package we slept on or fell through the cracks so now it's the bike board to the rescue again. i have 6721 roll over and scoop it up but, the even better news is that a set pops up going with it taking him north and right where he lives. nothing like getting work that takes you straight home and enjoy a cold brew for a long, LONG, LONG, DAY...peace.