Where is Darran?

Dropped off the courier equipment and uniform today and got a call an hour later with a lifeguard job. Lifeguard activities will start out at two different pools in Marrickville. I have visited both of them and they are chill. It is relatively easy to get to the pools by bicycle because there is a bicycle expressway for most of the journey. Sydney suburbs are full of roads and pathways that are marked as being primarily bicycle or bicycle shared use. These bicycle routes allow you to bike more freely without having to worry as much about pedestrians and cars. This makes commuting much safer and faster. Since I got a bike 3 months ago, I have put around 700 miles on it and plan on stepping up the miles as I get back into Ironman Training.

In the morning, I went to Bondi to get some solid reading time in. Bondi is a great place to chill, check out the wildlife, and get things sorted.

Made it three weeks with Mail Call and resigned this morning. I enjoyed seeing a variety of work environments, exploring the city, and being able to meet new people everyday, but the hassles and long hours have led me to migrate to something more fitting of being in Australia, being a lifeguard. Yesterday, I interviewed with a local pool in Petersham and it looks like I will start there this week or the next. Got turned on to being a lifeguard by a friend while putting up Christmas decorations in the Eastgardens Westfield.

Went to the Customs House library today to pick up a couple books. This has got to be the coolest library I have been to, but that doesn’t say much. Regardless, the Customs House library has a model of downtown Sydney underneath the ground floor that you can walk over, a coffee and desert cafe, a restaurant, and a bar for drinking and enjoying music that gets pretty lively in the evenings. The library itself is spread out over 3 stories and free wireless internet is available. Music can be heard throughout the stacks and there side rooms where one can study quietly.

I went in looking for books on business strategy, but ended up getting the following two books on knowledge management: Knowledge Management and The Wisdom Network. I have been interested in knowledge management since taking a Knowledge Management course taught by Bill Cahill at St. Edwards University. After finishing these two books, I might revisit my final paper for the course. In it, I try to define a way of combining network performance managent technologies with knowledge network ideas to create a knowledge network management system. The eventual goal would be to utilize the system to enable more efficient new knowledge creation aka innovation. Even further into the future would be utilizing technology to facilitate automated knowledge creation.

Last weekend, I was tasked with finding a replacement for my trusty North Face Hot Shot backpack. I have had this bad boy since Christmas 2001 and it has been with me while travelling all seven continents. It is a very simple backpack consisting of a standard main compartment and a second compartment on the back. It has a chest strap, a waist belt, and some compression straps. Here is a picture of it as of today:

I have to replace the Hot Shot because after continual use some of the teeth in the zipper have become dislodged. These dislodged teeth cause the zipper to derail at these points and not seal. I can normally get it to work the second time around, but while being a courier I don’t have time to fight with a zipper. You can see one of the dislodged teeth in the blurry spot of this picture.

The water resistant lining had also started to peel off:

I wanted something bigger and hopefully waterproof. Finding a fully waterproof backpack was a challenge. Most of backpacks I looked at were water resistant and rely on a backpack cover to provide water proofing. Therefore, I decided to just focus on big. I also wanted to make sure it was sturdy and would be able to last at least as long as the Hot Shot. I explored Kathmandu, the North Face website, the Columbia store, and a Mountain Designs store. Mountain Designs had what I was looking for in the Escape 30. Check out the Side by Side of the Espace 30 and the Hot Shot:

The Escape 30 is bigger, supposedly holding 30 liters. I believe it holds more. It has a bigger main compartment with a divider at the bottom of the main compartment similar to expedition backpacks. The shoulder straps are padded and contoured and the pack appears to have a light internal frame that makes wearing it very comfortable. The padded waist strap has a hip belt pocket. Two mesh pockets exist on both sides of the backpack providing easy access to water bottles or other items. There is also an interior mesh pocket that exists in between the back pocket and the main compartment. This allows you to have easy access to bigger things or carry a pair of sandals or shoes without getting your interior compartment dirty. The back pocket has mesh compartments that allow you to organize items like sunglasses, camera items, or small first aid items. The backpack also has two compartments on the top with water proof zippers. One of the top pockets is a simple pocket, but the other larger one closest to the main compartment has a zippered mesh compartment that would be a good place to keep keys or a cell phone handy. This larger top pocket would also probably remain drier than the rest of the backpack in the rain.

So far, using the Escape 30 has been great. It holds a great deal more than the Hot Shot and is comfortable as a day pack on foot and on the bike. The main compartment zippers have been a little pain to deal with when the backpack is full and when the back compartment is weighed down. This is the a common problem on most backpacks when they are fully loaded because of the angle the zipper is required to seal. Additionally, the zipper that allows bottom access to the main compartment  has opened on its own twice. I haven’t lost anything because of this, but am trying to figure out how this happens and how to prevent it. The Escape 30 is an ideal backpack for people looking for a little more carrying capacity in a daypack. It is designed and fits like an expedition backpack, but exists in the 30 liter range. Mountain Designs also offers the Espace 40, a 40 liter in the same design, for those looking for even more space. At that size it might be better to go for something made by Gregory or another small expedition style pack. Perhaps the Gregory z35.

It has been two weeks of being a bicycle courier and now I am in the groove. I am easily able to locate and get to both the pick-ups and drop-offs. Creating a logical run with little backtrack is also becoming a reality. The wear and tear of riding each day takes a toll on equipment and I have been maintaining my bike in the evenings and mornings before work. I have been able to see many parts of the city during work and so far my favorite has been Pyrmont. It is quieter than most of Sydney, has a great view of the city, and has a fresh fish market. There is also a convenient foot bridge that connects Pyrmont with downtown Sydney.

Today is the Melbourne Cup. This is supposedly a “race that stops a nation.” We’ll see if it actually does. Yesterday, I saw TAB, a betting agency, setting up a huge big screen in Martin Place and many businessmen were watching it on their lunch break.

There is a surf swim and run this evening with Bondi Fit. I am probably going to go check it out after work today. Making early practices has been hard after being on the bike the entire day before. In the evenings, I normally go home, eat, and clean up, instead of going to practice. I think I am strong enough now to go to swims in the morning and runs in the evening. Tonight I will check out the swim and run in Bondi and see what it’s like. I am thinking about checking out the pool swim tomorrow morning too.

While yesterday looked like it was going to be bright and sunny from the apartment window, it was actually going to turn out to be cold, rainy, and windy. This is some of the coldest weather for Sydney in 30 years and riding around in it is a challenge, however, the cold and rainy weather results in less people out on the streets. The less moving objects on the street make it easier and safer to go faster. Yesterday, I had pick-ups and deliveries throughout the entire Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs. Logged about 51 km (30 miles) for the day. For eight to nine hours of riding this really isn’t that much distance, but my average moving speed was 15 kmph (10 mph). Today, the weather is looking clear and sunny, I’m planning on rolling short sleeves even though it is cold outside. I like riding in the cold when it is bright and sunny outside. Tomorrow, I am putting up some more Christmas decorations. This time it will be in Miranda. Oddly enough, the picture for the Miranda wikipedia entry is the Westfield we will be decorating.

The first day started off slowly with a couple of jobs to pick up in the surrounding suburbs and drop off downtown. I got a couple more to pick up and drop off throughout downtown and received a call asking me how I was doing and telling me I was doing well. I think base then tried to see what I was made of and sent me about 10 jobs at one time. This was a big challenge, because I had to locate all 10 pick-up and drop-off points and then plan a route that would allow the pick-ups and drop-offs to be done in the fastest manner. I mislocated one drop-off point and it took me about 2 hours to get the package to the recipient. I would have gone back earlier, but I had headed out of downtown to drop-off a couple of packages in Haymarket and Redfern. Going back would have made three late as opposed to one. Overall, the day went well and I got off around five. Logged about fifty kilometers for the day, headed home, and then went to pick up some groceries. After a day on the bike, the world seemed to be in slow motion. Ate some dinner and went to bed early.

Things that make being a courier difficult in Sydney are the street names and numbers. The numbers do not alternate on both sides of the street. For example, it could be 102 on one side of George Street and 301 on the exact opposite. Also, the same exact street name and street number can exist in different suburbs.

It was hard to get up the next day, I felt like I had got a full body workout the day before. The next day was madness. It rained the entire day, was the coldest October day in 30 years, and winds were over 30 mph. Wednesday, I would be all over the city. I picked up packages from Surry Hills, picked up a few more throughout the eastern suburbs, and then spent the next 5 hours in downtown. Towards the end of the day, I got two jobs in Pyrmont, which is on the other side of Darling Harbour. Both the clients were cool and the final drop off would be on my way home. The coordinator is cool and schedules jobs to pick up on your way into town and jobs to drop off on your way back home.

Today was supposed to be raining, but looking outside the skies are clear. It is 48 degrees though and I will need a jacket to stay warm. I might go to the track run tonight with Bondi Fit. I am thinking about doing a mini triathlon each day once I wrap my head around all the streets in Sydney. It would be cool to start the day with a swim, bike all day, and then end it with a run. Maybe I could start putting down some fast Ironman times with that schedule.

Got hooked with Mail Call today and start tomorrow. The day starts by logging onto a device called a Symbol. A Symbol is similar to the devices that UPS and FedEx have you sign when you receive a package. Jobs are pushed to the symbol by a dispatcher who manages all the pushies. This dispatcher is responsible for assigning jobs to about 20 cyclists. A jobs consists of a pick up destination, drop off destination, package ready time, priority, and some other details like vehicle type. Using the job information, it is my job to locate the pick up point and drop off point. I could have 10 jobs at a time, so it is important that the proper route is devised in order to get everything delivered on time. The most time between pick up and drop off is supposed to be an hour for a “standard” delivery, while a “red-hot” delivery is supposed to take only 15 minutes. This is fast and the 15 minutes includes finding the pick up location, bike lock-up, elevator wait, package pick-up, finding the drop off location, riding, bike lock-up, elevator wait, and drop-off. A lot to do in a busy city, but I am looking forward to it and it will get easier each day.

All the assigned gear

Sporting the work outfit

To begin, I must tell you about these chips I have been eating in Australia. If you can get them in the States or come to Australia, you must try them. They are made by Red Rock Deli and come in a variety of flavors. Every flavor I have indulged in is delicious and extremely addictive. So far, I have tried Sweet Chilli and Sour Cream, Moroccan Chicken, Dijon Mustard and Honey, Seasalt, and Honey Soy Chicken. Honey Soy Chicken was my least favorite, but still worth a try.

Yesterday, I was going to a bike shop when someone popped a car door right in front of me. It was perfect timing, because I didn’t even see it coming. Half endo’d and ended up getting necked by the door. The bike was a little bent up, but I everything is back in place now. Never tuned my own bikes at home, but picked up maintaining my bike in Australia and find it very enjoyable.

Tonight, I am helping with Christmas decorations at Westfield Centrepoint. This one is being decorated for 3 days so it will probably be pretty good. I’ll get some pics once the decorations are all up.

First training day as a courier in training with Mail Call. The training was comprised of shadowing an experienced courier, Pete, and the experience is insane. The training is sink or swim and starts the second you meet up with the experienced pushie. Being a new guy, I think I got some special treatment to see what I’m made of. Everything was a constant blur and keeping up with Pete was a challenge. The physical aspects were not a problem, but I still need to get a better grip on where everything is located. After shadowing Pete, I got a written test that involved locating different places in Sydney and answering questions like: “What floor is the mail room for KPMG at 10 Sussex street?”. Luckily, I got a call from home base offering me to come in on Monday and start as a permanent courier.

On Monday, I began a part time job helping put up Christmas decorations in Westfield Centre’s. The job starts at 5:30 P.M. and goes into the early morning. The night started with unpacking and moving all the boxes of decorations out of a storage room and into a main area in the mall. This included hauling all the decorations to put up a three story artificial Christmas tree. After unpacking, others and I were transitioned to checking strands of Christmas tree lights and removing strands that were broken from the trees they were attached to. Others helped fluff the branches of the artificial Christmas tree before they were attached. After removing the broken strands from about six wall trees, an Aussie and I lucked out and got the duty of moving all the empty boxes back into storage. We did this for the rest of the night, had a great time doing it, and next thing we knew it was time to go home. I got a call today asking me to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at a local Westfield. I signed on for Friday and Saturday and am looking forward to it. My apartment neighbor, Rob, is a promoter for a party organizer and has got me on the guest list for a party after Saturday’s work. Monday, I will sign with Mail Call.