STUPID

CONTRASTS

There is "fun" stupid and there is "dumb" stupid.

The valets at Tsunami's last night were bored. Very bored. I decided I would take their pic since I did not have a photo of Krystel or Jerome. They chose to do a take off on the "Charlie's Angels" logo. Just good old fashion stupid fun.

Krystel, Debbie, Jerome

And then there is "dumb" stupid.

I had just made a pickup at Denny's restaurant at 2:35am and was headed north on S. Kihei road. A red Chevy "S10" pickup truck pulled out in front of me, Accelerating heavily on the rain slick street. "Fishtailing." Rather than backing off the gas, he continued to add more throttle. End result was he lost control and rammed thru the traffic light stanchion at the intersection of S. Kihei and Alanui Ke Ali'i.

Tremendous shower of sparks and then the intersection went dark. The pole was laying across the northbound lane, knocked over 30 feet from its base. The pickup had left the roadway and was in the shrubbery surrounding the decorative fence at the Tradewinds Worldmark hotel/condo. The entire right front of the truck was "pole molded" by about 2 feet and the rightfront wheel was shoved all the way back to the firewall.

I immediately called 9-1-1 and stopped to render aid. The driver was drunk and shook-up. I took his picture, both for use here and to show the police should he decide to take "footbail" before the cops arrived.

His buddies decided that I was a "prick" (probably the first time they've ever been correct in their short lives) and then proceeded to block all further shots.



Police took the driver to jail. DUI and, if this incident follows the paradigm for Mau'i, probably also unlicensed and uninsured. Those last two are pure speculation on my part and I have no facts to make a validity judgement.

Police, fire, paramedics, a tow truck and a MECO (Mau'i Electric Company) truck all responded. Roadway was clear in less than 2 hours.

The flash on my camera is worthless for distances greater than 10 feet. Using the ambient light keeps the shutter open for 1-3 seconds. Thats why most of my "natural light" shots are blurred. Even with your arms braced, your own heartbeat will cause minute, but detectable, movement of the camera.
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FRIDAY

The dawn brought muted, cotton candy daylight. Good "sunburn" conditions. Very few showers.

Started my shift at 7:00pm and assumed dispatch at 7:15pm.

Started with 9 cabs. Until 10:00pm we stayed steady and I was able to cover every request within 15 minutes or less. By 10:00pm, normal attrition had left me with 5 cabs.

10:00pm is the "magic moment" of the night. The point where business slows or stays busy. Tomight it slowed. Went into a coma, with brief fits of activity. "Push out" was very manageable.

At 1:00am, the rain began. About second slowest speed on variable wipers. About 2 notches below "irritant" and one above "nuisance".

My solo part of the morning was satisfactory. While I was refueling, in the middle of Kihei, a man approached and wanted a ride to Wailea. Nice way to end the shift. A paid ride home.
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Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

EXCUSE ME!?!

ASSHOLE!

The night started off fast.

As soon as I logged on, I was given a dispatch for a run to the Seawatch.

When I cleared that I was dispatched to an address in Mau'i Meadows, a Kihei subdivision that borders the northeast edge of Wailea. The guy gets in my cab.

"Aloha. Where are we headed tonight?"

"The store."

"Which store sir?"

"The shops."

"The 'Shops at Wailea?'"

"Okay."

[radio traffic]"One-nine picked up, XXXXX to the "Shops.' Roundtrip."[/radio traffic]

"I am NOT going to the 'Shops!'"

"Then where are we headed sir?"

"Just shut up and drive. I'll tell you where to turn and when to stop."

I slammed on the brakes, after traveling about 100 yards, and immediately did a "Y"-turn.

"Sir, this ride has just ended. No one talks to me in that manner and that tone of voice. EVER. I am taking you back to your house. You don't owe me a penny."

"What the fuck?"

"No 'what the anything' sir. I am not your peon and you sure as hell ain't my master. You'll have to find another means of transportation."

"What if I said 'I'm sorry'? I need to get to an ATM machine."

"Thanks your problem, sir, not mine. Now GET OUT!"

He called "dispatch" and complained and was told by Alex, "Wil's the hardest driver in the fleet to piss off. Somehow you did it and, no, I won't send another cab. You'll need to find another way to get to an ATM machine."

Now I was irked. While all this was going on, all the other cabs were picking up to OGG [sound of grinding teeth].

Staged up 1st, and only car, in the queue.

Nothing.

Nada.

Then my right rear door opened and a guy stuck his head in and asked for a ride to The Four Seasons, next door.

As I am turning into the driveway at The Four Seasons I notice a nice looking couple standing on the curb, with luggage. Thats strange. After dropping my fare, and reaching the street again, the lady "flagged" me down.

"Can you take us to the airport please?"
***Instant endorphine rush!***
"Uh, sure. Hop in."

That was followed by another OGG run when I returned to Kihei.

Things were definately improving!

We kept busy until 10:00pm and then it "died."

Eeked out a few pupu runs until bar close.

But the "cherry on the cake" was getting a 5:00am run from the Kihei-Wailea border to Ka'anapali (kah-ah-nah-pah-lee). Fare=$92.00. (Tip=$3.00. Oh, well.)

Went home very happy. Very tired but very happy. I could now make a "lay-away" payment on that pack of chewing gum I've wanted for so long. ;)
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GAS

Since my "idiot light" was on, in my personal car, I threw $20 into the tank on the way home. Didn't buy much.

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RARE SIGHT

I haven't seen one of these in years. A "barber's pole." It was the rotating type and the colors didn't capture well. Sorry. Its on a shop in the "Triangle."

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THE TRIANGLE

This is what the "Triangle" and Life's A Beach look like in the pre-sunrise daylight.

This is what the back lot at the "Triangle" looked like 24 hours after the flooding. Where those puddles are is where the water was over 4 feet deep.

This is the walkway from Lulu's to the Tiki Lounge, in the "Triangle."

See how hard it is to hold a camera steady for a 2-second exposure.
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BILL MELTON

This is my friend, Bill, from MPD. He reminds me a lot of myself at that age. A true professional and a nice guy.


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LAHAINA YACHT HARBOR

On my way back from Ka'anapali, I stopped by the harbor in Lahaina (lah-high-nah) and got a couple of shots. It was still dark, sorry.


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SCENIC VIEWPOINT

This is a spot on the pali, on SR30, between Lahaina and Ma'alaea.

There really wasn't a view of anything but clouds, clouds and more clouds.
If you look closely at the plaque above you'll notice a diagram, at the bottom, of what people can seen on a clear day. The same plaque is shown below, without use of the flash. On the actual horizon, above the plaque, you can see the island of Mau'i (the Makena area), the island of Kaho'olawe (kah-hoe-oh-lah-vay) and the very tip of Lana'i.
This plaque is actually more readable in this photo that it is in real life.

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MA'ALAEA HARBOR

Looking east. The West Mau'i Mountains in the left background.

Mt. Haleakala across Ma'alaea Bay. Kihei runs along the far shoreline. Wailea is to the far right with Makena just out of view.

Looking southeast towards Haleakala.
Hundreds of people were there this morning to go whale watching, snorkeling and deep sea fishing.
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

HOW LONG CAN YOU TREAD WATER?

FLOODED

Started raining again about noon yesterday and it was a heavy, steady downpour for the next 12 hours. Between 7:00pm and 9:00pm it was a windless monsoon.


South Kihei Road flooded in it's usual low spots. The pics below were taken from the FOODLAND parking lot, looking south. That's "LAB" ("Life's A Beach") on the corner of the "Triangle."




Move a half block to the east and this is the back parking lot, behind Kahale's, at the "Triangle."



These shots were taken around midnight, about 3 hours after the heavy rain.

During the peak of the flooding I watched some kid, riding a "boogie board", being pulled down S. Kihei Road by a 4x4, riding the bow wave.

LAB had to sandbag their main entrance after flood waters entered their bar. They never did close though. However, Neptune's and Kahale's were forced to close due to inundation. During the peak flooding, that back lot had over 2 feet of flowing water in it at it's highest point. Over 4 feet at it's lowest. In fact, the water escaping out of that lot onto the street looked like a spillway on a dam.

We had four major areas of flooding. In front of the "Triangle". A mile north from there, between Marco's restaurant and Chevron. A half mile north of that, by the Mau'i Sunset condos. And 2 miles further north, near the junction of the Mokulele Highway and S. Kihei Road. In all the locations the water was between 3 and 5 feet deep.

Also had a bunch of stranded motorists. These idiots seemed to think that they could "keep on truckin'" at 30mph through the flooded areas. Each one had their car's electrical system shorted out. The tow trucks stayed busy for hours.

It is possible to drive through this (sometimes there just isn't an option), but only at a 1-2mph crawl. Don't create a bow wave!!

By 3:00am all of the flooding had drained off.
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GAS PRICE

It just keeps going up. I thought crude oil prices were dropping?

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"ALL ABOARD!"

The "pineapple express" is now in effect.

Poor California, especially the Bay Area, is going to have one hell of a rough time.
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN?

WEATHER UP DATE

Well, it is not raining at the moment. But last night it started about 5:00pm and continued all night.

"BIG BLUE" shows that we are still tapped into the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). I'll be glad when this pattern is over. There is a good chance that this tropical flow could create another "pineapple express" to the west coast of the US. Something they really don't need.

Didn't work last night, hence no pics today.

All my old injuries were complaining too much. Even had to get my cane out to walk to my car at home. I seldom have to use it. No way was I capable of lifting 200 pound (90kg) bags of luggage into and out of the trunk.

As the old line goes:
"If I knew I was gonna live this long, I would've taken better care of myself." :)

See ya tomorrow. Aloha!

==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

TUESDAY TIDBITS

MAU'I TORNADO

Photo is from the Maui News.

They are rare but tornadoes, and waterspouts, do occur here.
You can read more here.
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SOME FELLOW DRIVERS
Brian L.

Flor

Ginnie

Harden J.

Harden made the worldwide tabloids this past Christmas when Paris Hilton peed in the back of his cab.

Jim G.

Joel B.

"Kimo"

Mary M.

Susan H.

Tina

This is only part of the crew. Some just don't want their pics taken and the others I rarely have contact with.
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RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY....

The weather is starting to improve. Kind of a "milky" blue sky right now. The weather front that caused all the problems has moved north but there is still enough residual moisture in the atmosphere to cause some convectional heating thunderstorms. Hopefully by this weekend we'll be back to our normal tradewind weather that Mau'i is so famous for.

And the tourists will stop complaining to me about the weather. As if it is all my fault that their vacation was rained on.

At least they didn't have to shovel it.
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SPRING BREAK

"Spring Break" is a month long event. Different colleges and universities take their breaks at different times. Thus spreading out the tourist flow.

We typically get the "juniors" and "seniors" here, since the cost of transportation is so expensive. "Freshmen" and "sophomores" typically pile a whole passle of people into a few cars and head for Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Lake Mead, NV. or South Padre Island, TX.

Our "spring breakers" tend to be more relaxed and not the underage "binge drinkers" that the other locations get. Thank god.
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COAT-OF-ARMS

Turns out that my family name has a "Coat-Of-Arms".

Not really important, just thought I would share it ;)
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ANOTHER WEEK

Start another work week at 7:00pm. Time to take a nap.
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Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

MONDAY "FILLER"

BIG BLUE

Here's a shot of the Pacific showing the massive cloud cover over Hawai'i.

The image above is static.
The images below will change with time

GOES-11
(View of entire Pacific ocean. Updates hourly)

GOES-12
(View of North and South America & Atlantic Ocean. Updates hourly)

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PEOPLE I WORK WITH

Steve is the senior valet at The Grand. He works the overnight shift by preference.

Dennis is the evening "Doorman" (the overall chief of the entry) at The Grand

Tammy is the evening valet supervisor at The Grand. She's just returned from maternity leave.

Tonya was Tammy's leave replacement. She still covers on Tuesday evenings.

Debbie is new to The Grand's valet team. She came over from the Kea Lani. She works in the evenings. She is very smart.

Tim GWR SECURITY

John GWR SECURITY

Tom GWR SECURITY

Jennifer, valet supervisor at the Kea Lani in the evenings.

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Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"