GOOD FRIDAY

CAME EARLY

It was Friday, my dispatch night. Tina and Hardin were both "no-shows" for the shift. The volume of calls was not overwhelming and I was able to manage the vast majority. The few we didn't cover was because the people didn't want to wait the normal 30 to 40 minutes that happens between 7:00pm and 9:00pm.

We had a new driver on nights. He has worked a few times during the day. I think he was totally awed by my rapid fire dispatching. I don't waste time. I speak very clearly and distinctly and you had best get the call the first time or I tend to be less nice as the shift grinds on. I am a bit suspicious of him though. I got the feeling he was picking up "flags" and not calling them in. This means he would not lose his place in the dispatch queue. That is flat ass cheating and stealing from the other drivers. TMR and I will keep an eye open for this. He also has a bad habit of failing to call in his pickups for dispatched runs too.

For me, the cab side of the shift was active. 16 fares and came within less than $20 of breaking $300 on the meter. April's rent is now covered plus dinner with Judy on Monday. Now I am saving up for her birthday (the 14th) dinner and gifts. Still working on this summer's vacation fund, also.

I'd write more but I am so tired that I am seeing double everything on the monitor.

Don't forget that tomorrow is "April Fools Day" and "Palm Sunday".

Thanks for coming by.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

"May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose..."

Kapalua Bay Hotel
(It No Longer Exists)

Riding The Wild Surf

Hakeakala

Mau'i

Fairmont - Kea Lani

I'ao Stream

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

BCBGMAXAZRIA

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A new ladies apparel and accessory shop has opened at the Shops At Wailea.

The name is:

BCBGMAXAZRIA

I've never heard of it before.













The above images are their exterior displays.

Interesting. Looks like their target market is the up-scale "30-somethings".

Does anyone know about it?

***

While I did 5 runs more than Wednesday night, my meter was $40 lower. 2 of the 11 fares were less than $10 and none were over $16. 4 of the 11 were during my solo hours.

In other words, it was a quiet night.

Around 9:00pm I was starved. Drastic reduction in my blood sugar. Went into one of the two convenience stores at The Shops and the only thing that looked halfway palatable was a turkey wrap. That is, basically, a turkey sandwich where a flour tortilla is substituted for the sliced bread. It is rolled up like a burrito and then sliced into manageable segments.

I ate about 1/3rd of it. It really wasn't that good. I hate to waste food, so when I spotted a feral cat wondering the parking lot a short distance away I quietly exited ONE-NINE, slowly walking to a tree island between us. The whole way there I kept softly calling "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty". That got its attention. It didn't flee. I gently placed the remainder of the wrap on the cement berm surrounding the tree and then slowly backed away. My retreat was matched in pace and distance by its advance. It sniffed the offerings, grabbed a portion and dashed a few feet back towards where it had been. Wolfed it down and then came back for more. Eventually it just stayed where the feast was and dined. Maybe that helped it to live a day longer. It was very frisky when it vanished into the night.

I like cats. I also like dogs but dogs are pals, buddies, playmates and often co-conspirators. Cats are a deity unto themselves. They are better than humans. They know it and so do we. Just try to "out stubborn" a cat sometime. It can't be done. Cat haters are individuals who suffer from a species inferiority complex.

About 2 years ago there was a front page article in our local rag about the exploding feral cat population. People wanted to set traps to capture, and, in most cases, euthanize. The entire concept was dropped when the rag ran a feature story the following week about the growing mouse population overwhelming homes on Mau'i. An equilibrium seems to have since been established. Nature has its own system of Checks & Balances.

***

As always, I really do appreciate your stopping by. Tell your friends about me. They might enjoy this little backwater corner of the web too.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Banana Leaves

Wailua River
Kaua'i

O'heo Gulch
Hana, Mau'i

I'ao Needle

Hiking Haleakala

Windward Mau'i

"Big" Beach
Mau'i

"Little" Beach
Mau'i

The Renaissance
Wailea

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

COMPLIMENTS

FROM TWO DIFFERENT FARES

We have a "regular" who lives up in Maui Meadows, which is located on the mauka (mountain) side of Pi'ilani Highway (SR-31) just south of the Wailea/Kihei line. He's not anyone's "special". I took him home the other night and he said:

"Did you know that you are the best driver that Royal Cab has?"

"How do you figure that?"

"You are a very comfortable driver. Every ride with you is smooth. You are not a 'slow poke'. In fact I notice that you seldom stay within the speed limit but you don't constantly hit the breaks nor accelerate rapidly. You make turns without bouncing me around in the seat. You are a very smooth driver."

"Gee. Thanks. I really don't know how else to respond."

"No worries. If every driver drove as you do, I'd be a lot happier. Did you learn to drive that way as a cop?"

"I got some from there but my Dad taught me to drive. He was an Air Force pilot and believed in control of his planes by being "one" with them. After I learned the basics, he would put a coffee cup and saucer on the dash, filled with water. I had to be able to start, stop, turn, brake and accelerate without spilling any of the water. It was a 'stick-shift' Rambler. When I mastered all that, I was able to solo in the family car. The cop training really just smoothed off some rough edges and taught me how to be safe at very high speeds."

"It shows."

I think the greatest praise I ever received from my father was during a trip from just south of Sacramento, CA, USA, to a whisker north of the Mexican border, in the mid-80's. About an 11 hour trip. My maternal grandmother and her sister had been killed in a traffic collision and my maternal grandfather was in critical condition in the hospital. We were on a 2-lane State highway, with heavy traffic. It was mid-morning. I pointed out to Dad that there was an ambulance, about 5 miles down the hill, headed our way. Rolling "CODE-3" (lights and siren). After the ambulance passed, he turned to me and told me that I was the best driver he had ever seen. All the shiny trinkets that I had received in my life couldn't hold a candle to what I felt when he said that.

***

Late in the same shift, I took one of the lady bartenders home from the "Triangle".

"I like riding with you."

"Thanks. Why?"

"You are always so calm. You are a comfortable driver and I feel safe when I am in your cab. You must have to deal with a lot of obnoxious drunks, but it never shows. I remember one night when you took me and my boyfriend home from Mulligans. I was being a real bitch with you and you never reacted. You were so pleasant. I am sorry."

"I don't remember it that way."

"Well, I was."

"Okay. But since I don't remember that incident, then, as far as I am concerned, it never happened. So don't fret over it."

"Thank you. You really are nice."

***

Last night was one of contrasts. I only had 6 fares, but two of them were in the low $40 range. Three were in the mid-$20's and one just missed going "double-digit" by 20-cents. So it was a decent shift overall.

Things had been pretty steady when I checked in and continued that way until just after 11:00pm. Then it flat-assed died. A total of 5 dispatches from then until I turned the phone over to my relief at 4:00am.

Bada Bings, as I have mentioned before, has taken over doing the theme nights that used to be the defunct Hapa's forte. Last night was "Mehu" (may-who) night, designed to cater to the "alternative lifestyle" crowd. We seldom get much business from that group and there was a very small turnout to "feed the cabbies". In fact, there really weren't many people on the streets last night. Just too close to the end of the month for most people, i guess.

When I passed on the phone this morning, all the pickups were for this afternoon. All but one were "meet & greets" at OGG. That indicates FIT's (Financially Independent Travelers). The ENTIRE tourist industry LOVES FIT's.

***

Starting on the 1st of April, I will reduce the number of images in the daily PICTURE GALLERY to, usually, six. This should make it easier from my "dial-up" friends to check in. I have already reduced the number of posts on the front page from 7 to 3. This will also make it a bit easier for me, since I can then spread my images over a longer period of time.

Everybody stay safe today and I'll be looking for you tomorrow.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Standard Footwear In Hawai'i

Hyatt Regency
Ka'anapali

Silverswords On Haleakala
Hana
Just A Typical Beautiful Day In Hawai'i
Big Island
A Sandy Beach On Kaua'i
Flower "Birds"

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

MAH-VU-LUSS DAHLING

ABSOLUTELY MAH-VU-LUSS


When I saw this image I broke up laughing. Once a woman has her first child, she'll never carry a small purse again.

***

This what the odometer read when I took my only trip out-of-town.

I'd say that was lucky!

***

The street facing side of Azeka Place - Mauka

***

Gas prices declined 2-cents after settling at $3.279 last week.

***

Throughout Mau'i you will find pamphelt stands in varing sizes. This group, next to Long's Drugs, is a combo of some of the various sizes.





They'll contain magazines, handbills. and other forms of advertisements for the "activities" by the various purveyors.





I stuff some of the nicer ones, usually the restaurant and menu guides, in the pockets located on the rear of the front seats.





Its helpful in attempting to entice someone to take longer jaunt across or around the island to one of the more highly rated locations.

Hey, a guys gotta try to earn a buck.

Right!?

***

Boy, the construction on Ambrosia is sure moving at a snails pace.

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

Kapalua Bay
Mau'i

Hana
Mau'i

Haleakala

Kaua'i

Windsurfing
Mau'i

Beautiful Hawai'i

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"