ANOTHER QUIET NIGHT

ITS NICE TO BE THE "GRAVEYARD" DRIVER

On Tuesday night I had 11 runs. 4 between 7:00pm and Midnight. & 7 between Midnight and 5:00am. The second half of the shift generated over 75% of my meter. On Wednesday night the run count was 8, 4 between 7p and 12m, 4 between 12m and 5:30am. 55% of the meter was after Midnight.

There was absolutely no one of interest in the cab last night. My biggest trip of the shift was a MPD request from Long's Drugs to the harbor in Kahului. A couple of crew members that got a nice break from MPD. They were DUI and the cops let them take a taxi back to the boat rather than arresting them. They barely spoke the entire ride and didn't speak to me at all except to give the destination at the start and a "Thank you" at the end. I think they realized just how close they came to ruining their lives.

We had one driver call it an early night. He is upset that it is so slow. This is at least his third time around for the "Doldrums" and yet he completely fails to grasp the concept. He isn't one to set funds aside for the slow times and tends to spend money freely. Thats dumb.

One of the big box hotels in Wailea will go up to 50% occupancy on Friday. I am sure the rest are about the same. It is like this every year yet some people in the tourist industry always think that the money flow is constant. They have no concept of the ebb and flow of the island's "seasons". I start my 14th year on the island in January and the tourism cycles of the island have never changed. And they never will.

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Kamaole Beach Club Timeshares

The ubiquitous ABC Store

Kamaole Beach Park - I

Gathering Seaweed

Kamaole Beach Park - II

Kamaole Beach Park - III

Keawakapu Beach

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"Let's all be careful out there!"

I SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE SLOW

AND I WAS RIGHT

Yet, somehow, I still made money.

A lot of Christmas parties are taking place but we are getting very few calls for rides. People seem to want to risk a DUI or worse.

Picked up a lady from THE big box hotel. She and her husband had had a domestic. She wanted to go back to the closest hotel to the airport, which is a real fleabag. I was about halfway through Kihei when the hotel's switchboard called dispatch. The message was relayed to me and I called them back. They were kind enough to offer the lady a hospitality suite for the night, at no charge. The lady didn't know what to do. The operator spoke directly with her for a few minutes and then we turned around and returned to the hotel. The switchboard operator met us at the hotel entry and escorted the lady to her room. I think the hotel handled this very well. The lady tipped me $15 on a $35 meter. I was happy.

The only other incident of note was an MPD request for a pickup in Ma'alaea, coming back into Kihei. A group of people (employees) from one of the trendy bars had gone to Lahaina for a co-workers birthday party. They had hired "The Party Bus" to take them there and back. On the return trip the subsurface racism, that I have spoken of before, raised it ugly head and a young white couple, husband and wife, sitting in the back of the bus was assaulted by some locals. The bus driver kicked the couple off of the bus. I told them to file a criminal complaints with the DA's Office, The Hawai'i Commisiion on Civil Rights and with the FBI as a racial hate crime. I also told them to sue the company that runs "The Party Bus" for a variety of reasons. The young local punks are cowards unless they have their "brahs" with them and then it usually involves all of them "jumping" one victim. While this occurs on a daily basis, you never read about it in the paper nor will the visitor's bureau tell guests about the extreme racial tension that is just below the surface. Some get injured due to that lack of information.

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Azeka Place Shopping Center

St. Theresas Catholic Church

Life's A Beach (LAB)

Kalama Park

Cove Park

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"Let's all be careful out there!"

HEROES

I AM HOOKED

I stumbled across this show by accident. Missed the first two episodes. Now I am hooked on HEROES. A group of people who suddenly develop "super" powers. They must learn to develop and control their new abilities and they must somehow unite to avert a catastrophe. Within this framework are 3 secondary plots and 9 subplots. You have to really watch each minute. A trip down the hallway would miss the weaving of all the storylines together. Next week is the last new episode until after the first of the year.

Does anyone else enjoy this show?

It plays on NBC-TV on Monday night and is rebroadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel on Friday night. Check your local listings for time and channel. (LOL - I've always wanted to say that)

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The only exciting period of my day was my weekly dinner date with Judy. Went back to Fred's. The service there is very good and the food is delicious. But it is still an Anglo interpretation of real Mexican food. The ambience is cheerful. Judy is deathly allergic to shellfish and fish, so our dining locations are limited. Her food cannot even come into contact with any surface or utensil that has been used in the preparation of seafood. Thats how allergic she is. She carries a double hypo of adrenalin in her purse. She's had a couple of near misses.

After dinner, it was a bit of shopping and then back to her place for some tea and TV.

Pleasant evening.

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The first four images below were painted by Edward Bailey. A missionary teacher from Massachusetts. His paintings are a detailed and accurate record of Maui in the 19th Century.

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Sugar Beach Resort

Mai Poina 'Oe Ia'u Beach Park

Waipualani Beach Park

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"Let's all be careful out there!"