Today's Stats:

Weather/ Temperature:

1st Run Taken: 9:55am

Last Run Dropped: 5:29

Total Runs Completed: 33

SangFroid: 10.2

Holy erupting volcano in my pants it was hot today! Plus there was an abundant film of

in the air. My friend Matthew Giachelli used to say it was like walking around in "the soup". Or, better yet, an olio. Thank goodness for that word. Otherwise, there would be some SOL crossword puzzle editors out there. Anyhow, it was very hot and moist (that's what she said) and pretty slow for the first half of the day. Then, around 2pm it got busy as hell. And you know how busy hell is. So, I ended up dealing with a pile of work and one idiot after another that threatened to suck the sangfroid right out of me. Nearly did. You see, being a bike messenger can be very frustrating at times, especially when you are in a hurry. However, if there is one psychologically redeeming aspect of the job, besides the adrenaline drip, it is the tendency to develop vast reserves of patience within the participant's psyche. However, on hot days, that proverbial reservoir of patience can be depleted just as easily as one's glycogen stores. You see, if you are a bike messenger, wheeling and dealing around the city, your work is dictated by the singular mantra of "keep moving". No matter if you are picking your way through grid lock or riding on an antique elevator, as long as you aren't standing still, you are working towards that commission. Thus, it can be difficult to switch back and forth between a more or less hurried working pace, and that which is assumed by the doorman or messenger center worker, who is nearly stationary by comparison. You have to tell yourself to take it easy, catch your breath, and not become overly ardent to get your package or complete your business. These guys have all day. They are getting paid by the hour, not by how well they can expedite your needs. But sometimes, sometimes these sons of bitches seem to be set in place by the messenger gods to test your resolve. Sometimes, you are in high spirits and your yang perfectly compliments your yen, and you pass these sangfroid threatening tests like so much Frodo. However, sometimes you fail. At this one drop, I totally showed my ass because they made me go around to the loading dock. As I said, I was busy as hell and getting annoyed. To give some context in my defense, several people bailed on work today, so I had to take up some of the slack, which I didn't mind, but I got stretched too thin all at once, not over the course of the whole day. So, I was being an asshole to this one elevator operator late in the day. It was like 4:45pm and he was minutes from getting off work. I'm sure I totally killed his vibe. Well, I feel pretty bad about it now, and my attitude at the time definitely added minutes to my delivery time, so I paid/ am paying for it. It's funny how interactions like that have the ability to cause such embarrassment and remorse upon reflection. At the time, I was acting in a way totally dictated by my emotions, not my rationale. However, that emotional mind is what naturally governed my behavior at that moment, not any sort of civilized line of thinking. How is it that we(or maybe just myself) are so prone to reacting that way? How can outward expressions of emotions, that seem to originate in our primitive mind and lead to almost zero productivity and communication, be favored and take precedence over calm, assertive action? Perhaps we are not as evolved as we think. Perhaps it takes practice. Maybe when I'm older, I will be wiser and more skilled at dealing with interpersonal and non-personal relations in a more apropos manner. Or, maybe not. Maybe I'm just a dick. Either way, I feel terrible about throwing my water bottle at that guy's face. Just kidding.