Paradise Driver: December 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

CITY LIGHTS

AROUND THE WORLD

Brazil

Denver

St. Petersburg

Paris

Niagara Falls

Toronto

Cleveland

Las Vegas

Chicago

Los Angeles

London

Copenhagen

Moscow

Washington

Oakland

Singapore

Vienna

Cologne Cathedral

Rangoon
Myanmar
(Burma)

Damn, another power failure!
***

WHAT DO THESE TWO IMAGES HAVE IN COMMON?

They are both "Wanted" by the Japanese.

There is an arrest warrant out for Hayden in Japan because she actively participated in attempting to block a Japanese whaling and dolphin hunting operation.

Please sign this petition to let the Japanese know that we want the whales, and dolphins, to be free to roam the oceans of the world.

***

Friend and fellow cabbie, Lugosi, left a link in yesterday's "talk story". It is worth bringing up to the "top of the house".

***

I wish all of the resorts would actively seek this type of clientele.

***

Every one have a great New Years Eve!

Mahalo

Aloha

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Moonlight Over Waikiki

Kaneohe Bay
O'ahu

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Sunday, December 30, 2007

TO FINISH THIS POST

I can barely keep my eyes open

4:40 PM -

Saturday was a bitch of a day for me. For the past 2 weeks, since the big storm, I have slept all the way through until my alarm went off at 4:30pm. Normally, I am awake earlier. On Saturday, I couldn't fall asleep. The eyes finally shut at 2p and were open again at 5p (I pressed "snooze" a couple of times). On the road by 7p and we started moving.

~ NEWLYWEDS! ~

~ Chrissy & Neil ~
~ London ~
~ She is from New Zealand ~
~ He is from Germany ~

Just like Friday night, we were steady and the volume of calls increased as the shift wore on. The newlyweds were from Wailea to a B&B in Lahaina. A nice $91 trip with a $19 tip. Our topic of discussion was all the CCTV cameras in London and the loss of personal privacy. Secondary was Dubya and how he will make history as the least popular President in our history.

When I made it back to the south side, the number of cabs had dwindled and the number of fares hadn't. We rolled "hot'n'heavy" through bar-close and the night crew hung in until well past 2:30 AM, when we finally cleared the books. Thats when I took over the phone and started the dog-watch. Had maybe 15 minutes of rest when the calls started coming in again. One "10-13" (noload/noshow) and a short pu-pu in Wailea capped off the shift. Passed on the phone to my relief at 4:15a and was home shortly after 4:40a. Then the fun of trying to make this post began.

Blogger wouldn't accept uploads and it took me until past 7a before I could finally patch this thing together. By then the body had gone into complete shutdown mode from lack of sleep. 5 minutes after I hit "PUBLISH" I was sawing logs on my pillow. Over 9 solid hours of shut-eye. I needed it.

17 fares / 176 miles / 1st quarter $300 bracket

I'll be back early Monday with my regular "bill'o'fare". Have a fantastic day. To those west of me:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mahalo

Aloha

THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

~~I'LL BE BACK...~~

...AND I WAS

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Saturday, December 29, 2007

STARTED WITH A WHIMPER

ENDED WITH A BANG

Until midnight, we just weren't that busy. After 5 hours, I only had 4 fares for a total of $90. One of those was a truncated OGG from far north Kihei. And an average of $22.50 per trip isn't shabby, there just wasn't enough of them. I was so depressed that I wanted to park in a garage and leave the motor running. Luckily, there are very few garages on Mau'i. Almost everybody has car-ports. Those that do have garages probably never parked their car in it. If it hasn't been converted to a bedroom, its being used for storage. Lots of storage.

Then the "witching hour" occurred and we started moving. 6 runs between then and 2:00 AM and 4 more during my solo dog-watch period. I was happy that my relief checked in at 4:00 AM.

My OGG was two ladies from Alberta, Canada. Picked them up from a going away party thrown in their honor. I think they fit the mold for the term "Bimbettes". Very blond, 30-ish. Totally self centered. Each trying to outdo the other in their expression of emotion about leaving. Each overriding the other in conversation. Literally both talking at once and neither one listening to the other. Then they started in on their feelings about the people they had been staying with. I think there was a tenuous relationship between one of them and their hosts. Possibly even between each of them, too. They sounded like sisters in their beratements. I was so glad that the ride was a relatively short one.

On Thursday night a lady left her purse in the cab. The next fare handed it to me and, since she had been the only female for a couple of hours, I returned it ti the front desk at their condo. Last night I picked up her and her companions again. I asked if her purse had been returned to her.

"Did I lose it again?"

It was hanging from her shoulder and she was beyond intoxicated. Since she was an Asian/Polynesian mix, I presumed that she, maybe, had consumed 4 beers. That enzyme "thang". Didn't get a reward for my honesty or even a thanks. I know it had her ID in it and she would not have been able to return back to her home on O'ahu without it.

This morning I received a call from a guy in north Kihei who wanted me to pick up one of his girlfriends, a cocktail waitress in the "Triangle", from FoodLand and bring her to his place. An attractive girl from the mainland, she had obviously had a few "Pau Hanas" after work. Quite a few. We get to his place and he walks out to pay me, wrapped only in a bath towel. She squealed in glee,