Paradise Driver

Monday, October 30, 2006

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS

A LITTLE BIT OF THAT

A good friend sent me this video. I think you might enjoy it.

My shortest fare was a pickup at LAB (Life's A Beach) with a drop at Sansei. Back then our meter started at $2.50 and was $0.25 for each 1/8th of a mile. The first 1/8th mile was included in the "drop". The meter never clicked over. Started at $2.50 and ended at $2.50.

THE PICTURE GALLERY

The Cove

Kalama Park

Between Waimahaihai and Welakahao Streets

Welakahao And South Kihei Road

Between Welakahao And Lipoa Streets

Lipoa Street And South Kihei Road

Lipoa And Uluniu Streets

Looking Down On The Azeka Shopping Centers

Between Azeka (right) And The Maui Sunset (left)

Maui Sunset Area

Between The Maui Sunset (left) And Past Menehune Shores (right)

Village-By-The-Sea (Kauhale Makai)

Menehune Shores

Menehune Shores And North (left)

A Classic Rainbow

A Great Place To End The Day

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Sunday, October 29, 2006

TIME CHANGE SNAFU / FUBAR

PEOPLE JUST DON'T THINK

The American Airline Flight #14 crew almost didn't get to the airport last night for the "red-eye" to LAX. Their arrival time in El Lay determines their departure time from Mau'i. Normally the crew is picked up by Speedi-Shuttle from the Maui Coast Hotel at 8:05pm. In daylight savings time, there is a three hour difference from Hawai'i to California. During standard time the difference is only 2 hours. This is because Hawai'i stays on standard time all year. We are so close to the equator that we do not have a need to play the semi-annual game with the clocks. Since flight #14 would arrive after the time change in California, it's departure time is now an hour later. Someone failed to take this into account. Speedi-Shuttle arrived at the normal 8:05p pickup time and then departed empty. The flight crew comes down to the lobby, expecting a 9:05pm pickup and the van never appears.

Oops!!

Speedi-Shuttle is called and refuses to send another of their buses, which is where I became involved. The only way the crew was going to make the flight was by taking a cab, actually 2 cabs. We got the crew there asap and then a problem developed. There were supposed to be vouchers waiting at the ticket counter to pay TMR and me. There were not. It took a few hours of phone calls between our dispatcher and American's HQ in Dallas, Texas, before a resolution was accomplished.

People's concept of reality seldom takes reality into consideration

.

This is the last time that the mainland will do the time switch on the last Sunday in October. Starting in 2007, the country switches back to DST on the SECOND SUNDAY in March and reverts to Standard Time on the FIRST SUNDAY in November. This will make it safer for the keikis (children) next Halloween. It will still be twilight, or brighter, while the small ones go "Trick or Treating" in their neighborhoods.

This whole time change BS is antiquated and should be eliminated. Originally it was installed to aid the farmers but there are few small family farms left. Most farm operations are 24/7 agribusinesses owned by multi-national corporations. The need for the change is a relic of the early 20th century. We should just establish DST as the NEW "Standard" and keep it in place year round. It would save fuel for electricity production. Its not like there isn't a precedent, we did it during the oil embargo of the '70's, during WWII, and a couple of other times. It is time to shed this mantle of our past and move into the 21^st century.

Continuing with this "time" theme, have you changed the batteries in your smoke detectors/alarms? If not, do it now, please.

Oh, Australia went onto DST on Sunday. Its getting close to summer there. On November 1st, at least in the State of Victoria, they'll institute some severe water rationing rules. They are having a very prolonged drought and barely had any rain this past winter (and longer).

I hope no one arrived an hour early for church or work today.

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Hale Kai 'O Kihei

The View From Kamaole Beach Park #2

Keawakapu Beach

All The Following Are Kamaole Beach, Which Is Divided Into Three Separate Beach Parks Along South Kihei Road.

Mau'i Sunset

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Saturday, October 28, 2006

SINCE IT WAS FRIDAY

I HAD THE PHONE

As soon as I logged on, the owner transferred the phone to me. The only scheduled pickup was an 8:30p from the Kea Lani to OGG. I was also the only cab available, anywhere, and was "first up" in Wailea. About 5 minutes later, I get a call from some people at the Maui Oceanfront Inn (MOF) inquiring about the cab they had scheduled for 7:00p. Dropped call #1. I roll on it. Two minutes after that, the valet desk at The Grand calls, wanting to know where the cab was for the 7:00p pickup to OGG. Dropped call #2. Cab #27 had cleared in Kihei and was returning to Wailea. I told him to "beat feet" to The Grand. He finally made the pickup at 7:30p. The passengers were not "happy campers". Luckily for #27, this was being billed to a master account at The Grand, which includes an automatic 15% gratuity for the driver.

It is extremely frustrating to be "blindsided", twice, at the beginning of the shift.

The first couple of hours stayed very busy and I had to decline about 8 calls, since every cab at my disposal was tied up on runs and I was backlogged about 30-45 minutes.

About 10:00p, the rush ended and became just the routine of a Friday night. #05 had called off and myself, with #15, #25 and #27, trudged through the tedium of the night. Bar close was the usual Keystone Kop dog and pony show and then the phone never rang again until 4:20a. (one exception below)

That call was from MPD. They were requesting a cab in the middle of Kihei, on the highway, near Safeway. Some people needing to go to Kahului. I started to roll on it when the little bulb went on above my head. Flor, one of my dayshift reliefs, picks his van up at the far north end of Kihei but usually doesn't check-in until he reaches Wailea. I called him on the phone and, sure enough, he was just 1/2 mile from where the police had the people's vehicle stopped. I gave him the run. He had driven less than 2 miles when they demanded to be let out. They paid Flor and started walking back to their SUV. He radioed me and I called the non-emergency number for MPD and told them what had happened. They relayed this to the patrol officers. It must have been interesting when MPD stopped the vehicle again, after having given all the occupants a very big break. Can you spell S-T-U-P-I-D?

Speaking of stupid. During the bar close rush, I get a call from a guy in Mau'i Meadows who want to go to The Shops At Wailea. I dispatch #27. A short while later, #27 advises that there is no such address. I remembered how many calls back this was on the phone and do a call-back. I confirmed the address and then told the man that there was no such house number. The number he had given me was 679. After a brief discussion, he insisted that he was at 978. Whoa! Thats another mile further up into the hills. I told him to forget it. He was wasting our time and gas and sent #27 on to another call in Wailea. 45 minutes later the guy calls back and wants to know when his cab is going to arrive. I ask him for the pickup address and he tells me 679 again. I gently and kindly (Yeah, right!) informed him that no cab was coming and that I was the only cab on the southside at that time of the morning and he was probably going to have to walk the 4 niles to The Shops. Unlike Brian, over at The Blank Top Chronicles, who chews stupid callers up with the finesse of a scalpel, my response is more sledgehammer and chainsaw. I know that the use of rude, coarse and vulgar language is the sign of a limited vocabulary but I have found that it is the only thing that penetrates what few brain cells that most drunks have left functioning in their pea-sized cranial cavity.

Turned the phone and reservations over to Flor and then hung around until a second cab came on duty.

Overall, an average Friday, moneywise.

*** *** ***

This morning's sunrise at Mauna Kea: