Good Morning, Biker 220 Standing By @ glebe

14 August - Today, Ex Biker 313 became Biker 220. After getting himself up at half six to make sure that his equipment was working (it was, they shut down the network over the weekend) and logging in at 730 it was 2 hours before anything happened. Basically, spent the morning creeping slowly towards the CBD asking every once in a while if there was anything happening. Work eventually came but slowly and there was hardly any reason to be rushing around - more often than not I only had one or two trips on me and it didn't require too much taxation of the brain to work out which way I was supposed to go. Unlike Van where one can use the grid system to find the various buildings (all the north south and east west blocks have a numbering system based on 100s) I had no problem findingstreets but would often pop up on George or Castlereagh several blocks away from the building where I needed to go. Far too many one way streets in Sydney too. Did get a bit of riding done, out to Surrey Hills a few times (and off the map as well, very annoying) and Potts Point and Darlinghurst as well. And you couldn't have a first day without that glorious tidbit of bike couriering - a flat. Happened not too far away from the City Bike Depot (don't know where I put my pump) and got it fixed without too much trouble (although couldn't get the chain tight and it fell off twice during the day, not so good on a fixie). Also, in what hopefully will not be a taste of things to come the battery in my Intermec PDA (all the trips come through on this, totally paperless and very little radio chatter) decided to conk out after a couple of hours (after it had been charged all weekend). Got it swapped out at our hub in the rocks so didn't get delayed too much but like I said in yesterday's missive, nothing pisses me off more than faulty equipment (apart from bad drivers, crappy dispatchers, bitchy receptionists, know-it-all lifers, potholes etc). All in all, no real mistakes and got a taste of what it will be like when it gets busy (if it ever gets busy). Quite pleased with the palms coffee shack, much better coffees than 885 (sorry Maria, but that doesn't go for you Emilie, you sour faced witch ... I hope this never gets to her, she could be nice occasionally) although Marcelo seems to get very irritated with me ordering my coffee with skim milk. Ade swung round to pick me up for some proposal writing - not before the census girl came around to pick up the census form that I hadn't filed out. Not wanting to deny myself being counted in the statistical jumble (and also not wanting to set myself up for the fine) I filled it out on the spot. Didn’t put Sith as my religion this time around - the last star wars series disillusioned the dark side for me and there was no section to put in lapsed jedi.