...the old man

Recently, while running my paper route, I have come across an old man that I just so happen to throw a daily paper to. He has voiced his feelings to me multiple times on how he likes his paper delivered and so I do my best to deliver it that way. However, about a week ago, the paper delivery must not have been to his liking so he proceeded to take matters into his own hands. Even though he has the option to complain to the newspaper company, he chooses not to.

This specific paper delivery that was supposedly unacceptable in this mans eyes was thrown by my partner in crime Adam. I don't know if the paper made a loud smack on his porch or it was thrown on the step rather than right next to his door, but the old man decided to hide in his bushes one night and just wait for the culprit to appear.

As Adam an I pull up to the house on this soon to be speacial night, Adam gets out and heads toward the door to do our normal routine. As he is on his way back I see a man coming out of the bushes and head straight towards Adam. A little shocked, I signal to Adam to get his attention as he turns to see the man coming toward him. My first thought was of course the worst possible scenario like thief, drunk or murderer. Thankfully from our recent encounters with the resident of the house we soon recognize the old man and we both feel a little less on edge.

The man was just wanting to discuss with Adam the same things he had previously discussed before. He wanted to let us know that reading the newspaper was a daily routine for him and his wife, that he would like the paper directly in front of his door and not on any step and how he also got his morning news the way he wanted. As the conversation goes on and Adam tries to mention that we have been leaving it at his door and have been as quite as possible it doesn't seem to make a difference.

After a 15 minute conversation that makes us even later than we already were, we finally are able to make it to the next house after doing our best to please the old man. As Adam and I drive away we begin to laugh hysterically just thinking about how ridiculous this whole situation is and hopeing not to have another conversation with this man at 4 in the morning.

...yet again

Yet again, this morning I seem to be incapable of waking up on time for work. You would think that after 9 months of waking up at the crack of dawn every day I would have some type of routine by now and have no trouble getting up and being on time. I think my routine has sadly turned into being late.

In this uncommon daily routine my first act of business to get a 4:30am wake up call from a guy named Burt who gently asks 'are you on your way?' I respond with a shaken, still asleep voice 'I'm so sorry we are on our way!' I first push Adam to wake him up yelling that we are late again and scramble about the house to get ready and get him out the door. As I pull up to the warehouse we are too late to roll the papers inside therefore we load the bundles of newspapers into the car and head off to the first house.

In the evet that we have to roll the papers in the car, one person, my turn being today, sits in the back seat covered head to toe in your daily news. While struggling to keep the paper tower beside you from falling over you have to roll quickly and cousiously. All of this is happenin while you are being wipped side to side by the driver making turn after turn into driveways.

When it all comes to an end around 7am we head back home determined to never wake up late again.

...next morning, Burt calls.

...the 'ol black and white

Do you ever notice when your out driving late at night or even early in the morning that there always seems to be more cops than normal out patrolling? Well I am living proof that that statement is true. I see them everywhere while out throwing papers and I will be the first to say that they are definitely more skittish at night.

One night while my fiance, Adam, and I were doing our normal routine of paper gymnastics driving in and out of driveways and tossing newspapers left and right out the car windows we were about two thirds of the way done when red and blue lights start flashing in the rear view mirror. As the officer walks toward the car Adam and I are both a bit stunned as to why were were being pulled over and quickly tried to determine what exactly we did wrong. The officer walks toward the car, looks in the back seat, only to see the seat piled high with newspapers and signals Adam to roll down his window.

"You guys out throwing papers?" the officer states while shinning his flash light around inside the car. Adam and I both look at each other in amazment since the man had just looked in the back seat and had clearly seen all the newspapers, we together say a polite "yes sir." To our surprise the officer immedietly appoligized for having stopped us on the job and procceded to mention that we should not have our brights on while passing other cars. Adam and I were stunned that that had been the only reason he pulled us over.

As the officer walks back to his squad car I look at Adam and jokingly say "no officer we're pickin' 'em up!" ... "here's your sign."

...unusual encounter

The fact that I do my job in the early morning between the hours of 3am and 6am suggests that I more than likely won't run into anyone. Now with that said I have come across the usual later-nighter that is walking home from the club or the early bird headed off to work. However, to come upon anything unexpected, as you might expect, is a bit of a shock.

Recently while I was on route just doing my job and hitting house after house with the usual news I drive up to one of my usual deliveries. I grab a newspaper, get out of the car and head toward the house. I proceed to throw the paper toward the porch doing my best to aim toward the door. To my surprise, as the paper hits the ground, or what I thought was the ground, I hear a moaning "huhhhh?" I had accidentally hit a man in the head with my newspaper! My first response was a resounding "I'm SO sorry" but the man had already fallen back to sleep. Then for some reason I just stood there looking at the man wondering why a he was sleeping outside on someones deck? He might have come home drunk and gotten locked out or who knows what. Either way that one was quite a shock.

...in inclement weather

Due to the change in seasons, a paper route may be done in many different weather conditions. The worst of these that I have recently experienced would be one inch of ice underneath six inches of snow. Interestingly enough as I have previously mentioned, I have to complete my route no matter the weather condition or the danger that it might encompass. The difficulty in trying to drive a car that is not four wheel drive up an icy hill is frustrating and in the end disappointing. You will either give up and decide to walk up the hill, inevitably falling on your ass or refuse defeat and attempt it from a different route. Either way the attempt is made, the outcome is always the same.

Dispite the difficulty that comes with such a job, there are always times where some fun is bound to happen. Testing out the slickness of the icy road is just a simple pleasure that makes a paper route a little more interesting. With the understanding that safety is always in mind, gently slip slidding around on an icy road is very exciting. Testing small portions of the roads and parking lots is the place to do it, keeping in mind that there are no cars in sight.

...the job

It seems that in most cases almost everyone has had the privilege of that one weird or even horrible job experience. In my case that job just happens to be a paper route. This is one unique job that I hope to never have to experience again. However, there are many instances that a person, such as myself, will come upon while on the job that makes it that much more interesting and unique.

To begin to express just how unique and interesting this job is there are a few specifics that one must be aware of. First, my work hours are from 2:30am-5:30am, and second, I work every day of the year, no exceptions. Despite how unappealing this job may sound the different things that I have encountered make it that much more bearable everyday.