Fan, not a fan? :(

A couple of weeks ago I receive a text message from a passenger that I had taken to his home a few weeks before.  He just texted asking if I was working that night.  I said yes but not until 4:00 pm and wanted to know if he needed a ride tonight but instead he asked me to hang out after I was finished working but it was a Friday night and I would be working until about 3:00 am.  Too long of a night so I said, I was sorry but I wouldn’t be able to go out that night.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I remembered who this gentleman was.  I asked him what his name was and it was a little unusual so you would think it would jog a memory.  It didn’t.  I really didn’t want to say that I didn’t remember him.  I pride myself in remembering a lot of my passengers.  

This gentleman would text me every once in awhile asking if I was working or if I wanted to hang out after work.  He also texted me a few times after 3:00 am asking to hang out.  Needless to say, I still gently turned him down.  I am not sure why I was so nice but that is really in my nature, I guess.  I was also trying to ask hints about who he was, it was driving me crazy not knowing who this guy was.  He never really answered my questions but seemed harmless.

So a few days ago I was again asked to hang out in the city but I was planning on spending time with my kids.  I let him know and he seemed surprised that I had a child, let alone two.  He then asked how old I was.  I of course said I was almost 50.  He asked if my daughter drove taxi in the city.  I said, no. He said he had received a business card from this cool young, white skinny taxi driver.  I said the business card was from me (he said my name) and that I was cool and white but that was about it.  I asked him if he remembered me or had looked at my facebook page but he said no.  He did ask if I remembered him and I couldn’t lie, I told him I didn’t remember who he was and I tried asking for hints but he wouldn’t give me any.  He then stopped texting me and I sent him a text saying that I enjoyed our chats and I was sorry to have him go.  

I am not sure if I should feel bad for not knowing who he was.  I really tried to remember who he was.  I love picking up the same person in the city over and over again.  It makes me feel connected to them in some strange way.  

I am not sure if I should feel guilty for “leading him on” but I was never inappropriate just polite and professional.  

I am not sure if I should feel bad for him because he wasted all that time talking to someone who wasn’t who he thought I was.

I am not sure if I should feel hurt because I wasn’t what he really wanted.  

After all is said and done.  I am still okay.  I love my life, well most of it, as it is.  I am a busy, busy mom and taxi driver.  What more could I want?

Thank you again for reading my blog!  I love you very much!

Taxi pains

This past weekend was not as busy or fun as I thought it was going to be.  It was like a normal week and weekend.  Oh, well.  Plus I really do not have any funny or interesting stories from the week.  Just wonderful and normal working people in my taxi all week.  It happens and I always am hoping there will be good stories coming up.

I was asked by a passenger about all the aches and pains of driving all the time. Well, there are so many things that happen when you drive all the time.

Back hurts.  Typically the lower back hurts.  I have problems with my lumbar and siactica.  Other drivers complain about the same thing.  I try and get out of my taxi to stretch but when it is busy I barely have time to go to the bathroom.  I do what I can.

Legs go numb.  I try to jiggle them and adjust them when I am driving.  Moving around helps a lot too.  I sometimes miss the days when I was able to walk all the time.  Going up and down the ladders, downstocking and walking quickly to help people.

Hip hurt.  Like the back and leg getting out and walk is the best way to make it not hurt as much.

Thumb pain.  Yep, I didn’t know that I steered with my thumbs so much until I started driving a taxi.  I have to make an effort to not use my thumbs so much to drive.  Crazy as that sounds.  

Big Toe pain.  I also use my big toe to drive WAY too much.  I have to remember to use my foot and not my toe to drive.  It is really just my right big toe that hurts.  I heard a driver had to take a week off because her big toe hurt so badly.

I imagine a few other taxi drivers have other physical problems.  It is hard being behind the wheel for 7 to 12 hours at a time.  

Well, this next week is Fleet Week.  I am so excited to see all the people in uniform.  Dress whites are best!  Cannot wait!

I also want to thank all of my other taxi driver friends.  I have a group of taxi drivers who help each other.  We chat about hot spots in the city, how the airport is moving and just general things going on.  It has made a whole of difference in where I go and what I do during my driving at night.  I found that where I thought was going to be a big area to pick up people even though there are tons of rideshare vehicles as well as tons of other taxis, all it did was make me irritated and sit in traffic.  Now I go where I really thought where people really want to take taxis.  It makes life so much easier with the help of taxi drivers who really know what is going on in the city.  I still end up on the opposite side of the city of all the “happening” places most of the time but sometimes it is me telling everyone what is going on.  I am so grateful for all of their help.  It has made making money driving a taxi a real thing.  Hope things continue this way through the slow times.

Thank you again for reading my blog.  I really enjoy writing it.  It is kind of relaxing and cathartic.

Before during and after sick

Okay, I have had a little rough patch with writing my blog.  I haven’t been able to stay awake for any longer than I have too.  Being sick has really kicked my bottom this time.  I am on the way to feeling better now so maybe I will have more time for writing my blog.  I am hoping.  I do love writing it and sharing my stories from the nights driving a taxi.  I do take notes while I am driving so I can remember what happened.  I have started taking voice memos instead of just using notes app on my phone.  Sometimes I cannot remember what my note even says or means on that app.  Maybe voice memos will capture how I feel more than just using the words during the night.  

September 15

My last ride of the night….  I was stopping to get pizza at my favorite place in the Castro but it was really late, much later than I normally would go and eat but I wanted pizza.  As I was getting out of my taxi a young man approached two taxis in the BofA taxi stand but neither of the taxis had a driver who wanted to take the young man home.  I do not know why.  As I was getting out of my taxi he then approached me to see if I would take him home.  I said I was just going to get a piece of pizza but I would take him home.  He said, I would love to get pizza with you, so we walked over to my favorite pizza place but they didn’t have any of the “good” pizza left so we went to another pizza place.  They at least had pizza that I would eat.  We bought our pizza and stood outside of the taxi for a few minutes.  That pizza was okay but I prefer thin pizza and this pizza was a thick crust pizza.  After we were done eating pizza I drove him home.  He was so happy to have pizza with his taxi driver and then be taken home.  I have made a new friend.

I have a suggestion if you like to use those ridesharing apps.  Do not “flag” your driver.  I thought that is what your phone is suppose to do!  Also if you do feel the need to “flag” your driver do not sneer or make horrible comments to the taxi that is trained to watch for flags.  It makes things easier for everyone if you use the phone app the way it was meant to be used.  

September 18

On Market Street there is an ATM that had a bunch of young men just hanging out around it.  Not an ATM I would use but a guy crossed the street and approached the ATM and used it.  He didn’t look like he had any troubles but the young men didn’t go too far away from him.  

Still not a fan of having females in my taxi.  They are not all bad or when they are in the taxi with a male, they tend to pay more attention to the male they are with.  Females tend to not be polite or tip well or even at all.  I try and be as polite and professional as I can.  I do not need to change the radio station for a 2-10 block ride.  I do not need to turn up the music so you can talk louder so you can have a conversation.  I do not need to close all my windows because you are cold, you wear too much perfume, eat smelly food or smell of alcohol.  I do not need to wait for you to get to your door if you treat me like crap and do not tip me.  Not a fan of females.  Some males can be jerks as well but there are WAY less of them.

September 19

When it is warm out in the Castro we have a few naked men who walk around.  They cannot be fully naked they need to wear a cover on their…. private part.  Plus if they sit on something they need to cover it.  It seems that when these guys are out and about they get so much attention they must feel like celebrities!  Often they are standing and getting their picture taken with very clothed women and their friends.  Very cute.  Men tend to let them pass and then turn and stare.  

Is there a full moon tonight?  People are driving like there is!  I know a full moon is coming though.  Please slow down and be respectful of other drivers.  

September 20

A extremely thin tall male all dressed in white was walking down the street!  He must have been, without his heels over 6 feet tall and with his mono color and 6 inch heels he looked about 9 feet tall!  I was going to stop and see if he needed a ride just because I wanted to chat with him but I was flagged and wasn’t able to turn around to talk to him.  I did see the man a few minutes later and he had taken off his high heels and was wearing black tennis shoes.  He still looked tall but just not as tall.

September 23

Driving down Mission Street in the middle of the night is always interesting.  This time is was a firework that was lit off on the sidewalk.  It was the kind that makes a big boom and flies high up in the air.  It scared me so bad I shrieked!  Then I laughed at myself.  Crazy!

I am a drug taker person now…  Not something I have ever thought I would do.  Not something I really want to do again.  It was a slow night and I picked him up on Mission Street and he wanted to go to Larkin and Broadway.  We started to chat about how his night was going and he said he was off for the next few days and wanted to score some pot tonight and then be taken back to his home.  Not really a fan or really want to do something like this but he gave me $60 to “hold” so I would take him there and back.  We ended up at Larkin and O’Farrell and we had to drive around the block slowly so he could “yell” something out of the window so the people who had the pot would know we were not police.  First off, isn’t pot legal or medical use now here?  Why is it still being sold on the street?  I guess his job he cannot have a medical marijuana card so he still has to buy it on the street.  Okay, what did he yell out the window… I couldn’t understand him at all.  It sounded like something that sounded like pico or something with a p.  Apparently we passed and were able to get a female to come over the taxi and give him what he wanted.  We drove back to his place and the meter said about $35 and he gave me $50.  Great ride.  I didn’t smell anything.  Not that I could smell because my nose is still plugged.  He also asked to smoke in my taxi.  I said I am sorry but it is illegal to burn anything in a taxi.  He was okay with that.  Not a smoker normally so happy people are okay not smoking in my taxi.  Makes the taxi smell better too!

September 24

Airport to Menlo Park, nice meter and half ride, right!  Well, at first the guy was chatty then all of a sudden he stopped talking.  I do not know why but he did.  Okay, so we kept driving and then I had to try again asking questions and getting him to chat.  I asked if his children were ready for Halloween and he said no but we still chatted about my kids and what they plan on wearing.  We arrived at his home and there was a whole lot of kids and adults sitting in the street chatting and playing.  He had a welcoming committee!  So cute!  The guy didn’t seem as thrilled as he should have been or what I thought should have happened.  I used Square to process his payment and he made a scoffing sound when he was applying the tip.  Maybe my percentages are set a little high but you can also create a custom tip.  Whatever.  He did give me a 30% tip.  Driving back to the city was long!  So much traffic on Hwy 101 that I ended up taking Hwy 280, which can take longer but sometimes has less traffic on it.

Beat Box is still happening in the city!  I watched two young men on the corner of Valencia and 18th just beat boxing.  Cute!  I couldn’t hear what they sounded like but it looked good!  Plus they were more the tech kind of guys than the 80’s rapper guys.

Love picking up people in the Castro!  I picked up a lady on 16th and Market and took her to California and maybe 20th Ave.  We chatted about all different kinds of things and at the end I gave her my card and a flywheel card.  Hope she downloads the flywheel app and uses it.  Also hope she calls me for a taxi ride again.  

Flywheel cards in my taxi are a mix of all the drivers who drive my taxi.  I figure just giving them out helps someone driving our taxi.  I think I named him Bert but I keep forgetting to call him that.  I guess I need to start calling him that again.  haha!  Bert is awesome!

Pizza friend is a concierge for Four Seasons!  Yes, I was able to drive him home again.  This time we didn’t stop for pizza because he needed to get home because he was leaving the city to visit his family in Colorado.  Wishing him so much fun with his family!  Hope to have pizza again with him soon!  He did have a concern about looking “too gay” when he went to visit friends in Colorado but I didn’t think he looked “too gay”.  Not really sure what that meant but I said, I wouldn’t even know you were gay unless you told me.  There are some really straight guys who look and act more gay than some of the “gay” gay guys.  Who knows.

September 25

This is the second time in about 2 weeks that I have driven a family who just dropped their job in whatever city they were living in to move to the Bay Area in California.  Tonight it was a young Asian man and his (I think) wife with 5 large suitcases and tons of dreams!  I guess he had a job interview next week but he figures he wouldn’t have troubles getting a job since he writes code.  His wife didn’t seem to mind either.  Neither had been to California but had been living in Chicago and New York for the past year.  I didn’t get more information than that.  I wish them luck and I hope he finds a job quickly!

If you have smelly feet please do not take your shoes off in my taxi!  I picked up a very attractive young woman who was wearing very high heels with bare feet. I could tell how quickly she removed her shoes.  Smell….  YUCK.  She also really made herself comfortable by almost laying on the back seat.  I am not complaining (except about her feet) but just saying.  Many people will sit and put their feet up on the back seat if they are riding in the taxi for any length of time.  Please do not take your shoes off if you are not nor do not like to wear socks.  Gross.

September 26

I picked up 4 burly men from AT&T Ballpark.  They were here visiting from Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.  They were all super sweet and very nice!  I loved hearing their Canadian accent.  They even said “eh” for me.  They were here for the weekend to see AC/DC concert, go to a preseason Sharks vs Ducks hockey game and watch the A’s play the Giants on Sunday and then they are going home.  Very sad.  They were all very attractive and fun to listen too!  When I dropped them off the ride was about $15 and one paid with a $20 and said to keep it then another one gave me another $20 for a tip.  I tried to give the second $20 back but they all said, you were so nice to pick us up, chat with us and take us to our hotel safely that I deserved that plus more that night!  So super sweet!  I hope they come back to our fun city again soon.

The manager of the Midnight Sun is so awesome!  I have now picked him up 12 times!  The most I have ever picked up one person.  I try and learn a little bit more about him every time I drive him home.  One of these nights I will take off and join him for a Drag Show.  His father just passed away a couple of months ago so he spent a little time with his mom after the passing.  His parents were married for 67 years!  He is the youngest of 6 kids with about 25 nieces and nephews and 8 grand nieces and nephews.  I have really enjoyed our little chats when he is in my taxi.  I know almost where he lives, not sure which building until I get there.  

I am the best taxi driver in the city according to a passenger I have driven a few times.  He said he takes rideshare as well as taxis all the time and he has had troubles with both.  They treat him rudely because he takes rideshare or takes taxi by the driver.  He said, I have never been rude to him and I always know where he lives and let him tell me stories without complaining.  He suggested I teach a class on how to treat a passenger for both taxi and rideshare drivers.  How to be nice and make passengers feel special.  I thought that might be a good thing to do.  I do notice that if the passenger wants to continue a conversation even after they have paid, I will sit and chat with them.  I try never to make someone feel like I am in a rush to get to my next ride.  I will wait while people find their keys, make sure they have their wallet and even sit and watch them get to their door (unless they are terribly rude, I just cannot do that). I guess I can start a YouTube channel and maybe other drivers will go and watch how to be an awesome driver.  Maybe…  

September 27

Today was my night for Paratransit rides!  So interesting.  Loved chatting with both of the ladies.  Strange that both of them were about 87 years old but looked to be about 60.  Both lived within a block of each other and both had bags of groceries.  One of the ladies lived in senior housing and when we got to her place there was fireman and police in front of it.  She said she didn’t think there was a fire but some of the seniors smoke a little drugs (which she whispered to me) and set off the fire alarms.  Made me giggle a bit.  She was such a cute lady!

I thought the Folsom Street Fair was both Saturday and Sunday but it was just Sunday.  I didn’t see any interesting dressed people on Saturday.

Sacramento is a great place to live (for others!) I pick up a lot of people that come into the city to visit for a night or two.

Okay, if a pedestrian wants to cross the street not in a crosswalk do not be alarmed or glare at the speeding cars coming toward you.  Also do not start off walking quickly and then almost stop walking when a car is coming close to you.  Really?  Cars are much heavier than you are and do not stop as quickly as you think they should.  Please remember what (I hope most) parents teach you as a kid.  Stop, look both ways, do a double check and then cross the street.  Crossing in the crosswalk is much better but isn’t always convenient.  I understand that I do not always cross in the crosswalk but I try and look for cars.  I also will walk where ever in a parking lot because you should always expect people walking around a parking lot.

Four young men in street clothes were walking down Castro Street wearing shiny capes, tiaras and high heels.  They were so cute!  All of them were making their cape look like butterfly wings.  Saw them later that night in a conga line making butterfly wings.  It was very pretty!  I wish I could have taken a picture of them or even a video!  I love the Castro

Picking up very drunk men in the Castro is always a pleasure.  Except when they are not sure where they live at the end of the ride.  He reminded me of a YouTube video of a little 4 year old boy who wanted a cupcake and was arguing with his mother.  He kept saying things like “Linda listen to me”, “you are not listening to me Linda”, “Linda, Linda, Linda” and so many more things.  It is so cute!  This guy was chatting about his boyfriend wasn’t home until tomorrow.  He said he boyfriend was married but his wife really liked him more than her husband.  They go on family trips but this time he had to work so he couldn’t go.  We get the cross streets he gave me and kept saying it was 360 California but that would put us back into the financial district. So I drove down the street and he said, right here.  So I told him how much the ride was and he looked into his wallet to give me cash.  He kept saying he loved me and thought I was cute.  He said he was going to give me a big fat tip.  There was no cash in his wallet, pockets or backpack.  So he tried to use his credit card but it was declined.  We tried it 3 times, he insisted.  He asked me to wait so he could go inside and get me cash.  I was afraid he was going to fall asleep once he went inside.  I convinced him to leave something so he would have to come back and get it from me.  At first he kept saying, trust me, but I wasn’t at this time.  He finally said okay but then he started grabbing his crotch and saying I am going to pee soon.  I need to go and get your money and pee.  He was acting like a 5 year old.  Crazy!!  He just barely got out of the taxi and peed right there just outside of the door.  When he was finally done he tried to get back into the taxi and shake my hand!  I said, no, it is okay.  Just go and get the money.  He ran around the taxi and across the street but I am not sure he really knew where he was.  He kept looking bewildered.  I kind of tried to follow him so I would know what place he went into.  He started to go farther down the street but I went to follow him and he jumped back into the taxi.  I then figured out the street address thing and we found his building.  He jumped out and tried his key in the front door but nothing happened.  He went to the garage door and opened that.  He went upstair for a few minutes and came right back down.  He gave me what the meter said and a $10 tip.  He got out and said how much he appreciated me being so nice and helpful.  He still was in love with me and I am so beautiful.  I counted the money after I drove away.  He gave me a $40 tip instead.  I am not sure how I feel.  Should I feel like I took something from him or should I feel like I was owed it?  

All in all it was a wonderful weekend.  I did drive on Sunday and had a good night but nothing but many naked butts were out that night.  Folsom Street Fair.  I didn’t drive any body who was naked or partially dressed.  I did take a few home who went to the fair but that was about it.  Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed it very much.

So much stuff if planned for next weekend!  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at Golden Gate Park and the Castro Street Fair also Fleet week starts on Sunday.  Oh, my gosh!  I thought last weekend was busy with the Folsom Street Fair but this coming weekend….  I better get my rest before it happens!

Time to go!  Need a little sleep tonight.  I am still not feeling as good as good as I should be.  Good night and thank you very much for reading my blog!