Paradise Driver

Friday, April 20, 2007

WHAT A CHANGE UP

THURSDAY NIGHT WAS

photo credit: Maui Action Photos
Mahalo, Van

~ Amanda & Amanda ~
Greenbay, WI, USA

***

Started my shift with a Wailea to OGG trip. And that was before 8:00pm. Shortly after arriving back in Kihei, I get a small fare from the Safeway area to the north end of town. Then nothing for 2 hours. Deja vu. Just before 11:00pm things began hopping again and, since the day-shift drivers had finally gone pau hana, we had just the right mix of cabs to calls. "Crazy" Brian, TMR and myself just kept motatin' for a straight hour. Everybody headed out to the bars. That rush was followed by another hour of down time until bar close started around 1:00am.

A little after 1:00am, I was responding to a call at the "triangle" and saw a large group of local males dragging someone across the roadway from the "Triangle's" rear parking area to the rear of FoodLand. Then everyone proceeded to hit and beat the victim. Kicking and stomping him when he finally fell to the ground. 12 versus 1. I knew I needed to do something, quick. Grabbed my camera and started taking pics. The flash caught all the assailant's attention and they took off running. Some tried to chase me down, shouting to each other to "get the cabbie's camera". LOL. That wasn't successful. Naturally, none of the pics were any good but my intent was just to stop them from killing the guy. Police arrived a bit later, along with an ambulance.

Just as I checked in to Wailea from a drop at The Prince, I am dispatched for a fare, out of Wailea to Kapalua. The Ritz. About a $120 fare. While enroute, he called a friend who lived in Lahaina. After a bit of chit-chat the decision was made that he would be spending the ~~night~~ morning with his friend and thus the trip was truncated. Still metered just some coins below $80 and he gave me $130 in total. $50 tips are always appreciated.

Since I was out of town, TMR stayed on and did pretty well during my absence. He got a run across the island to Waihehe.

Took over the phone, finally, at 4:00am just as the new day-driver, Wally (#25) logged on. Compiled the reservations and e-mailed them to the owner. I knew I was going to be hanging around for a bit, since no other day drivers showed up early. Finally made it home by 6:00am. Even though I metered over $200 for the night, by last years standard I was still 1/3 short of what I was doing then. This has been my worst year in the business.

***

Routine traffic stop,
Azeka Place - Mauka

***

The addition of the Moon and Venus to a sunset just makes them even more interesting

Venus and the Moon were really close together last night.

***

This really hurts!

BAD!

***

Hey, thanks for stopping over. Its Friday and we all know that means I'll be dispatching tonight. Hopefully I'll find some interesting tidbits to write about and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'll make BIG BUCKS!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Mahalo

Aloha

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Artist Credit - James Coleman

Kaua'i

Black Sand Beach
Near Hana

Hanalei Bay
Kaua'i

Hilo Bay

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Thursday, April 19, 2007

SAME SHIT

DIFFERENT DAY

,Anyway, thats how the night started.

After logging in, I went to the Wailea Lookout:

To watch the fading embers of a beautiful sunset. A thin waxing moon being shepherded to bed by Venus. Please excuse the slight blurriness. This was a time exposure (about 5 seconds) and as hard as I tried to brace the camera, there is still some inherent wobble (couldn't get my heart to stop beating for a few seconds).

By dispatch option, I was moved into Kihei at 9:00pm, sans any fares. About 50 minutes later I am finally assigned a run. Out of Wailea, of course, and took a very nice Japanese couple from there to far north Kihei.

Next run was at 11:15pm. An elderly lady who loves to play "Texas Hold'em" at a residence right behind the Kihei District Police Station. The "buy in" is $35 and the pay out is to the top three winners, with #1 usually getting about $900 (thats some serious "chump change"). She never leaves a "winner" and she always requests me, since riding in a sedan is so much easier for her.

A 1:30am "flag" took me from the "Triangle" to Wailea.

And that ended our "busy"

hours. 3 runs, less than $50.

Maybe I can get by on just 1/2 of a PB&J sandwich, a day, for the next 2 months.

But fortune and fate turned a kind eye towards me right after everyone went home. "Flagged" from the "Triangle" to the south end of town. A phone request from FoodLand to north central Kihei. Phone request from central Kihei to the Pride of Aloha, at Kahului Harbor and capped off the shift with a "regular" bartender, taking her home.

Flor (#27) was in by 4:00am, Prim (#22) was there by 4:30am and I was home by 5:00am. Passed on some decent reservations that should bring some smiles to the day driver's faces.

***

ONE-NINE at The Shops At Wailea.

LOCATION:

Intersection Mokulele Highway (SR-311) and Pi'ilani Highway (SR-31).

TIME:

0330 hours

ACTIVITY:

Checking out an abondoned vehicle.

***

Yes, the "professor" is gone.

But me thinks he shall not go softly into the night.

For legal reasons, I'll just leave it at that

, with one caveat. He WON'T be missed.

***

Thanks again, as always, for stopping by.

Don't forget to change your links, blogrolls, bookmarks/favorites and/or RSS feeds if you are still using the wilkyle.blogspot.com (PARADISE DRIVER) URL. As noted on that site, I will discontinue posting there as of May 1st and will only be posting to the paradisedriver.blogspot.com (Paradise Driver) URL.

Mahalo

Aloha

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Front Street
Lahaina

I'ao Needle

Mau'i "Cruiser"

Silversword
Haleakala

Along The Roadway From The Airport To The Resort On Lana'i

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

CY

FRIEND AND
CHEF EXTRAORDINAIRE

Cy is the chef from Saturday night's dinner. After he is done cooking, he then works as a FLOOR HOST (a/k/a/ "bouncer") at LAB. A really great guy.

***

It was a morgue last night

Logged on at 7:00pm and was second car in the Wailea queue. 2 hours later, with NO runs, I was allowed to head north to Kihei. Not that there was any business there either but the potential for activity was marginally greater.

As I was passing Fred's/Moose's, A guy flagged me. Party of 4 headed to the "Triangle."

That was it until 1:30am, when these same 4 people flagged me for their return trip to their condo's.

Between 3:00am and 3:30am I made 2 separate trips, talking home employees of Kahale's (Beach Club).

And that was my entire night. Didn't even make it to $30 on the meter.

Prim (#22) was in by 3:15am (God only knows why) and Wally (#05) made it to Wailea just before 4:00am. Since the first scheduled run isn't until 1:00pm this afternoon, I went "10-2" and crawled home to lick my wounds and have a PB&J sandwich for dinner. Things are going to be very austere for the next couple of months.

The image on the left is looking across FoodLand's lot to the "Triangle", towards Dog & Duck, Tiki Lounge, and Kahale's.

The right image shows how empty LAB was. These were taken about 1:00am, when the night should be rockin'.

There were more people smoking outside the bars than there were people inside them.

Hawai'i's "anti-smoking" ban, which went into affect on November 17th ("The Great American Smoke Out") last year, bans smoking in any building open to public access. Also, you cannot smoke within 20-feet of any doorway or window of any structure that is covered by the statute. Buses and taxis are also mandatory non-smoking.

***

A thousand words.

***

The rumor is that the "Professor" is history. And thats as much as I know. Whether it is true or not remains to be seen. Apparently sumptin' happened o'er the weekend. I've heard 3 different stories, which strongly coincide with each other.

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Images Are Of:

***

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

ARTICHOKES

2 for $6

After Saturday night, Judy and I were both up for a nice home cooked meal. I had offered to make spaghetti. We were in the veggie section of Safeway when I saw the above sign. We both looked at each other and then at the artichokes. Neither of us have had one in a very long time. So that was our instant change of menu. Added some potatoes and headed for the checkout stands.

The artichokes were larger (about the size of a softball) than we normally see on the store shelves in Kihei.

Took about an hour to prepare dinner, which was followed (a long while later) by a slice of THAT cheesecake she had received at her birthday dinner.

A tranquil and peace filled evening.

***

MEET HERCULESE