Today's Stats:

Weather: Sunny with few clouds

Temperature: "hotter than a set of twin babies,

In a Mercedes Benz wit the windows up

when the temp goes up to the mid 80's"

1st Run Taken: like 9:30am or so?

Last Run Dropped: 5:26pm

Total Runs Completed: 18

"How'd it feel?": Today, I was that stud.

Yawner! Today was stupid slow. It was kind of a shame too, because I was feeling really strong. Basically, everyone got a triple rush for free today. I did a measly 19 runs, and rode maybe 40 miles. Oh well, apparently it was a "typical summer day".

According to the locals, the city "clears out" during the summer. People go on vacations, leave school to go home, escape the heat, etc. However, you could have fooled me because there still seems to be a shit ton of people around. (To clarify how much a "shit ton" is, it's a little less than a "fuck wad")* Thus, because there are less people around, there is less work to do.

Big Plans Announcement:

As far as tomorrow goes, I have big plans to announce. I am planning on making an appearance on the Good Morning America show. The reason is to celebrate my Mom's _ _th birthday. Now I won't actually be on the show, nor will they be serving cake and ice cream, but I do have a big-ass orange sign that I am planning on waving around. So, if you are up early enough to catch it, see if you can spot me.

After that, It will be a full work day that will most certainly include night work. It's going to be a long day, seeing as I will have to get to Times Square at the crack to beat all the Texans. You know, it's not just Colorado. They suck everywhere.

Rest Day Vantage Point

* This is a visual measurement system developed by John Rogers and Clay Forbes.

Today's Stats:

Weather: Overcast

Temperature: 86 and sticky

1st Run Taken: 9:11am

Last Run Dropped: 6:22

Total Runs Completed: 29

Today, I was tired as a mug. Yesterday wiped me out. I Rode moderately today, and took it pretty easy.

Please take a moment to unwind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCx4emDypEg

Before I begin today's post I want to apologize to everyone for yesterday's "nonpost". I was extremely exhausted and could barely manage the key strokes sufficient to produce the stats. I realize that all seven of you deserve and expect more than just obscure quotes with incoherent syntax and grainy photos. So, to catch you up on what you missed, I have put together a little video. I think it completely captures the romance and emotion of yesterday's work day. Have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyMXYE_50Ts

So poignant.

As for today's post, there isn't much in the way of updates, especially updates having to do with the Campaign for Better Wages. I haven't received any call backs yet, nor have I applied to any other companies since Tuesday. However, work at Mother's has been steady. I am keeping my average and my work ethic up, and trying to stay positive. I suspect that my bosses know I am looking for outside work. I also suspect that they expect me to start slacking off. (gotcha) But, that's not my style. Plus I still gotta eat, so I'm getting it while I can. Tomorrow is Friday, which for those of you unfamiliar with a calendar, is the day before the weekend. Unavoidably, the city will be in high spirits and everyone will check out at 2:30.

A representative image for the Campaign for Better Wages.

Today's Stats:

Weather: Blingin'

Temperature: 84*

1st Run Taken: 9:01am

Last Run Dropped: 8:30pm

Total Runs Completed: 46

"Yeah, well, you know I tried them, but they keep coming back."

Today's Stats:

Weather: Cloudy, Rainy

Temperature: 73*

1st Run Taken: 8:41am

Last Run Dropped: 8:10pm

Total Runs Completed: 39

Today was a pretty good day. I felt well physically, and rode hard for most of the day. Late in the afternoon I was still feeling up to riding, so I opted for the night work and did an additional 15 runs after 6pm. I even ended my day with the Forest Hills run, way out in eastern Queens, which netted me nearly $40 by itself.

For those of you following ConEff, and anxious for updates, there have been some new developments with my "struggle for better wages". The first being my new self-applied phrasing of "the struggle". I have decided to take on a more proactive sounding title for my little drama, and renamed the struggle, "the campaign for better wages". Even as I type it now, it sounds more hopeful.

Today, I began to seek new employment opportunities outside of Mother's. To prepare for the job search, I did a little research, and comprised a list of the best paying messenger services in New York. Now, this is not information readily available to the civilian Googler, but rather highly specialized data that can only be gathered from top-notch pros who have worked with nearly every game in town. So, based upon the info I got from my boys with miles more street cred than I, the money companies are as follows; Urban Express, Elite Courier, and Quik Trak.

Because I was forced to look for work during an actual work day, I had to do it at my own convenience. So, due to my limited windows of opportunity, I was only able to visit two companies on my list. First, I stopped by Urban Express. I did not have much luck there. After inquiring to the receptionist about employment availability, I was informed that UX has decided to phase out the bike messenger division of their company. This decision was made in light of a recent death of one of their bikers. Apparently, a messenger was killed two weeks ago after being run over by an 18 wheeler in Midtown. In addition, another biker was nearly killed the next day after a cab knocked him off his bike and into the path of a large truck. Talk about jinxed.

Later in the day, I found time to stop by Quik Trak. I had lots of luck here. I filled out an application, and took the "how well do you know NYC" test, and even had a brief interview. After acing the application and test, I met with one of the owners, Ricky. I explained to Ricky my current situation at Mother's and that I was looking for "greener pastures". Or, because we are in NYC, "greasier streets". We had a good talk, and he explained that he has heard this same story many times before. When he asked how many runs a day I average, I answered with "between 35 and 40". His eyes lit up, and he told me that he thought he could help me out. He told me that he would try to fast track my application and get me in before the end of the week. He also told me that he would start me at 50% commission, which is killer. After such a positive interview, I was well psyched to do some work. I figured I might as well make what I can from these bastards and try to keep my average up. The rest of the day was fairly pleasant, even with the rain.

In my tired and soggy state, I decided to catch the train home from Forest Hills. This is what it looks like to be lazy.

Today's Stats:

Weather: Partly cloudy, sunny, breezy

Temperature: 76*

1st Run Taken: 9:00am

Last Run Dropped: 5:55

Total Runs Completed: 19

My body was rested and worried. Or was that my mind?

Today, I completed a whopping nineteen runs. For those of you that are die hard followers of ConEff, all five of you must be asking yourselves, "what's up with the low numbers?" However, if you truly were a die hard ConEff follower, you would have never asked that question, as you would have already suspicioned it had something to do with my recent struggle for better wages.

To recap the struggle, for those not crafty enough to scroll, I have recently become aware that the work I am doing is not being paid for fairly. Or, if you like, I am not getting paid what I deserve. Now, don't get me wrong, I realize that the messenger business is not the way to get rich. For the most part, messengers get by on crummy wages and that's the way it is. Knowing that the pay is not equivalent to the work, is more or less accepted. The reason it is accepted is because, the messenger is endangered. We know our species has been slowly declining since the late 80's. You see, with every advance in modern communications technology, like the internet, cell phones, and even earlier, the fax machine, the bike messenger's window of demand has shrunk a little. So, in order to still be a viable competitor in the same day delivery market, messenger services have been forced to steadily lower their prices and offer discounts to big clients. In turn, the percentage that the messenger makes off his work decreases as well. Sometimes, the discounts are so heavy that, the messenger makes only a few dollars off a delivery. Often, messenger service will have several of these large clients that they depend upon to supply the bulk of the work for the company. Thusly, because the bulk of the messenger's work is so heavily discounted, his take home is quite low. I have become this messenger.

Becoming aware that I am this messenger, has for the first time since I became a messenger, made the job not fun. And, I will be goddamned if that continues. The low numbers are a result of me not being enthusiastic to work. I am constantly thinking, "what I am getting paid for this run?", ''is it worth it?" It's just hard to work and know that you are getting paid shit. But to be fair, I can't really blame my bosses. They are just trying to keep their company going, and retain a reliable client base, so they give good discounts. Certainly they are paying me my 45%, but that's forty five percent of not a lot.

Today, I spoke with my boss about raising that percentage. He said it was impossible. So, tomorrow I begin the search for new work. Wish me luck. I will keep you posted.

just burning up

Today's Stats:

Weather: Mostly sunny and sticky

Temperature: a frigid 87*

1st Run Taken: 8:40am

Last Run Dropped: 6:03pm

Total Runs Completed: 29

Today was okay. I woke up feeling pretty tired after suffering from paralyzing calf cramps all night. I have got to figure out a way to better stretch that muscle. These episodes are becoming chronic. Usually the next day, the muscle feels empty and unattached, if that makes any sense. But, other than being tired physically, I was also pretty tired emotionally. Yesterday, some new information came to light, and it seems that I might have to make some major changes with my job. I wrestled with this unsettling revelation all night.

As it turns out, I am getting screwed BIG TIME with my pay. I won't get into all the details of how commission based pay works at a messenger service, but let's just say that I am not getting my fair share of the cut. I confronted my bosses today, and they basically told me like or leave it. So, I went to a few other messenger services in town, looking for work. The messenger business is a big community, so everyone knows everyone. I talked with two companies that told me I could start Monday morning, if I wanted to. However, I still need to talk with the main boss at my current company to see if I can get my percentage raised. I mean, they fucking owe it to me. I literally do 25% of the work per day for the company. This is roughly 40 runs a day, and 10 hours on a bike. I am always the first one to call in, and always the last one to go home. And trust me, I work my ass off, and it's not always fun.

However, today is Friday, so I'm gonna try and not let it bother me too much and enjoy my weekend. Tonight, I am going to see the Bush Tetras reunion show at Le Poission Rouge down in Greenwich. Then, tomorrow is the redneck, I mean, Mississippi Picnic in Central Park. I will definitely have to hit that up for some free catfish and sweet tea. Hope you all have a great weekend. I will keep you updated on my struggle for better wages.

That's what I'm talking about.

Today's Stats:

Weather: Beaming

Temperature: 97* at the top of the Empire State Building

120* Behind the Buses

First Run Taken: 8:40am

Last Run Dropped: 7:36pm

Total Runs Completed: 40

"Changes abound!"- Mark Edward McKee Jr.

Stay tuned...

Today's Stats:

Weather: Not a Clizzy in the Skizzy

Temperature: Like a scrotum (97*)

1st Run Taken: 9:05am

Last Run Dropped: 5:50pm

Total Runs Completed: 43

Whew! What a day! I pretty much felt like shit the entire day, and still managed to do a lot of work. I suspect that I was pretty wiped out from the previous two days. My exhaustion coupled with the nearly 100* heat was nearly overwhelming at one point. During the middle of the day, I was delivering paychecks uptown and felt near faint. Turns out I was just dehydrated and my glycogen level was way low. After a few quarts of water and an ice-cold Coca~Cola, I was back in business. Still tired, but more conscious, none the less.

When working as a messenger, dealing with the elements is as much a part of the job as delivering the packages. The weather is as much an unknown variable as the traffic, pedestrians, or elevators. Sure, you can check the weather and make some sort of prediction and plan accordingly, but you don't ever really know, until you get out there in it. Usually, I do okay with the heat and humidity. Being from Mississippi, it's not hard to reawaken my debilitating heat tolerance gene, and suffer through it. However, today it caught me off guard, and nearly put me down.

Later on in the day, while enjoying a moment of respite from the overbearing heat in a fancy air-cooled elevator, I happened upon some sage wisdom from a more experienced member of the courier work force. He wasn't a messenger, but a seasoned U.S. Postal Service employee. He was having a conversation with a woman, also in the elevator, who was asking him how he dealt with the heat and being outside all day. He said, " you know, I've been doing this for almost 30 years, and above all, you just have to roll with the punches." Seems like pretty generic advice, but it was the conviction in his voice when he said it, that made it sound more of a personal mantra, that he truly practiced. I started to think about him being out there for 30 years. 30 years is longer than I have been around. He has been dealing with a lot of shit for 30 years. That's 30 years of rainy days, hot-ass days, mislabeled packages, people with bad moods, shitty attitudes, going the wrong way, working late, working sick, working tired, working because you have to, and having straight up "pawn shop" days. But that's also 30 years of beautiful days, perfect routes, nice people, fast elevators, having interesting encounters, sharing laughs, seeing beautiful girls, having good days, looking up every once in a while and taking it all in, and loving every single thing about New York and the fact that you get to be a part of it.

After my interesting encounter in the elevator, I started to feel a little better. Sure I was hot and tired, but sometimes you just have to suck it up. For the rest of the day, I took it pretty easy and put on some Waylon Jennings. Whenever I listen to him on the road, I feel like a cowboy, you know, kinda haggard and tough. It also makes me ride pretty mellow. I ended up downtown at the end of the day, and avoided the upper east night work. Lucky me, I got off at 6.

Today was a good day.

Today's Stats:

Weather: Sunny as hell

Temperature: 87*

1st Run Taken: 8:34am

Last Run Dropped: 7:31pm

Total Runs Completed: 40

Today was a hard day. I woke up feeling pretty crummy after a night of poor sleep. I was moving pretty slow this morning, and my legs finally woke up around noon. I was moving pretty well after that and rode well for most of the day. Towards the afternoon and into the evening, I was feeling pretty beat. As of this writing, I am exhausted.

The day went fairly smoothly, I hung around downtown a lot. I had a pretty frustrating moment trying to find 1 Battery Park. Like most of these types of addresses that are situated around a square of some sort, it was in a totally weird-ass spot, way the hell away from any sort of logical position. It was all the more frustrating because the package I was dropping was on a double rush. Thankfully, a well positioned hot dog vendor steered me in the right direction.

On a more entrepreneurial front, this little number has appeared on Mother's sidewalk market:

If you are in the market for a bike, or know some blind kid who is, let us know! This is sure to be a fast seller!

Today's Stats:

Weather: Mostly Sunny

Temperature: 75*

1st Run Taken: 9:13am

Last Run Dropped: 8:06pm

Total Runs Completed: 33

Today was a good day. My body felt well, and I rode strong all day. The morning was slow. I did 33 runs today, 15 of which were taken after 5:00pm. I spent most of the day hanging out downtown, and on the west side. My evening work was all upper east, with two runs in eastern Queens.

Today was a good day for several reasons. First, since the morning was pretty dead, and I was delivering around Houston St, I decided to do a little sight seeing. I cruised over to 57 Great Jones St, and checked out Jean-Michel Basquiat's old place.

I have become very intrigued with Basquiat lately. I find the way he chose to live his life and especially his struggle, very inspiring. His art blows me away, as well.

Today was also nice because it marked the first time I delivered outside of Manhattan. And, I'm not talking across the bridge to Brooklyn, I'm talking way the hell out in Forest Hills, Queens. It was about a 16 mile round trip run. Actually, it was two runs, just around the corner from one another. They were management documents to fancy co-ops. However, they were pretty big, and since we charge by distance and weight, these were a couple of fairly profitable run$. These type of runs are usually handled by walkers who can hop on the express and knock them out in about an hour.

Beyond being a tourist and having far flung adventures in Dodge, Queens, today was a good day because of the general vibe of the city. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and things went smoothly. I'm certain it had a lot to do with the weather. It was beautiful, sunny and mild, with a slight breeze. Also, I kept the rubber side down, and came out clean. It's always a good day when that happens.

Welcome Home Shot

New Blog Launch!

Why am I writing this blog? I guess it originally started out as a way to record my daily stats on the job. These stats being; how much work I did, what the weather was like, what time I called in, what time I delivered my last run, etc. I figured I could record the data, look for any trends, and estimate my paycheck. It was supposed to be very scientific and analytical. I didn't want to include much in the way of emotional or experiential content. Mostly, because I figured no one would read it. Also, it seemed too much like ego stroking. Then, as I developed the concept of the blog, I got the idea to include in the stats how I felt physically, perhaps as a way of estimating my "peak". Unavoidably, one's emotional state affects his physical state, so I decided to include that, too. Eventually, I had a full-on blog, replete with gratuitous, unimportant self-importance.

Beyond the database function of the site, the greater aim of the blog is to serve as online journal of my experience. For me, being a bike messenger is more than just a job. It is a passion and trade that I take very seriously. It is, for lack of a better word, a "game", that I love to play. It is a game of problem solving and ego-centric locality. It is about having a good sense of direction, and knowing where you are in the city. This is not to say that it isn't a very physical game. On the contrary, being a courier is one of the most athletic, high-risk professions one can have. Being able to stay in the saddle all day, suffer in the elements, and even take a hit from time to time, are all necessary physical demands assumed by the messenger. I quote the great John "Yac" Yacobellis, "Ya gotta be tough to be a bike messenger". Damn right.