I took a job as a messenger and started a few weeks ago... I will be 43 next week.

I have a guaranteed minimum of $100.00 / day and have been provided with a Blackberry for a nominal monthly fee as this is how we are dispatched / communicate with our drivers and riders. I also get to use this for personal use and the fee I pay is a write off.

I am setting things up to work as a sub contractor and besides the crackberry can claim my bikes, repairs, and even a portion of my mortgage and grocery bill as ligit expenses as I need my shop and this kind of work requires some massive food intake.

I am already in the kind of shape to do this...I rode 10,000 miles last year and have been hammering the fixed gear bikes for over a month in preparation for the job.

My lead at work has told me he is impressed so far and even a little stunned to find he can throw me a bunch of end of day b lines (bank returns) and have me complete them as fast as anyone.

I work with a good crew and have a decent "boss" who is an experienced bike courier (12 years).

Our city core is small and we are planning on expanding our bike service next spring to include more distant locales that will pay a corresponding and much higher rate of pay for runs... a good rider will only have to do 10 - 12 runs of these kind a day to make a good living if they want to go long.