I've always loved biking. My first bicycle was this cheesy BMX bike from Toys R Us, and I would bike everywhere in the city. At one point, my sister told me I shouldn't do this, but I deliberately went down to Chinatown, and I bought fireworks. And there was this guy who gave me the rates for off-season, and he told me I could buy them at those wholesale rates all year round. So, basically, I would go down to Chinatown and get some fireworks and sell them to kids in my neighborhood.

I started messengering in College—I went to Pratt for computer and graphics, and I messengered in the summers, during the day, while I worked at night as a security guard. That way I didn't have to work during the school year, and that's why I made honors the whole time and graduated at the top of my class. But I love riding, and I love riding in traffic. I would find it difficult to sit in front of a computer—I mean, I do graphics on my own—but I don't know that I could have the patience to sit in front of a desk.

The worst thing, of course, is getting doored. One time there was a taxi, that was stopped at a light, and the woman inside opened the door wide open on the traffic side. I yelled out, and she tried to close it, but there wasn't time at all. And I went over the door, and I hit my throat on the top of the glass window, and I went over it and rolled twice, and I got up. As I was flopping, rolling through the air, I heard people yell, “Oh my God!” I mean no one really sees that kind of thing. So they see me just roll out and get right up.

Right when I get up, I pull out my Leatherman, my toolkit, because I know there's got to be something wrong with my bike. But the Leatherman opens up like a butterfly knife. So when the cab driver got out of his door, and he came towards me to see if I was OK, and I went to open my Leatherman, he totally flipped out, like I was going to stab him.

But I think the best thing about it all is just riding around and seeing people on the street. Seeing New York's face—like a kid being pushed along in a carriage, who sees me on the bike and smiles, and I get to ring my bell and he goes, "Yay!". Or a couple walking down the street and then suddenly they try to sneak in a kiss. Just little things about people.