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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION

CAN'T SAY THE SAME ABOUT MY ANSWERS...

jo said...

Love those 1920's pics, where did you find them?

Did a google image search, using the word "Waikiki"


You never know what you'll find under a waterfall





Little Green men of the world said...

The Hawaii tourism board should be paying you by the post!

That much money would throw me into a tax bracket. I would become a blip on our Draconian Gov'ts radar.


NO RAIN....
NO RAINBOWS!






CharterJames said...

How does this dispatch chore work? I am picturing that one of the drivers does it on the fly, and that you pass the chore around from night to night? But how do you do it from within the car?

The landline is "call forwrded" to the company cellphone. The driver who has that night's "duty" answers the phone. Asks the appropriate questions,

"Where is the pick-up?"

"What is the destination?"

"How many people?"

He then uses the cab's two-way radio to dispatch the call. We are not computerized.

The driver/dispatcher also must keep up with the location of every cab, who is where in the queues and take reservations for the next day. All this is done while also doing their duties of driving a cab.


LIFE ABOUNDS AROUND MAU'I









jo said...

Hi Wil

Are you sure you are not a woman?

Hmmm. Let me check...
If my Gray's Anatomy is correct, then I am all male.

I learned to multi-task a long time ago. One of my first jobs was as a short-order cook in a diner that had greasy windows and a flickering neon sign that said "EATS". I was also a radio disc-jockey back in the days of 45 rpm records. Paid for my first year of college.

Both of those occupations required me to do a hell of a lot of things at the same time. And they had to be done correctly and in a timely manner. Radio stations don't want "dead air" and construction workers wanted their breakfast NOW!



ANOTHER ROYAL CAB

Snagged this one from San Francisco Taxi

Compared to the Crown "Vic" behind it, those London style cabs are really small. Look to be the size of a Scion.




ARTISTIC LICENSE

Did anyone else notice any thing wrong with this picture from yesterday?

I'll post the answer tomorrow.



Later.....

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

Monday, August 14, 2006

HONOLULU

THEN AND NOW

Honolulu ("hoe-noe-lou-lou" not "hon-oh-lou-lou"), is the capitol of the State of Hawai'i. The City and County of Honolulu comprise the entire island of O'ahu ("oh-ah-who" not "oh-wah-who"). The island has a population of about 1,000,000 people. This is where the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Hickham Air Force Base are located and was the site of the start of World War II for America, on December 7th, 1941.

Prior to that war, Honolulu was an exclusive tourist destination for the wealthier members of society. This was before air travel was common and the only way to get to Hawai'i was by ship. Every Friday, the passenger ship would dock at the Aloha Tower. Arriving guests would leave the ship and departing guests would board. Friday was a big day in Honolulu at that time and all this activity spawned the term "Aloha Friday". "Aloha" means "Hello", "Goodbye", and "I love you". People arriving. People departing. Romances terminating. It's a good word.

The Aloha Tower

The Traditional Lei Greeting
Waikiki Beach, Diamondhead in the background




Nightlife was traditional Hawai'ian
And the girls didn't wear coconut shell bras for their shows
There were only two hotels
The surfboards back then were made of Koa wood and were very heavy
Honolulu Today
The city went through a massive building boom in the late '60's
Only in an aerial shot like this can you really see Diamondhead
Now hi-rise condos and hotels block the view from the beach
A view from Diamondhead
What little of Waikiki beach that remains is usually extremely crowded
Waikiki at night



Later.....

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

Sunday, August 13, 2006

PAGING PARIS HILTON

WE HAVE FOUND YOUR DOPPLEGANGER

Made a pickup at the Tiki Lounge, in the "Triangle", last night at bar close. A 3-pax. Two ladies and a guy. It was obvious that the people in the backseat were a "couple". The blonde that rode "shotgun" was the "third-wheel". Our destination was the Polo Beach Club, which sits on the beach behind the Kea Lani, in Wailea.

Just as I pull onto south Kihei road, blondie says she wants to go to Ohina street. Ohina is a residential street, just south of where I live. Not a problem, its just a short side jaunt from our route. As we approach the "76" station she shouts "Turn here! Turn here!" So I pull into the station. She needs cigarettes. The guy in the back says, "What are you doing, Kaitlyn?"

"I want some fucking cigarettes."

She gets out and I get my first good look at her. Initial impression was of a tall blonde, mid to late 20's. Wearing a mini-skirt that wasn't much longer than most belts are wide. Short enough that, when she bent over to pick up some dropped coins, you could see that she was wearing thong panties so abbreviated that it basically was just a strand of dental floss in her butt. The guy in the back also sees this and just says, "geez".

Get back on the road and the guy asks where Ohina street is and I explain the location

"Kaitlyn. I hope this guy is a good fuck."

She just gave a mumbled, inebriated response and pulls out her cell phone. I ask for the house number on Ohina and she tells me she doesn't know it but will recognize the house.

I would need my PC to calculate how many times a drunk has told me that, in exactly the same words. We were going on a "Drunkards Walk".

She was using her phone in "speaker mode" and when it was answered I could easily hear the other end of the conversation. It was obvious that this dude had given her his number, along with a single pink rose, during some encounter that night. He had apparently left the "Triangle" earlier and went home. Her call had awoken him. She wanted him to stand in front of his house so she could find it. While he was very polite towards her, it was obvious that he was not opting to satisfy her carnal desires.

I drove slowly down Ohina street waiting for her to tell me to stop. We reached the end of the street and there was no Prince Charming to be seen. Turned around and started back.

By the context of their conversation, I figured out that blondie and the guy in the back seat were brother and sister.

Finally the guy says, "I am making an executive decision here. Take us directly to Polo Beach."

"Yes, sir"

Kaitlyn then tells me to stop the cab, so she can get out. She apparently planned to wander this neighborhood until she found what she wanted. Big brother and the other lady (sister-in-law?) both immediately told her that there was no way they were going to leave her in some strange place, lost, in the middle of the night.

I started making a series of turns through the streets, working my way to Wailea.

"Stop this cab NOW! Or I am going to open the door and jump out."

Pressed the doorlock button and increased the speed just a bit so that she might get a little scared. When the locks clicked, I heard the briother softly say, "Good move."

"This cab driver is an asshole and he is kidnapping me."

The sister-in-law started chewing Kaitlyn out, in a firm but gentle "big sister" voice.

"No he isn't. He has been very polite to you, Kaitlyn, and he is only thinking of your welfare. You can call Mr. 'Long Dick' when we get to the condo and he can pick you up there. Or you can borrow my vibrator, if you didn't bring one, to get you through the night. But you are going home. So shut up and quit being rude to the driver. He has taken enough of your stupid abuse."

7 minutes later, I dropped them at the Polo Beach Club and had to remind Kaitlyn to take her rose that she had left on the front seat.

And that was the only interesting ride the whole night. But I had a lot of rides and another night of very big "bucks" on the meter.

My final run of the shift was at 4:30am from The Grand to OGG. A really nice guy. Former CHP (California Highway Patrol) State Traffic Officer, who had moved on to working for the U.S. Treasury Department as a Secret Service Agent. He had worked in both Executive Protection and later in Counterfitting. Now he is part of a team of private security people who provide presidential style protection for very wealthy VIPs. He has four more months to go on his current assignment and then will retire to his farm in South Carolina. 122 days to go. Good luck, Dan.



METROBLOG-HAWAI'I

I have accepted an invitation to be an author for MetBlog-Hawai'i. They may be a bit surprised at my style. Drop by sometime. While it won't be an exact copy of Paradise Driver, it will be similar in nature.

Til tomorrow....



TODAYS PICS
Paradise
Look real close and you'll see the road to Hana
One of those where words can't describe it
Fido takes a ride
Commuting, Hawai'i style
Do to all the cancellations, airlines are offering very deep diacounts for trips to Hawai'i. This is a short term offer. Why not just just drop everything and get over here NOW. Hotel rates are also really cheap. This could be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity. Check Cheap Tickets.Com
Beautiful women live here
Beautiful women visit here
Beautiful women come from everywhere



Later.....

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

I'LL BE BACK

I NEED TO SLEEP

More this evening, my time (UTC-10)

Snagged this from Lugosi's blog

Dramatic
An opening flower
Was it ever really like this
Kona coast - Big Island
Joy
Plumeria
Rainbow
A secret cove
Snail shells
Waterfall
Hibiscus
Waikiki, Honolulu
Some sunsets





Later.....

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