Tancredi

I haven't written an entry for a while now. To be honest I haven't felt like it, the time I have spent with my computer has been focused on ordering new bike parts to turn my crappy Avanti Escape work bike into a lean mean street machine. I think I want to put down some thoughts and observations about being a courier in Perth, Australia.

I've been a push-bike courier or messenger for a month now so I think I can start to say what I think about the job from a mildly experienced perspective. It doesn't take long to become 'experienced', of course there are multiple levels of experience, but I think it takes around a month to start to know your way around the city. It will vary from person to person but happily my brain absorbs and regurgitates information quite easily, so I just have to go to a place once to remember it. The radio guys can now fire a name off to me and if I've been there I will almost always remember where it is. I still get a bit muddled with some of the smaller streets around West Perth but I'm pretty sure its just a confidence thing. When I say confidence what I mean is that often I will recall the place and its location but end up second guessing my instinct and wind up getting it wrong.

The heat here is definitely a challenge, but with knowledge of the city comes knowledge of the water stops. Some buildings have kitchens within easy reach to fill up from, others with toilets or whatever. With these hot summer days keeping fluids up is vital.

Fitness is developing and I notice the change most on Monday mornings after a good weekend of rest and relaxation. At first its hard to get going but after a bit my legs are pumping and I can tell I'm stronger than the previous week. I'm loving the fact I've lost all the extra weight I'd put on over the past two years and my body is the same shape it used to be all my life, only now I'm stronger and more powerful in the legs. I guess at some point I'll want to train my upper body a bit more, but it still gets a work out pumping up the hills, pulling on the handlebars.

For sure working as a courier or messenger is going to be hard work and get you really fit. I'm really loving it, I've met some amazing people and I really enjoy socialising with them after work hours and weekends. Until recently Perth had been a hard place to live in, very family-centric and to my mind quite boring, with bad drivers and idiotic rules enforced by heavy handed police. The only thing that's changed is that I find Perth to be an easy place to live in now, the rest is still the same. I feel I've found my place here, rushing from building to building delivering who knows what to people and companies I know little about and care less about. I get to see the city come alive in the morning and watch the mad rush as everyone tries to get home at the same time. I love that I can break the road rules all day every day, keeping a watchful eye for the cops, and I'm almost allowed to do so.

Last Friday we had an alleycat race, where 25 or so crazed couriers sprinted from checkpoint to checkpoint in an attempt to win a new messenger bag. Actually the prize wasn't important, the hilarious high of hurtling through pedestrians and traffic, racing couriers from other companies and our own was the focus. I couldn't believe the amount of adrenaline that pumped through my system during the ride. It was well needed to keep me from wiping out. I'm definitely up for another race, so much fun and so surprising how the energy is still there to race after a week of work.

So to summarise, if anyone is thinking of becoming a courier or messenger, I think they should give it a go. Its easily the most fun job I've had. Its quite dangerous, it gets you fit and keeps you fit and you get to be outside all day rather than stuck behind a computer. Now if I can just balance a bit of web design with three or four days as a courier I will be more than happy.