Breakaway News Volume No. 23 Issue No. 5 May 2018

May Finally in Play

Breakaway wishes all of our customers a happy May Day, especially now that it seems that winter’s icy grip has finally eased. So, by all means, go out there and get some sun! Also, for all our customers of the Islamic faith, Ramadan Mubarak!

Text Now Not Vexed

It took a bit longer than we expected, but text messaging is now a part of our dispatch software. This means that if you want text updates on a job you’ve ordered, just give the phone operator your number, or enter it yourself when you order online. Our vendor helped solve the problem when he reached under our desk past the thicket of cables in the power strips to plug the console in.

Saddle Up

May is National Bike Month – the perfect time to trade in your traffic jams or delayed trains for a delightful sail to work on your bicycle. New Yorkers take 450,000 bike trips daily, and about 1 in 5 of those are commutes. If you’re ready to join us, Bike to Work Week is May 14–18. Not up to a whole week?  Try it out on Bike to Work Day, May 18. Of course, here at Breakaway, some folks are lucky enough to spend their entire work day, on a bike. 

Are You Experienced

Since 1998, economists have been writing about the “experience economy.” This is the next stage:  agrarian to industrial to service to, finally, experience. What is it? Basically, people are paying to have experiences. Businesses are providing memorable events for customers, and this experience then becomes the product. Heck, we’ll do you one better. If you want the experience of being a bike messenger, come work for us, and we’ll pay you!

Same Digs, New Nabe

Oftentimes, people move to see new places and experience other locales. But nowadays, you don’t have to go anywhere for that. Here at Breakaway HQ we don’t even recognize our own neighborhood anymore, surrounded as we are by construction sites with 70-story behemoths rising all around us. It’s like being at the bottom of a fish bowl! We didn’t move an inch, yet there’s a brand new city being built before our very eyes.

Perchance to Sleep

Probably no commodity gets shorter shrift in our new world than sleep. Whether partying all night, binge-watching the latest Netflix series, or just plain old catching up on work or study, sleep often gets sacrificed for productivity or play. This isn’t ideal, however, since both body and mind are renewed during sleep. So, don’t worry about that last errand. Let us do it, and sleep in a little. Maybe a cat nap.

Stump the Band

Last month we asked what the last stronghold of the wooly mammoth was before extinction. Answer: Vrangel Island, in the North Sea off Russia.

T-Shirt Question

Women’s professional cycling has really taken off. Which very old race has finally added a women’s event, and only for the second time this year? The first person to call Gil Ortiz with the correct answer will win a coveted Breakaway T-shirt.