A VERY SLOW NIGHT

BUT I STILL MADE MONEY

Alissa & Catherine

Catherine
Oh, the dress is even prettier in real life.
It just "moves the right way" when she walks.

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On Friday morning I took a very nice lady to OGG for a day-trip to Honolulu. I made the usual arrangements for her return pick-up. Usually these day-trippers come back before my shift starts. Luckily for me, she was due in about 8:30pm, so I would be able to cover it myself. From Jersey City, NJ, she worked in NYC and was originally from Alabama. A very articulate conversationalist. At the end of the run, she complimented me, saying: "You are the most intelligent cab driver I have ever met. You have a wide range of knowledge. You should write a book." That was very sweet of her.

My second run of the shift was assisting on a two cab pick-up from the Waterfront Restaurant, in Ma'alaea. While returning to Wailea, we were discussing the Tsunami Watch we were then currently under. I gave them the latest info and assured them that where they were staying was well above the tsunami flood zone. As they exited the cab, one of them stuck his head in the side window and told me I was the smartest cabbie he had ever had the pleasure of riding with. I guess it was his first cab ride.

I think I had better read all of Wikipedia before I go to sleep this morning.

***

As most of you have probably heard, there was an earthquake off of the coast of Kuril Island yesterday. Kuril Island is part of Russia even though it is also part of the Japanese Island chain. A bitter point in the two countries international relationship. The Russians captured Kuril Island just at the end of WWII and have never repatriated it.

The quake occurred around 6:38pm, my time, and all the various tsunami warning centers around the Pacific Basin went on alert and issued a tsunami warning for Japan and the areas adjacent to the epicenter and a tsunami watch for the rest of the basin. It was a shallow quake but was in very deep water and Japan only experienced some 1 or 2 inch (2-4 cm) waves. The watch was canceled about 10:30pm. Had there been a tsunami, it would've hit about 12:30am.

I don't think I mentioned it before but the front section of our phonebooks have maps showing where the mandatory tsunami evacuation zones are at on the island.

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

WAIKIKI BEACH
HONOLULU
O'AHU

Waimanalo Beach
O'ahu

Wainapanapa Beach
Mau'i

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"Let's all be careful out there!"