CONTRASTSThere is "fun" stupid and there is "dumb" stupid.
The valets at
Tsunami's last night were bored. Very bored. I decided I would take their pic since I did not have a photo of Krystel or Jerome. They chose to do a take off on the "
Charlie's Angels" logo. Just good old fashion stupid fun.
Krystel, Debbie, JeromeAnd then there is "dumb" stupid.
I had just made a pickup at
Denny's restaurant at 2:35am and was headed north on S. Kihei road. A red Chevy "S10" pickup truck pulled out in front of me, Accelerating heavily on the rain slick street. "Fishtailing." Rather than backing off the gas, he continued to add more throttle. End result was he lost control and rammed thru the traffic light stanchion at the intersection of S. Kihei and Alanui Ke Ali'i.
Tremendous shower of sparks and then the intersection went dark. The pole was laying across the northbound lane, knocked over 30 feet from its base. The pickup had left the roadway and was in the shrubbery surrounding the decorative fence at the
Tradewinds Worldmark hotel/condo. The entire right front of the truck was "pole molded" by about 2 feet and the rightfront wheel was shoved all the way back to the firewall.
I immediately called 9-1-1 and stopped to render aid. The driver was drunk and shook-up. I took his picture, both for use here and to show the police should he decide to take "footbail" before the cops arrived.
His buddies decided that I was a "prick" (probably the first time they've ever been correct in their short lives) and then proceeded to block all further shots.
Police took the driver to jail. DUI and, if this incident follows the paradigm for Mau'i, probably also unlicensed and uninsured. Those last two are pure speculation on my part and I have no facts to make a validity judgement.
Police, fire, paramedics, a tow truck and a MECO (Mau'i Electric Company) truck all responded. Roadway was clear in less than 2 hours.
The flash on my camera is worthless for distances greater than 10 feet. Using the ambient light keeps the shutter open for 1-3 seconds. Thats why most of my "natural light" shots are blurred. Even with your arms braced, your own heartbeat will cause minute, but detectable, movement of the camera.
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FRIDAYThe dawn brought muted, cotton candy daylight. Good "sunburn" conditions. Very few showers.
Started my shift at 7:00pm and assumed dispatch at 7:15pm.
Started with 9 cabs. Until 10:00pm we stayed steady and I was able to cover every request within 15 minutes or less. By 10:00pm, normal attrition had left me with 5 cabs.
10:00pm is the "magic moment" of the night. The point where business slows or stays busy. Tomight it slowed. Went into a coma, with brief fits of activity. "Push out" was very manageable.
At 1:00am, the rain began. About second slowest speed on variable wipers. About 2 notches below "irritant" and one above "nuisance".
My solo part of the morning was satisfactory. While I was refueling, in the middle of Kihei, a man approached and wanted a ride to Wailea. Nice way to end the shift. A paid ride home.
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Later.....Wil=8^))"Let's all be careful out there!"
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