Chinese Fire(work) Drill

Thursday morning, I was riding on my route, Arch Street to be exact, when I began to see these strange clusters of red shrapnel everywhere along the sidewalks.

In hindsight, it's pretty obvious what they are - fireworks casings:

But, me in my half-awake auto-pilot state at 7:30 AM didn't realize this...and after noticing what they were, I didn't understand why they were there.

Then I realized that I was in the heart of Chinatown, and the Chinese New Year Celebration had just happened days earlier. Suddenly it all made sense.

We crazy Americans normally shoot off fireworks in the Summer...

Suds, Sun, Snow

The other morning, I was waiting for a customer when a passersby attempted to start a conversation with me by asking "How ya like this cold weather?" It was 8 AM, 18 degrees, overcast and windy. I'll usually humor people just for the sake of representing well. That day, wasn't having it. I brushed him off.

Today, a similar thing happened. I had just paused to take a picture of the beautiful scene in front of me - snow and sun together is pretty nice, right? - when a gentleman walked past and said "Man, how about this snow?" But this time, instead of being a jerk, I responded with "Hey, it could be colder..." We exchanged pleasantries and went on with our days seemingly in good spirits.

I guess vitamin D does a body good.

Like Riding a Bike

Until yesterday, it had been almost a week since I rode a bike. There are several reasons...

The biggest reason is that I took a bit of a nasty spill last Thursday near the end of my shift. I had just completed a pickup and was about to walk out of the customer's apartment building when I fell down their marble stairs, which had no traction enhancement whatsoever. It was the perfect storm: I had a laundry bag in one hand, my company cell phone in the other, my shoes were slippery from the freshly melted snow, and I was psyched because this was my last appointment for the day, so yea, not paying attention to anything else but myself...

I was stunned, but after the initial shock, I knew I didn't hurt myself too badly. I didn't hit my head, I was able to walk away (literally) and incredibly, I only missed one day of work. I should qualify that by letting you know that when it's super cold outside, like it was last week and Tuesday this week, they allow us to do deliveries in cars. It's much easier on the back than a bike ride, for sure.

The one day that I did miss, Monday, I booked an appointment with the company acupuncturist (well, he's sort of the company guy). After trying to "tough it out" and performing admirably, I knew I needed some sort of help to speed up the healing of this bruise. I'd never done it before, but it actually worked! Range of motion was back almost immediately, and save for some slight discomfort here or there, you'd never know I'd injured myself.

So yesterday morning, I went in knowing that I would be riding again. It was...weird. When you're used to biking every day and you take a few days off, I can't explain it other than to say I felt a little off balance. Surprising, to say the least, that I have actually gotten so accustomed to it, I didn't know how much I missed it...

Rustcycles: 16th & Fitzwater

Once again, why not to lock your bike by the tire alone...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 7th & Washington

There's probably symbolism happening here. Or a metaphor. Or something else...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Freezing F%$#ing Cold...

Many thanks to the cool folks over at TicketLeap for their enthusiasm and support.

This is how you Wash Cycle. Glad I was wearing my Thursday best!

Elderly Woman Standing Behind the Counter in a Big City (Part Two)

If you didn't read part one, click here.

It just so happens that I was assigned to deliver the bag I (literally) helped pack the day before. We don't always get assigned the same customers two days in a row, believe it or not.

Knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised that I had a little more time that morning to hang around for a few minutes instead of rushing out the door. I did have several more stops after this one, but nothing I couldn't handle after a short intermission.

After I delivered the bag, the customer began telling me more stories about her son, why her apartment sucks, what she used to do for a living, all manner of things. I'll spare the details, but the conversation went on for about 10 minutes.

Afterward, she said "Thank you so much. You made my day." and gave me one of the most generous tips I've ever received. Of course, I said "You don't have to do that." She insisted. So as not to offend her, I accepted her generous offer.

There's a moral to this, but you can figure it out for yourself, right?

Elderly Woman Standing Behind the Counter in a Big City (Part One)

Last Tuesday was a very busy morning. I think I had 8 deliveries/pickups scheduled before I arrived at a senior citizens community just before 8:45, just in time to finish my 9th before 9. I had several more to go after that as well. Anyway...

The note in my appointment mentioned that the customer was disabled, which happens all the time, so I thought nothing of it other than that I would have to go upstairs and grab the bag instead of them coming downstairs to meet me.

When I knocked on the door, I heard her say "You can open the door. I'll need you to help me with this bag." I thought, "Alright, she can't carry it to the door. It happens."

I opened the door, and she was standing near her kitchen. I didn't see a bag.

I asked, "Where's your bag? I'll get it for you."

She said, "Oh it's over there on the floor."

Empty.

Next thing I know, I'm picking up the various piles of laundry scattered throughout her living room and foyer while she tells me stories about her son, her life, how she hates her apartment, you name it.

When I finished with the piles, she sat down near a cart that was also full of clothes and pulled various items out, handing them to me to put in the bag. This went on for several minutes.

I felt bad. It was kinda cute, and I could tell she was happy I was there. But I had more appointments to make, so understandably, I tried to hurry the process along. She was very understanding. If I wasn't so damned busy, I would have stuck around just because.

When I worked in a deli many years ago, there was a guy who used to come in EVERY DAY and order 3 slices of turkey and 1 slice of American cheese. He'd buy a loose kaiser roll and build his own sandwich. Every day. Just to have something to do, some kind of interaction with people, something to keep him going. She reminded me of that guy.

There's more to this...

Warming up to a Customer

People have asked me if I get tips when I deliver laundry. The answer is yes! In fact, several people gave me the same exact tip today: Stay warm out there.

Thanks. That's not really a tip because they didn't suggest how to stay warm. All joking aside, I do encounter my fair share of customers that are generous enough to tip. This morning, however, was rough...no tips to be had on what seemed like the coldest day ever.

I've never seen anything like this before. Combined with the low temperatures, the high wind gusts made pedaling that much more difficult and froze everything liquid almost instantly. The sweat that accumulated in my jacket was solidifying in the pockets, and even my insulated travel mug was incapable of preventing my hot coffee from freezing. I guess I need a thermos. Otherwise, I was well prepared, layered in thermals, double wool socks, double gloves and feet warmers. It still was just barely enough.

At about 9:00, I stopped at an apartment complex in Old City. The woman I spoke with said she needed some time to get her things together. I was doing alright at this point, but there was no denying that I was cold. So she said "I know it's against my building's policy, but here's the door code. Come inside while I get things ready."

And suddenly everything was alright. Days like these, my best friends are the gracious coffee shop owners and customers like her who will let me step inside for 5 minutes until I get the feeling back in my extremities.

Money? Who needs it?

Happy Friday.

There has to be a Middle Ground...

Take that, blog post from yesterday!

What did my Bike Ever do to You?

Taken out of context, this seems like a dick move. This sign is less than a block from my house, but I saw it for the first time at 6:15 this morning, and thought as much.

I just passed by on my way home and noticed it's also a handicapped zone. My bad.

Toilet Humour

I had a bit of a rough morning. Obviously this person didn't give a shit...I'm kinda wondering how they're gonna take one. I wouldn't wait on the edge of your seat for an update that will bowl you over. I'm flush out of energy. Or I guess you might say I'm feeling drained. Anyway...

Happy Friday.

Boxed Out

The city is a much different animal at 6:15 AM. There aren't many people active on the streets besides "The yellow brigade." You know, service workers, contractors, the sanitation department, etc. Not even much traffic to speak of except maybe the occasional school bus, which is coincidentally also yellow.

It's trash day in Queen Village, and as always on Thursday morning, my ride in to work was marred to windblown litter from well-meaning folks who did the right thing last night. Kinda disheartening, but what can you do?

And then, I saw this guy.

I was on auto pilot, but was jolted "awake" by the sight of a silver car with its 4-way flashers turned on at a stop sign, ya know, where you normally stop and just keep going. Seemed odd. Also, normally there is NO traffic on this street at this hour.

As I approached the car on the right, I saw a man toss a box in the general direction of the curb. Except that the wind took said box, which contained several smaller boxes, and boomeranged it back towards him.

I was about to laugh, because it did indeed appear quite comical. However, after the blowback, all of the smaller boxes blew right into the path of my bike. I ran over one, another hit my leg. No one was injured, but I made sure to say "Thanks" to the man as I rode past.

I guess I can't blame him for trying to do the right thing, except that he failed miserably in his attempt. Three more steps to the curb would have made a world of difference.

Damn Kids...

Some have asked about how secure I feel on my job, if I ever get worried about being attacked, whether or not I carry a weapon, etc. Just FYI, I almost always carry a knife. Former Boy Scout that I was, ya never know when you're gonna need it...

At any rate, I've never felt scared except for the two trips I've had to make deep into the heart of Grays Ferry. Nothing happened there, BUT oddly enough, one of the very few incidents I have had involving bystanders (I use the term loosely) happened in Rittenhouse Square, one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city.

It was a nice, clear night, and I wasn't super busy. I was going about my route, kinda zoned in, thinking and whatnot, when all of a sudden I felt a jolt on the back of my trailer. At first, I thought I ran something over. But then I looked back and saw a teenager riding his bike immediately behind me, and he was with several of his friends.

I said "Hey, don't do that." I know. How original of me.

He said "Aww sorry man. My bad."

Without thinking, I said sarcastically "Yea, 'your bad' alright..." I think that's the correct grammar in this context.

Anyway, at this point, he suddenly became interested in my job for some reason, asking me if it was tough, how old you had to be to work for us, all of which I ignored until I turned right several blocks later and the banshees vanished into the night. No projectiles were thrown.

Is this what Mom meant when she said "I hope you have kids one day and they turn out just like you."?

Something of Note

I saw this note laying on the sidewalk the other morning. Not a solved matter, but at least the author tried. It's the thought that counts, right?

Names and numbers hidden to protect EVERYONE.