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Saturday, August 12, 2006

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

WE'LL TAKE THEM IN REVERSE ORDER

THE UGLY

The latest terrorist fiasco has had an immediate effect on Mau'i. Hotel occupancy has been running near 98% and was booked out that way through Labor Day. For non-US readers, this is celebrated on the first Monday of September and marks the unofficial end of summer. The fallout from two days ago is that reservations are being cancelled and next week the anticipated occupancy rate will be right about 60%, a drop of 38%. That is going to drastically affect the local economy. Airline bookings have drastically dropped nationwide. Part of the reason for the airlines' problems is a variation on the domino effect. An airplane starts its day from one of the major national hubs. These initial flights are being delayed due to all the new BS security checks. Since departure is delayed, then the various arrivals down that plane's work schedule are also delayed. This delay extention eventually propagates to the point that flights are being cancelled so that the plane can eventually return to its original starting hub for the next day's flights. Also, the flight crews have limitations on the hours they can work and there are no crews available to relieve them. FUBAR to the Nth degree. Everyday, the "Land Of The Free" becomes more Draconian.

THE BAD

I worked a very busy shift and I am too dang tired to wait for Blogger to upload pics. If I wake of early enough I'll try to put some up later, but no promises. I am totally bushed.

THE GOOD

Last night was one of the busiest shifts I have had in a long time. While the total number of runs was only 18 (about what I consider average), my average run last night metered $19.25 and 5.2 miles (8.4 km). I actually drove 199 miles (320 km) total during the entire 11-1/2 hour shift. Add to that the fact that I was also the dispatcher last night and at this moment my brain is the consistency of mush (oatmeal cereal).

The "nice passenger" syndrome continued, thankfully, and the only real problem I had during the shift was a driver who was stupid enough to not have a map book and always wanted someone to give him directions to his pickup location. I was too busy to babysit him and told him that. He left in a huff, a green one I think, and felt I was being insulting by telling him he was stupid. I was and he was. No apology for being truthful. Its not like he is a new driver but he is a day driver poaching on our shift and discovering that at night we don't go from one major location to another, we pickup from the obscure to deliver to the oblique. Night drivers know the back streets, hidden alleys and blind driveways. We have to. That is where we make our money. And we each learned this knowledge from trial and error. I will give credit to the drivers who work nights. We, male and female, are crusty, crazy and hardcore. We have to be. It's a matter of survival.

Oh, the reservation load for today's day shift is heavy. A lot of hotels to OGG's. Nobody will probably get lost. But then again....

I am off to bed.

Aloha!



Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

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