Paradise Driver

Saturday, March 03, 2007

女の子日 (Hina Matsuri)

GIRL('S) DAY

Today, the 3rd of March is known in Japan and Hawai'i as "Girl's Day". While the traditions of the past are maintained, It has also become the day when the Japanese celebrate all women's birthdays. A variation on America's consolidation of Washington and Lincoln birthdays into an all encompassing "President's Day". Saves on all that effort and wasted time of celebrating the individual. and focusing on the masses.

There is a corresponding Boy's Day (男の子の日 [Tango-no-Sekku]) on May, 5th of each year.

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I went into work, took over the phone, made some dispatches for about 90 minutes, was sick 3 times and decided it just wasn't worth it. I had actually woken up feely lousy but thought that I could just muscle mt way through the night. Obviously, I couldn't. Bought a 2-liter bottle of Sprite, hoping that I might be able to keep it down, on the way home.

We'll give it the old college try tomorrow.

Oh, it was very, very slow. No reservations and I never got a run. It took those 90 minutes to move from 6th up to 1st up.

Thanks for the visit.

Talk to y'all tomorrow.

Aloha!

THE PICTURE GALLERY

KAUA'I

Fern Grotto

Hawaiian Wedding Song

Ho'olalaea Falls

Kamokila
Hawaiian Village
Wailua

Kayaking
Wailua River

Opaeka'a Falls
Wailua

Rainforest
Wailua River

Wailua Falls

Wailua River Valley

Rain Forest
Wild Cat

Kaua'i Sunrise

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Friday, March 02, 2007

BETTER THAN TUESDAY

NOT AS GOOD AS WEDNESDAY

That just about sums it up. Didn't break $70 on the meter. Talked to a couple of cabbies from over on the "West Side". They were doing so poorly that they risked seeing if their luck would improve on the "South Side". Boy, is that a laugh. Talked to some chef's and servers from various restaurants and they are seeing a massive slowdown also. Bellhops from a couple of the "Big Box" hotels say that room service requests have also dropped. One said that he hadn't made one room service delivery during February.

Condos and timeshares are sold out for the next year. Hotels are at the 95%+ occupancy level (which is good for them) but very few FITs (Financially Independent Traveler), mostly corporate "groups" who won't buy anything not paid for by the corporation.

I know, I know. This constant "poor mouthing" from me is becoming extremely moribund and redundant.

Sorry.

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On a brighter note I found this at Bobby's blog and thought it worth sharing.

Why we love children

1) NUDITY I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, "Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!"
2) OPINIONS On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, "The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents."
3) KETCHUP A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. "Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."
4) MORE NUDITY A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"
5) POLICE # 1 While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, "Are you a policeman?" "Yes," I answered and continued writing the report. "My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?" "Yes, that's right," I told her. "Well, then," she said as she extended her foot toward me, "would you please tie my shoe?"
6) POLICE # 2 It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. "Is that a dog you got back there?" he asked. "It sure is," I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, "What'd he do?"
7) ELDERLY While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"
8) DRESS-UP A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."
9) DEATH While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that a proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: "Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he go-o-o-es."
10) SCHOOL A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"
11) BIBLE A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think its Adam's underwear!"

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Thanks for stopping in.

See ya tomorrow.

Aloha!

THE PICTURE GALLERY

KAUA'I

Coco Palms Resort
(now closed)
Wailua

Coconut Coast

Coconut Coast
Kealia Beach

Ka Lae o Ka Manu Heiau
Wailua

Poli'ahu Heiau
Wailua

Sleeping Giant
Nounou Ridge

C. Amko Building
Kapa'a

Island Hemp & Cotton Co.
Kapa'a

Kapa'a Trade Center

New Pacific House
Kapa'a

Pancho & Lefty's Cantina
Kapa'a

Wyland "Whaling Wall" Mural
Kapa'a

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"Let's all be careful out there!"

Thursday, March 01, 2007

I WISH YOU WEREN'T

A GIRL

Around midnight I am sent to THE GRAND for a couple going to one of the gated condos in Wailea. As I arrive I see 2 women sitting on the bench in the center island. I stop right next to them. No sign of acknowledgment or response to my presence. Must not be my people. About 3 minutes later the brunette stood and walked towards ONE-NINE. The blond lit another cigarette and the brunette returned to her.

"Are you the ladies that called for a cab?"
"Are you here for us?"
"Well, unless you believe in remarkable coincidence, I would think so."

I lean towards the passenger door and do an exaggerated scan of the hotel's entry.

"Don't look like there are a whole lot of other folks looking for a cab right now. You're going to XXXXXX, right?"
"Thats us" replied the brunette.

The blond lit another cigarette.
I started the meter. I knew what was coming next.

"You don't mind waiting while I smoke another cigaette, do you?"
"Not a problem. The meters running, so take all the time you want."

Her jaw drops.

"You started the meter? We're not even in the cab yet!"
"Thats true but you hired my services when you asked me to wait. I earn money by both mileage AND time."

She snuffs her smoke and they both climb in.
The trip is maybe 1/2 mile in length. The entire time they were in a very close embrace. "French" kissing and fondling each other. Very, very passionately.

"I wish you weren't a girl" the blond huskily exhaled as we arrived at the condo.

"Would you like to come in for some wine?"

The brunette paid me and I cleared the meter.

"That sounds like fun." blondie replied "I could stay the night and then leave from your place to go to work."

Brownie's face radiated as she quipped,

"We'll have an enjoyable night."

A VERY pregnant pause.........

"No. I think I'll just go home. I'll come by tomorrow morning, on my way into work, and pick-up my car. If I am not running late, we'll have a cup of coffee."

A few more polite invitations and denials and the ride continued to blondie's house. I've known blondie for as long as I have driven cab. She used to do the same sort of hustle with guys in the Kihei bars until everyone got wise to her. She is now working a different circuit, I see. We arrived at her place and I get the typical "I left my money in the house" routine.

"No problem. Just leave the purse you are carrying here on the seat and go grab your cash. Me and your purse will be waiting for you. With the meter running."

"With the meter running!?!"

"Don't waste your money arguing. Just go get your money and hustle you ass back out here. Pronto!"

The logic of that concept penetrated and she ran to her front door. And two minutes later I was very happy that a $6 fare became $17.

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Strangest thing this morning. Tried to log on to Blogger and no go. Couldn't get in to "New" Blogger either. Google news was gone. Google newsreader was dead. In fact, anything associated with Google was unavailable. I could get to other places. Just nothing of Google's.

Thanks for dropping by and have a fantastic day. Okay?

Aloha!

THE PICTURE GALLERY

KAUA'I

Salt Pond Park