DO NOT PANIC!

NOTHING CAN GO WRONG! [click-click]
GO WRONG! [click-click]
GO WRONG! [click-click]
GO WRONG! [click-click]...

As I turned down the hill into Wailea, headed for work, I glanced at the sunset. It was the most beautiful one I have ever seen. And that is saying a lot. It made the one at the end of today's THE PICTURE GALLERY look lame. So, you are probably asking, why did I post this photo on the left. Sadly, there wasn't time to stop and snap off a couple of quick shots. 10 minutes later is what is shown. Being in the tropics means that we have neither lingering sunsets nor sunrises.

"What time does it get dark here?"
"About 7:30 P M."
"No! I mean really, really dark."
"Oh. You mean really, really, really dark?"
"Yeah."
"Seven-Thirty-One."

From a conversation I had with an elderly lady out of Washington State, USA, when I rented cars at the airport.

***

For a Tuesday night, it was pretty decent. And, from what the other drivers told me, it was also the busiest night they've had since I have been gone. It even beat Friday and Saturday past. So it looks like I didn't miss anything. The biggest issue regarding my absence was who had to cover the graveyard shift. Not my problem.

My night wasn't quite as easy as I had hoped. Went to print up some business cards and the toner cartridges were almost empty. Printed two sheets (10 cards ea.) of "side 1-front". Reloaded them into the printer and printed "side 2-back". Right over the top of the top of what was there. I had mis-inserted the damn forms. I knew I had a few left on the sun-visor of ONE-NINE and that was going to have to suffice.

Get into ONE-NINE and the tank is below 1/4 full. 72 miles til empty. [sigh]

Check-in and head for the look-out. Turn on my digital camera and all I can get on the view screen is pure white. And since all settings are only displayed on the view screen, took the above shot "blind".

Looked down at my wristwatch and it was dead. An analog face and the hands read "4:16".

By 10p I had enough money to fuel up ($52.60). At 11p I stopped into Long's Drug Store and bought one of those cheap Casio digital watches for $20.

All the night crew stayed busy until 11:30p, when the shift ground to a halt.

2 drivers bailed at midnight

2 barclose finished off my night.

I am sitting at home, about 3:20a, when the owner calls and asks what arrangements have been made to "Meet & Greet" a private jet at OGG's General Aviation side.

NONE!

No info had been passed on to me. A 2-van request to haul luggage only back to a Wailea resort. The passengers would be using a streeetch limo. I used to have access keys for every vehicle in the fleet. Not anymore.

The two early day drivers are hustled out of bed and sent off to do the greeting. And then were canceled. The owner had misread the date on the reservation request. It is for Thursday morning, Not today.

A "Chinese fire drill" would be an apt description.

12 fares / 74 miles / 1st quarter $100 bracket

***

Lori Stewart (a/k/a/ g'nightgirl) was on the radio in her hometown yesterday. Promoting the "Spaghetti Feed" benefit to raise donations to get all those toys and sundries mailed to Iraq in her Toys For Troops campaign.

Check out this audio feed:

***

I am off to bed. I made it through the entire shift without a break and now I need to whisper "sweet nothings" to my pillow for awhile.

Mahalo

Aloha

---

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Wailea
Assorted venues

***

97538



"Let's all be careful out there!"