Paradise Driver: WHOOMP!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

WHOOMP!

AND THEN THERE WAS SILENCE

I was home around midnight. Sitting at my desk, I heard/felt a loud WHOOMP! outside. Couldn't tell where it came from but it was definitely the sound of a car colliding with something. Hard. I stepped out front and neighbors were running toward Kanakanui Road, which borders my back fence, The entire area had heard it. Since my knee doesn't allow me to run anymore, I did my best "Chester" (that's a 'dated' reference, isn't it?) impression. As I rounded the corner I heard one of the first arrivals shout that someone needed to call 9-1-1 (our equivalent to Australia's 0-0-0 and UK's 9-9-9). I could hear the lady in the closest residence already speaking to the emergency operator. Then the guy said that everyone was okay but there was some bleeding. He sounded excited but unstressed. I got to the intersection and could see everyone in both vehicles moving. There were no screams. No shouting. I didn't go any further. As I returned home I could already hear sirens approaching rapidly, from every direction. Grabbed my camera, walked back and snagged this shot. I didn't hang around to see if an ambulance arrived, but it probably did. Thats pretty much S.O.P. None left rolling "emergency".

***

We had a minor power outage in central Kihei. I cruised the inky black Azeka Plaza area. Never know, someone might need to go somewhere else. Lasted about 2-1/2 hours and covered about 1 square mile. Alas, it didn't bear fruit for my basket.

***

At the end of Tuesday night's shift I brought ONE-NINE home. It was infested with roaches. Just like every other vehicle and structure on the island. That's one of the hidden facts about living on an island and why pest-control businesses flourish here. Parked ONE-NINE and set off an aerosol "bug bomb" and then aired it out and wiped down the surfaces when I awoke. Shouldn't see any creepie-crawlies for a long time.

***

I mentioned the problem I am having with my cell-phone battery. I had already tried Radio Shack, to no avail, and even though I had purchased the phone there, they no longer represented Verizon Wireless. And, despite the fact that they have for years touted themselves as the place you could always find unique electronics batteries, they didn't carry a replacement.

Last night I made it by the Verizon Wireless store.

They don't carry batteries.
They no longer have the program that I am currently under.
I needed to buy a new phone and sign-up for a 2-year contract.

I think I just might get a new phone/contract, but with Sprint, not Verizon.

***

The owner called me last night and asked if I would be interested in resuming Sunday night dispatch duties. That was a toughie. I need the money but I still haven't even come close to recovering from my "incident" at the end of July. I can now barely make it through my 5 nights as it is. While not physically tasking, dispatching is a major stress center and I just don't have the reserves to accomplish it. Plus I could risk missing my "normal" days. I truly felt bad when I declined. On Sundays he has the phone until 9p, when a night driver takes over. No one is scheduled for Sunday so it is a hassle to get someone to take it. Kimo told me that he would take it until a returning driver, Joel, can start doing his share at the end of the month.

Sounds like things might work out.

***

One OGG
One Ma'alaea to north Kihei
One pu-pu
One bar-close
Zero "dog-watch"

"And thats all she wrote".

Thats actually pretty normal for the week following Labor Day. We should see some increase in tourist business this weekend. The resorts normally book as many "groups" as they can, at extremely discounted rates. Not that we are going to be swamped, by any means, but just a bit more active than the past couple of shifts.

I did hear that day-shift had an extraordinary amount of OGG's, which made their day. We'll see how this weekend goes.

4 fares / 83 miles / 4th quarter below $100 bracket

***

TRIVIA