Usually I like to develop my diaries a bit. But since kuro5hin.org is on time-out right now I'll keep it short.
After my shift today I was working on my notes when the night driver showed up. He said he was very busy last night, and barely made it to 6am. He had to refuse a passenger because the passenger couldn't tell him where to go, couldn't produce an ID with his address, etc. "just get out."
Then he told me about the big fellow at state fair who wanted a ride to 27th Ave & Camelback. The other taxi drivers refused him. My recruit said, "that's a $15 fare, I'll take you for $10." Upfront. Guy gets in the cab, and they drive off...
Monday, October 21, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Clockwork universe: instant taxi
Every so often I get a fare where I can show up very quickly. One night I pulled into a Circle K to work on my notes. It was well after 2am, so I was not expecting any fares until people started to wake up at 4am. After a few minutes the computer buzzed with a fare offer: 19yds. I accepted, and noted that I was to go to the Circle K I was already parked at. I pulled over to the door, the passenger got in, and we drove off.
Two weekends ago I was driving north on Scottsdale Rd when I was offered a fare. It said it was "900 yds", but this was based on my position 30 seconds or a minute before. I accepted, waited a few seconds, then looked down and noted that I was to go to the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. I looked up, checked the two lanes to my left to verify they were clear, then snapped left and proceeded to the lobby.
A woman saw me and ran over. The bellman was right behind her, as it was his job to open the taxi's door. The bellman said "I hadn't even finished logging the call..." Usually our scheduling center says 15 minutes, and these people were impressed at my arrival within seconds of their hanging up the phone.
Poll: Have you ever been intentionally misled by Skynet?
Two weekends ago I was driving north on Scottsdale Rd when I was offered a fare. It said it was "900 yds", but this was based on my position 30 seconds or a minute before. I accepted, waited a few seconds, then looked down and noted that I was to go to the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. I looked up, checked the two lanes to my left to verify they were clear, then snapped left and proceeded to the lobby.
A woman saw me and ran over. The bellman was right behind her, as it was his job to open the taxi's door. The bellman said "I hadn't even finished logging the call..." Usually our scheduling center says 15 minutes, and these people were impressed at my arrival within seconds of their hanging up the phone.
Poll: Have you ever been intentionally misled by Skynet?
Friday, September 27, 2013
The Providential Clockwork Universe: Choice Quotes
Sometimes I am sent to passengers, and sometimes they are sent to me. I have learned any number of things from the people who have stepped into my cab. Sometimes they drop one-liners that are insightful, profound, or just make me wonder: "... Really?"
The other afternoon I pulled up to a Tilted Kilt, which is a restaurant / sports bar with a female wait staff in skimpy uniforms. The woman who was to be my passenger had a slight smell of alcohol about her - maybe she was an employee, maybe she was a patron. Not all passengers talk back, but she asked questions, and I answered as appropriate.
When we got to her apartment she paid her fare, and dropped a gem: "Now I've got to go deal with the boyfriend, who's a Drunkasaurus-Rex. He's kind of an asshole." I would've compared notes about how to deal with alcoholics, but we were at her destination. I bid her adieu and went back to work.
The other afternoon I pulled up to a Tilted Kilt, which is a restaurant / sports bar with a female wait staff in skimpy uniforms. The woman who was to be my passenger had a slight smell of alcohol about her - maybe she was an employee, maybe she was a patron. Not all passengers talk back, but she asked questions, and I answered as appropriate.
When we got to her apartment she paid her fare, and dropped a gem: "Now I've got to go deal with the boyfriend, who's a Drunkasaurus-Rex. He's kind of an asshole." I would've compared notes about how to deal with alcoholics, but we were at her destination. I bid her adieu and went back to work.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Making connections, one passenger at a time
Drivers who have one of the company's wheelchair vans usually have a list of people who they are to pick up at appointed times. I also have an itinerary, but this I discover one passenger at a time.
The universe has an impeccable sense of timing, and an uncanny ability at arranging for my connections. Sometimes paying passengers appear to take me between my various 'appointments'. Othertimes I get a feeling that I am to go somewhere specific from where my cab is currently sitting. Sometimes non-paying passengers appear to take me in the direction I need to go, or to insert a 'delay' in my schedule, as needed.
Recently I was assigned the fare of a rather old man who was going to Denny's. This he said was his usual Saturday routine, except that day was a Sunday.
His neighborhood was relatively new. I'd gotten to the end of the street and still hadn't found his house number. A jogger coming off the trail said there was an elderly fellow just out of view. I drove over the sidewalk and down the trail. The passenger's property was secluded and seemed very old, and did not-at-all blend with his neighbors' houses. The satellite imagery shows an antique homestead surrounded by a modern development:
The universe has an impeccable sense of timing, and an uncanny ability at arranging for my connections. Sometimes paying passengers appear to take me between my various 'appointments'. Othertimes I get a feeling that I am to go somewhere specific from where my cab is currently sitting. Sometimes non-paying passengers appear to take me in the direction I need to go, or to insert a 'delay' in my schedule, as needed.
Recently I was assigned the fare of a rather old man who was going to Denny's. This he said was his usual Saturday routine, except that day was a Sunday.
His neighborhood was relatively new. I'd gotten to the end of the street and still hadn't found his house number. A jogger coming off the trail said there was an elderly fellow just out of view. I drove over the sidewalk and down the trail. The passenger's property was secluded and seemed very old, and did not-at-all blend with his neighbors' houses. The satellite imagery shows an antique homestead surrounded by a modern development:
 |
| the square is about where I found my passenger with his walker |
Thursday, August 22, 2013
not just a tobacco shop
A few months back a passenger & her daughter had me go to a "tobacco shop". I recently moved closer that shop, and my roommate smokes, so we dropped in to check it out.
Their selection of tobacco was quite limited. Their selection of glass, powdered vitamins and porn was extensive. The guy didn't want to tell me what "niacinamide" or "inositol" was for, but eventually my roommate learned that these are used to cut cocaine. "oh."
Poll.
Their selection of tobacco was quite limited. Their selection of glass, powdered vitamins and porn was extensive. The guy didn't want to tell me what "niacinamide" or "inositol" was for, but eventually my roommate learned that these are used to cut cocaine. "oh."
Poll.
Friday, August 16, 2013
harvesting life's gardens
Yesterday I went to the local Hallmark store to browse cards. Before visiting Mr. Crawford last November, I sent a rainbow & glitter card to give a heads-up that I'd probably swing by the following week. (Someone here pointed out that card's irony, which I hadn't considered.)
This time none of the cards seemed appropriate. I laughed at "congratulations on your new home", but that probably would NOT have been well-received, so I went back to the in-store post office to buy a stamped envelope for a regular letter.
It was there that I found the rack with gardens-in-a-card. There was a card with flower seeds that had a nice design, but then I noticed a card with edible plants. I thought it would be better to supplement our friend's prison diet - sometimes flowers can be hard to grow.
This time none of the cards seemed appropriate. I laughed at "congratulations on your new home", but that probably would NOT have been well-received, so I went back to the in-store post office to buy a stamped envelope for a regular letter.
It was there that I found the rack with gardens-in-a-card. There was a card with flower seeds that had a nice design, but then I noticed a card with edible plants. I thought it would be better to supplement our friend's prison diet - sometimes flowers can be hard to grow.
Monday, August 12, 2013
An anthem for taxi-driving
A few months ago I had a passenger ask for tunes, so I turned the radio on. This anthem for taxi-cab driving came on. At the time this song was playing regularly - it took a few repetitions before I caught the key lyrics ("hop in to a cab, take me anywhere"). Mostly I listen to KBAQ now. I used to say "no one ever complains about classical music", but as real-Jesus taught, "Ask, and it shall be given you." That passenger was the sort of person who could complain about anything.
In other news, the new British heir-to-the-throne's non-royal grandparents apparently weren't worthy of crown-coordinated transportation: Carole & Michael Middleton's Cab Driver from Hospital Says Experience Was "Really Exciting". I wonder what it takes to declare one's family to be royalty.
I haven't been posting much, but I do read all the diaries. Thank you for letting me know that our friend Michael Crawford is apparently back in jail. I am working on a letter - these were much-appreciated last time.
In other news, the new British heir-to-the-throne's non-royal grandparents apparently weren't worthy of crown-coordinated transportation: Carole & Michael Middleton's Cab Driver from Hospital Says Experience Was "Really Exciting". I wonder what it takes to declare one's family to be royalty.
I haven't been posting much, but I do read all the diaries. Thank you for letting me know that our friend Michael Crawford is apparently back in jail. I am working on a letter - these were much-appreciated last time.
Friday, April 26, 2013
origin of the 'tcj' moniker
When I started my taxi driving odyssey about a year ago, I had no idea what I was getting into.
One of my early passengers was a very-pregnant hispanic woman who was going to the hospital to have labor induced. Her blood pressure was through the roof and getting higher, and the doctor was like "we've got to get this baby out of you before it kills you!"
I asked what she'd been eating for the last few months: "saltine crackers". Really? Didn't your doctor tell you that you need more than saltine crackers for a health pregnancy?
But because of the nausea the crackers were all she could keep down. Doctors are good at making work for themselves.
One of my early passengers was a very-pregnant hispanic woman who was going to the hospital to have labor induced. Her blood pressure was through the roof and getting higher, and the doctor was like "we've got to get this baby out of you before it kills you!"
I asked what she'd been eating for the last few months: "saltine crackers". Really? Didn't your doctor tell you that you need more than saltine crackers for a health pregnancy?
But because of the nausea the crackers were all she could keep down. Doctors are good at making work for themselves.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Selective Electromagnetic Interference
Last Saturday opened with a decent pair of back-to-back vouchers. The second was a fingerprint-fare taking two sisters to a program for at-risk kids to do "normal kid" activities.
The company requires passengers less than 12 years of age to be accompanied by an adult. Alternatively, they are allowed to be picked up by a driver who has passed a background-check and obtained a fingerprint clearance. These girls were 11 and 5 years old, and I was able to get their fare because I put my prints on a card months ago.
The rest of Saturday was mostly unremarkable. Late in the day I found myself in old-town Scottsdale, and rather than work the short trips to the drinking establishments, I thought it better to start for home. A minute latter the quiet voice of guidance 'suggested' that I try to catch a kid's fare going home from the center, as one good fare is worth 3 or 4 small ones.
Inside: a message from our lost sheep.
The company requires passengers less than 12 years of age to be accompanied by an adult. Alternatively, they are allowed to be picked up by a driver who has passed a background-check and obtained a fingerprint clearance. These girls were 11 and 5 years old, and I was able to get their fare because I put my prints on a card months ago.
The rest of Saturday was mostly unremarkable. Late in the day I found myself in old-town Scottsdale, and rather than work the short trips to the drinking establishments, I thought it better to start for home. A minute latter the quiet voice of guidance 'suggested' that I try to catch a kid's fare going home from the center, as one good fare is worth 3 or 4 small ones.
Inside: a message from our lost sheep.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
More about visiting SLO
For the record, I sent Mr. Crawford a card a week ago Saturday to let him know that I was planning to visit last Tuesday. The purpose for my visit was to consult with Mr. Crawford on the subject of a smartphone application for the taxi business, and various other internet-related ideas.
I drove from Santa Monica to San Luis Obispo [SLO] on Tuesday. First I stopped at the Grover Beach police station. I told the staffer that I was wondering about our friend who we'd heard was in SLO County Jail. She did look up MDC's name in her computer system, and said she couldn't say anything "because of the nature of the case". Whatever that meant. But she did tell me how to get to the courthouse in SLO, and said the Public Defender's office was right across the street.
The public defender's office was up a flight of stairs, and behind a door that did NOT say 'public defender'. They told me who MDC's public defender was, and mentioned something innocuous enough, which was probably public information anyways. But I don't want to get anyone in trouble, so I have decided that there is no need to share what specifically was mentioned.
I drove from Santa Monica to San Luis Obispo [SLO] on Tuesday. First I stopped at the Grover Beach police station. I told the staffer that I was wondering about our friend who we'd heard was in SLO County Jail. She did look up MDC's name in her computer system, and said she couldn't say anything "because of the nature of the case". Whatever that meant. But she did tell me how to get to the courthouse in SLO, and said the Public Defender's office was right across the street.
The public defender's office was up a flight of stairs, and behind a door that did NOT say 'public defender'. They told me who MDC's public defender was, and mentioned something innocuous enough, which was probably public information anyways. But I don't want to get anyone in trouble, so I have decided that there is no need to share what specifically was mentioned.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Immigration anxiety at the county jail
I've never visited anyone in jail before. I caught something of a
phone conversation of the woman next to me in line about someone having
to buy someone a Lamborghini if they were going to stay friends, and I
used that to strike up a conversation.
She was there to visit her husband. She's white, he's Mexican. They'd been together for 13+ years, and her family didn't understand why she put up with him. So we had a little chat about the energy dynamics in relationships, and she gave me insider's tips about visiting people at the county jail.
She was there to visit her husband. She's white, he's Mexican. They'd been together for 13+ years, and her family didn't understand why she put up with him. So we had a little chat about the energy dynamics in relationships, and she gave me insider's tips about visiting people at the county jail.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Women's troubles...
Our new (kuroh5in.org) member's diary about birth control reminded me of a few passengers.
The most recent one was a 30 year old woman. I asked how long she'd been in the Valley. She said she was a native. I asked if she'd ever lived anywhere else, and she said that she'd left the state for a brief period of time when she was pregnant at 15 or 17 and didn't want to tell her father. I think she went somewhere in the southeast - Florida? I don't remember.
This reminded me of the passenger I picked up some time back on Cave Creek Road...
The most recent one was a 30 year old woman. I asked how long she'd been in the Valley. She said she was a native. I asked if she'd ever lived anywhere else, and she said that she'd left the state for a brief period of time when she was pregnant at 15 or 17 and didn't want to tell her father. I think she went somewhere in the southeast - Florida? I don't remember.
This reminded me of the passenger I picked up some time back on Cave Creek Road...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
I sent some paper and envelopes to Mr. Crawford
I clicked on the link in this comment, and saw that you could buy stuff for inmates. Is this the kuro5hin.org user who was talking about there being a taxi conspiracy?
I should try to catch up on my fare reports. Every night is interesting, in its own way.
A few mornings back I went to vacuum the cab at the self-serve car wash, and a guy on a bicycle struck up a conversation with me. It turned out that he also drives for the company. I told him about driving for the owner/operator, and he was very interested. I gave him the owner's phone number, in the hopes that he would take over for me.
I was rather tired of nights. They're not so bad, as long as it's busy. But the last night I drove was boring. Hopefully I am back to working on my own terms, instead of being obligated to drive 3-4 nights a week.
Poll: What would you send an inmate?
Friday, August 31, 2012
Passenger Rescue, pt 2
A few nights after my last diary, about the passenger rescue, I had a series of fares that put me in the north-east corner of the valley. The zone in this area that most cab drivers want to wait in is 225, which is north of the intersection of Scottsdale Rd. and Bell Rd/Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. There are some nice hotels, jaguar/porsche/audi/etc dealerships, and well-to-do neighborhoods on the outside of the loop 101.
When I visit zone 225, I typically wait in the Whole Foods parking lot, where I pick up a carrot, coffee, or something from the hot deli (which is rather expensive for a humble taxi driver, but I am very picky). There is also a Trader Joe's in this zone, and they have free coffee samples, tapioca pudding, etc.
On this particular night I had no interest in being fourth in line in 225, so I went to 223, which is just west of the Whole Foods on Mayo Blvd. Zone 223 and 224 are shaped a little oddly - 223 is north of 224, when the the #'s usually count up west-to-east. 223 is rather barren, so I headed south to 224.
Inside: youtube link, etc
When I visit zone 225, I typically wait in the Whole Foods parking lot, where I pick up a carrot, coffee, or something from the hot deli (which is rather expensive for a humble taxi driver, but I am very picky). There is also a Trader Joe's in this zone, and they have free coffee samples, tapioca pudding, etc.
On this particular night I had no interest in being fourth in line in 225, so I went to 223, which is just west of the Whole Foods on Mayo Blvd. Zone 223 and 224 are shaped a little oddly - 223 is north of 224, when the the #'s usually count up west-to-east. 223 is rather barren, so I headed south to 224.
Inside: youtube link, etc
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