Happy Groundhog Day - Friday, February 2, 2007

Friday, February 2, 2007
12:15 p.m.

It is sunny today. It'd be brighter if I weren't next to skyscrapers and L-trains. Sunny days don't matter when you live life in the shade.

It is just as well. I need some new shades. My last pair were decked from me when a bike messenger ran into me, and crushed by his bike.

Can't hardly blame the guy for hurrying. He works twice as hard and makes twice as less as I do, and takes twice the heat when he's late. First, he gets it from some corporate wannabee who is, at best, an account exec, who thinks five minutes is going to make or break his deal. Then, he takes the heat from his supervisor at dispatch.

It is an awful job. I tried it a few months when I was younger, when my legs had some muster. These guys are tough, ruthless and going nowhere. I needed stability. I don't make a lot from my papers, but I can do the math. Certain kinds of days are worth certain amounts of money. Rainy days, sunny days, hot, warm cold, freezing, Thursdays - everyday has a value, and I have a good idea how the day will do. It isn't much, but it is steady.

The older I get, my papers still sell. The older a bike delivery guy gets, he makes less. He rides slower, delivers less, makes fewer tips, and so on. I don't want his life. Mine is just fine.

Happy Groundhog Day, by the way. I have never seen a groundhog at anytime of the year, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm looking online for some sunglasses. I thought about the Blues Brothers kind. Do they still make those?