I dig my job. Driving at night is akin to therepy for the soul. The vast diversity of fares keeps it fresh and with an influx of andreneline at just the right moments to keep us safe, it's truly a yin/yang experience. Freezing drizzle thunderboomers kept everyone on their best driving behavior and I even got to do an out of towner during the storm. (If only I could have driven MY cab, the trip would have been perfect.) Such is the unexpected in this business. Took a night off tonight for reflection and mental stimulation...I need it!

Why? When? How? What? Who? Back to the Why?...Why do I blog? Sanity... or the lack of it... or to keep me sane, I know not which. Sleep? I dislike it. I do not do speed or any keep awake drugs because I am goofy enough without those. Sleep is physically and mentally necessary but I don't enjoy it often due to my health (real, imagined, mental or physical)...I have finally accepted my insomnia and I know there are millions who have done the same. But I need more info...Loves? My children..step and natural...my beautiful wife...wonderful sense of humor, caring, sensitive, loving and complex...I will stay with her as long as she will have me...Love comes often, true love comes once..THAT I believe...Work...A totally bizarre and beautiful way to make a living...am going to have a hard time giving it up...if I do at all...I love all types of people and their stories...Cabbies that don't talk to their passengers are missing the beauty of the "WHY". I believe those poor cabbies once had that magic, or felt the magic, but lost it...very sad indeed. Some "rational, normal" humans seem to de-moralize, demean, and decry any career that is service orientated such as clerks, waitresses, hookers, strippers, cabdrivers, cooks, (are you seeing a pattern here?), and bartenders. Money? Money can make people evil....and I wish we could devise a way around it... in another place, we may not need any sort of monentary means...Think of all the misery and happiness that money brings...BUT, does money really bring happiness?...I would be fibbing if I said no...but I sincerely deplore the bullshit concept of money...it's power segregates, kills, and worries people endlessly...BUT, think of all the good that a "humanangel" could do...WOW!...To be able to help the needy and not the greedy would be a wonderful way to spend a day. I hope I do it soon. Sleep is approaching rapidly...a few hours 'o sleep and a great Tuesday night on the streets ...new fares, stories, people, and fun!....Thanks for listening*
Peace*

Life is good. Wonderous things sometimes happen in the taxi-universe world. The perfect number of cabs on the streets divided by the amount of orders the public demands can be a mathamatical and statistical heaven. (Or nightmare if the numbers are out of kilter!) Tonight we achieved the Tao of cabbiedom. Ommmmm. It really was a sight to behold with all the hacks booking some real cash, none loggged for hours at one or more cab-stands and none of the "vulture-circling over the carion" so prevelent in the weeks of past. Now ...keep it like that oh omipinent owners. Ommmmmm... *Sigh*

My face will change in the next few weeks as little tiny hairs develops on my double chins...(I have several) I will be growing a "Goat" and I don't give a rats ass what it looks like...I am sick to death of shaving...What goofball thought up this shaving business for men anyway? More to come on that later...Promise!

OH SHIT RANT:
A speeding, full size bus apeared out of nowhere at, what I think is, one of the most dangerous intersections in the metro area. Drivers of all vehicles should pay special attention to a certain wee-hour hot spot in the heart of mid-town (Or what I call midtown) That intersection is at Park Avenue and Woolworth when the traffic signals are flashing red (on South/Northbound Park Ave.) and flashing yellow (on the BLIND UPHILL East/West Woolworth Street). What "genius" street engineer figured this one out. Now I am no "Einstein", but common sense (again, oh..so uncommon) dictates that the "BLIND" UPHILL approach should be the one street that had the flashing red lights (which means ...STOP) But NOOOOOOOOO...The flashing red is on the Park Ave way and the Woolworth way is the "rush through" flashing yellow....Huh? DUH!

The thing that troubled me the most about the "almost" demise of Rosie and cab #30 is that, "I was expecting it" Yes, I pay special attention there and when that HUGE speeding bus appeared, I almost shit myself. After locking up my brakes (which thankfully were overhauled within the week) I missed the bus by a few inches. All I remember seeing was a HUGE vehicle zipping in front of me. Mark my words here..."Someone will be seriously hurt at that intersection until they change it to a more logical traffic control.

I plan on contacting Omaha Traffic Engineers this morning (If I can stay awake until they show up to work)...which is NOW!

Peace...and keep your hands on the wheel and for God's sake...quit daydreaming...driving is some serious stuff! And Remember...leave ALL the driving to us if you plan on drinking alcohol. You can get hurt or die very easy when driving SOBER....I know!

Dateline: Monday Afternoon
Off to work. New day, new week, new drivers, new fares, and a new (for the better) attitude.
Anyone that has ever taken a taxi knows that it is customary to tell the driver your destination. Most drivers that have an IQ of over 75 will grunt something like "Where To?". Understanding where you want to go is NOT part of our profession and we are not mind readers. I am always amazed that people assume we know where the fare is going and get fairely angry that they have to tell us. Mind reading will cost extra!

RULES OF THE TAXI RIDE:
Relax, Sit Down, Hold on, Shutup, and Enjoy the ride! (Just kidding.. as I LOVE conversation that is halfway intellegent...or else adhere to the 4th "Rule Of The Taxi Ride".

Please have your money ready, tip the driver if you've had a safe ride and you didn't doodle on yourself in the process and please have a nice day. *Peace*

NEVER have I seen it SOOOO drunk in the big "O". Had to kick 2 fares (total 5 people) out of the cab tonight because they were too drunk to ride. That is drunk! One poor soul could not for the life of him remember what his address was. He couldn't tell me where he lived...or did he have ID on him to freshen his memory....well back to the Happy Bar (North 16th Skid Row) with him...hmmmm...he paid $20.00 up front...fare wasn't more than $12.00...See, drinking isn't for everyone.

After trying to talk me into letting 6 people ride for the price of one (company and insurance rules state that we can only carry 4, the ringleader (although I use the word "leader" VERY liberally)..gets smart mouthed with me about smoking...then says in a WASP-ie sort of way that really burned my gizzard..."I'll buy you out, you're just a cabdriver, How much do YOU make"...well, lets see WHO rides tonight...zoom-zoom-zoom ..back to the place I picked up the little pukes...then they were all apologetic...Too late assholes...buy me out, eh? Bye-bye and learn some freakin street manners assholes, you sure forgot yours tonight, and you didn't learn anything from your mother...(after all I taught her...hehe)..Good night, money wise...but..I have to take a day off...starting to SMELL like a cab (or my fares..don't know which is worse!)

Pretzel Bar trash screames at me after I waited for her for 10 minutes....zoom...bye-bye...To all: Never yell at the cabdriver before you get to where you want to go. We may be stoopid...have less than PHD's..and are missing a few teeth here and there,... BUT we have the key to the cab AND we dictate who rides or not...common sense people! (Truly I love you all...just bring cash) haha