Kihei, Hawaii Whitefish, Montana Bloomington, Minnesota Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria UTC/GMT Iraq Afghanistan Republic of Korea Ocean Grove, Victoria
Optimized for 1280x1024 resolution

Thursday, February 14, 2008

SECOND ANNIVERSARY...

OF PARADISE DRIVER

Made this post and Bob of Taxi Tales & Two Steps Back suggested that I write a cab-blog. The result is in the archives. I think I've only missed posting 3 or 4 times.

I want to thank all of you who come by to read my drivel and especially my regular commentators.

PD has been read by people from 130 different countries and, since April 4th of 2006, has had 51,423 visitors, generating 64,818 pageloads.

Again, MAHALO to all of you!

***
In December of last year we had 3 NCL (Norwegan Cruise Lines) ships (Pride of Aloha, Pride of America, Pride of Hawaii) doing the seven day voyage around the State. In January NCL removed the Pride of Hawaii from service here and reassigned it, with a new name, to its European, mostly Mediterranean, routes. This May the Pride of Aloha will be transferred to NCL's Asian service.

This is/will cause a significant dent in our economy. Taxes from the 1700+ crew members payroll. Vendor revenue and the subsequent down-sizing of vendor's payroll. Most of the hospitality crew members were from the mainland and will probably return there. Their unemployment benefits covered by the State of Hawai'i. Spending at all the ports of call will decrease. It is estimated that 9,000+ people will lose their jobs as a result.

Maui News Story

***
Got a surprise call from Pat & Ray last night, just before I started my shift. They wanted to go to Tommy Bahamas for dinner. Their round trip covered 2 of the 3 runs I had before 10:00 PM. A very blah night.

There was a bar-fight outside of LAB about midnight. Two guys over a girl. Both combatants were detained for a while. One officer interrogated one of them right behind where I was parked. I pretty much ignored what was being said until "loverboy" came out with:
"I won't blow smoke up your ass."
Whenever I heard that line, in my past, I knew instantly that the next words out of the guy's mouth would be him "blowing smoke up my ass". I listened further and this clown was no exception. MPD released both of them. They hadn't witnessed the batteries and it was a "mutual combatant" situation. Neither wanted to file charges against the other. I wonder if she is worth it? Probably not.

Rumor is that one of our drivers is purchasing a Taxicab Permit and going independent. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

10 fares / 77 miles / 1st quarter $100 bracket

Have a reservation to take Pat & Ray into Wailea for their Valentine's Day dinner. That'll put $25 on the meter. I wonder how many more I'll be able to tack on? Check back tomorrow to find out.

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Mahalo

Aloha


THE PICTURE GALLERY





***



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


"Let's all be careful out there!"

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

ALMOST EVERYTHING...

HAPPENED BETWEEN 7 & 10

Dollar-wise, a lackluster shift but at least we had "activity" during the early part. I seemed to be on the dispatch god's shit list. Never had a decent run all shift. Just very short pu-pus, most below $10. And nary a fare on the dog-watch. I scraped the dregs all night. Had a reservation for 3:30 AM. Out of Wailea to OGG, which is a strange time. The airport doesn't open for business until 5:00 AM. And since it was such an odd hour, I pretty much guessed that it was going to be a 10-13 (no show/no load), but I had to respond. Just in case. The party never appeared and I didn't call the room. Because I have discovered that people at concierge desks in the resorts don't know the difference between AM and PM. I wish we used military time, as almost everybody outside of North America does. No confusion that way. I actually think in military time and have to convert to the other method when talking to others. I grew up as an "air force brat" and we used military time in our house. I was a cop and that was the standard there also. A 24 hour clock makes so much more sense than a 12 hour one does.

11 fares / 70 miles / 4th quarter below $100 bracket

The "Bond. James Bond" post has drawn a lot of response. Some very interesting ID lines in all of the comments. Check them out and add others that may have been missed. This is an opportunity for all you lurkers to come out and play with the rest of us.

Pat & Ray set the time for me to pick them up on Valentine's Day night. So I know that I'll have at least 2 runs on Thursday. I'll be back tomorrow morning and hope you can stop in too.

Mahalo

Aloha


THE PICTURE GALLERY





***



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


"Let's all be careful out there!"

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

BOND

JAMES BOND

After the Roy Scheider post, I got to thinkin' about classic movie lines.

The title above is one. Others that come immediately to mind are:

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

"We're going to need a bigger boat."

"Party on, Garth"

"Do you feel lucky, punk?
Well, do you?"


"I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto."

What others can you think of? Lines that stand alone and instantly identify a movie (or series of movies).


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


"Let's all be careful out there!"

YE OLDE ...

TUESDAY E-MAILBAG

***
One day I shall burst my buds of calm and blossom into hysteria

***
This was sent as being a current review but I'll share my disagreements after the story.

How old is Grandpa???

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.

The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
television
penicillin
polio shots
frozen foods
Xerox
contact lenses
Frisbees and
the pill
There were no:
credit cards
laser beams or ball-point pens
Man had not invented:
pantyhose
air conditioners
dishwashers
clothes dryers and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir". And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."

We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends, not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

"grass" was mowed,
"coke" was a cold drink,
"pot" was something your mother cooked in
"rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
"chip" meant a piece of wood,
"hardware" was found in a hardware store
"software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap... and how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind...you are in for a shock!

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
Are you ready ?????


This man would be only 59 years old
To which I respond:
BULLSHIT!
69, maybe. 79 probably, but not 59. Hell I am 60 and we weren't listening to Dorsey, he was dead before I was born. Roosevelt was the one who gave the "fireside chats" over the radio, not Truman or Eisenhower. the drug terms are from my generation, but were unheard of prior. Frozen foods were in stores before I was born.

Ergo, this was either copied out of an old Saturday Evening Post, or the original creator of it has done some very poor research. Oh, and I both watched and listened to Jack Benny. He was on both radio and television in the early '50's.

***

Clutching their Dillard's shopping bags, Ellen and Kay woefully gazed
down at a dead cat in the mall parking lot. Obviously a recent hit---no flies, no smell. "What business could that poor kitty have had here?" murmured Ellen.

"Come on, Ellen, let's just go..."

But Ellen had already grabbed her shopping bag and was explaining, "I'll
just put my things in your bag, and then I'll take the tissue." She dumped her purchases into Kay's bag and then used the tissue paper to cradle and lower the former feline into her own Dillard's bag and cover it.

They continued the short trek to the car in silence, stashing their goods in the trunk. But it occurred to both of them that if they left Ellen's burial bag in the trunk, warmed by the TEXAS sunshine while they ate, Kay's Lumina would soon lose that new-car smell. They decided to leave the bag on top of the trunk, and they headed over to Luby's Cafeteria. After they cleared the serving line and sat down at a window table, they had a view of Kay's Chevy with the Dillard's bag still on the trunk. BUT not for long! As they ate, they noticed a black-haired woman in a red gingham shirt stroll by their car, look quickly this way and that, and then hook the Dillard's bag without breaking stride. She quickly walked out of their line of vision. Kay and Ellen shot each other a wide-eyed look of amazement.

It all happened so fast that neither of them could think how to respond.
"Can you imagine?" finally sputtered Ellen. "The nerve of that woman!"
Kay sympathized with Ellen, but inwardly a laugh was building as she
thought about the grand surprise awaiting the red-gingham thief. Just
when she thought she'd have to giggle into her napkin, she noticed Ellen's eyes freeze in the direction of the serving line. Following her gaze, Kay recognized with a shock the black-haired woman with THE Dillard's bag, hanging from her arm, brazenly pushing her tray toward the cashier. Helplessly they watched the scene unfold. After clearing the register, the woman settled at a table across from theirs, put the bag on an empty chair and began to eat. After a few bites of baked whitefish and green
beans, she casually lifted the bag into her lap to survey her treasure.

Looking from side to side, but not far enough to notice her rapt audience three tables over, she pulled out the tissue paper and peered into the bag. Her eyes widened, and she began to make a sort of gasping noise. The noise grew. The bag slid from her lap as she sank to the floor, wheezing and clutching her upper chest.

The beverage cart attendant quickly recognized a customer in trouble and sent the busboy to call 9-1-1, while she administered the Heimlich maneuver. A crowd quickly gathered that did not include Ellen and Kay, who remained riveted to their chairs for seven whole minutes until the ambulance arrived.

In a matter of minutes the curly-haired woman emerged from the crowd, still gasping, strapped securely on a gurney. Two well-trained EMS volunteers steered her to the waiting ambulance, while a third scooped up her belongings. The last they saw of the distressed cat-burglar, she disappeared behind the ambulance doors, the Dillard's bag perched on her stomach!!

***
Back to work tonight. Judy and Richard got home safely and had a blast in Honolulu. Her first time ever seeing a professional sporting event. Bob, her cat, reconciled after she opened a fresh can of kitty food.

See you tomorrow after work.

Mahalo

Aloha


THE PICTURE GALLERY

Won Ton Saimin




***



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


"Let's all be careful out there!"

Monday, February 11, 2008

REST IN PEACE

ROY SCHEIDER


One of my favorite actors, ever, has died.

Of his vast list of cinematic accomplishments, my favorite was ALL THAT JAZZ, the biography of Bob Fosse.

***
A Belfast senior citizen drove his brand new BMW Z4 convertible out of the car salesroom. Taking off down the M2, northbound, he floored it to 90mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left.

"Amazing!" he thought as he flew down the motorway, enjoying pushing the pedal to the metal even more.

Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a police car behind him, blue lights flashing and siren blaring.

"I can get away from him - no problem!" thought the elderly nutcase as he floored it to 110mph, then 120, then 130mph.

Suddenly, he thought, "What on earth am I doing? I'm too old for this nonsense!" So he pulled over to the hard shoulder and waited for the police car to catch up with him.

Pulling in behind him, the police officer walked up to the driver's side of the BMW, looked at his watch and said,

"Sir, my shift ends in 10 minutes. Today is Friday and I'm taking off for the weekend. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."

The man, looked very seriously at the policeman, and replied, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a policeman. I thought you were bringing her back."
"Have a good day, Sir," said the policeman.

***
Enjoy your day and I'll try to find something to write about tomorrow.

Mahalo

Aloha


THE PICTURE GALLERY





***



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


"Let's all be careful out there!"

Sunday, February 10, 2008

BE STILL MY HEART...

TWO DECENT NIGHTS IN A ROW!

We actually had a fight at bar close. Not the big rumble expected, just 2 idiots with 2 more idiot "brahs". I was sitting at FoodLand and saw it start. We still had some Tac-Squad members patrolling the "Triangle" property. Their BIG Ford "crew-cab" pickup truck, emblazoned with Police decals, was parked just 3 spaces from where we sit but the perimeter patrol by marked patrol cars was diminished from Friday night. I don't know what started the fight, who does with these things, but it was just about 1/2 way up the property line from Kihei road. It got interesting when they fell into the thick shrubbery. It got stupid when the 2 "brahs" jumped into the fray, just a few moments later. It gor funny when 5 Tac-Squad guys started grabbing bodies and tossing them into the air.
KA-THUMP!
No arrests. No tempory "on scene" detention. Just "kick ass" time. Ah, I remembor those days. [sigh]

It was the absolute correct way to handle the incident but I wonder what it would have looked like if someone had videoed it? Few civilians understand the concept of:
"Believe none of what you hear."

"Believe only half of what you see."
A "truth" that every cop adheres to.

Fairly active shift but no runs on the dog-watch. Even got to OGG. A "first-time" couple returning to "Chi ('shy') Town". The window in the right front door of #14 doesn't quite go all the way up. So close but not far enough. This causes a high pitched squeal of wind noise to pervade the cab. Irritating, to say the least. I apologized and they told me not to worry about it. They are used to that sound all winter long in Chicago and this was a lot warmer. A LOT warmer! A major reason I am "lucky to live Hawai'i".

Another night of reasonable passengers. I made it through the entire week without one problem. Rare.

More people say that reservations and occupancy are higher next week. I hope The Fates concur.

11 fares / 111 miles / 3rd quarter $100 bracket

Judy and her paramour, Richard, are in Honolulu for today's "Pro Bowl". They have tickets. So I am dropping by to "cat sit" Bob for a while each day. He really told me off when I arrived this morning. Momma hadn't come home last night and he was lonesome, and pissed. Held him, fed him and played with him and hated the look I received when I finally had to go. I'll be back tonight and will be able to stay a bit longer. Momma and Daddy will be home on Monday.

Mahalo

Aloha


THE PICTURE GALLERY





***



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


"Let's all be careful out there!"