I killed an old hag with kindness today. My first customer of the day. Evidently she had been waiting for an hour and needed to go to the medi-clinic. When I got there she bitched at me about how it was a van cab and not a car....and then she bitched about how I didn't help her with her bag, the bag I never knew about until she complained about it. Then she didn't want to stop at a stoplight, and then she bitched about stores having too much lights and wasting money. But then, in comes Carson with his class and kindness. I take all of her complaints in stride, I speak kindly, I offer to help her to the door of the medi-clinic. At the end, she apologizes for being rude and blames it on not feeling well. She doesn't tip but she attitude towards me changed considerably. I win!
Bitch.
I started the evening taking stats on age, gender, quality, tip size, time, and no. of passengers to see if I could get some statistics going, but I gave that up pretty quickly.
Some band was in my cab. I don't know who they were but they seemed to think they were all that because they could by-pass the line at The Pat. They're playing at Amigo's next Friday, I don't know who they are, but they seemed alright because they enjoyed my Black Keys CD.
Observation: Women judge men by what they're like when they're drunk. Men put up with how women are when they're drunk. Somehow, many drunk assholes have girlfriends who are both hot and nice. It's kind of depressing to hear what boyfriends have to say after we've dropped off their girlfriend.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Generic Title
Having picked him up 4 times now, I can now add the Star Phoenix writer to my list of regulars to go along with the racist red-bearded brothers.
Black Keys has taken over from The New Pornographers as most popular music in the cab, or at least most commented on, although my Japanese rock started a couple conversations. I feel like playing more foreign music as a way of picking out the racists more quickly. People expect Pakistani and Indian music, but nobody expects the Japanese and French to make an appearance.
Tomorrow night, I begin taking stats. Demographics vs. Tip Size ....I might need a control weekend first, Hour vs. Tip Size.
Black Keys has taken over from The New Pornographers as most popular music in the cab, or at least most commented on, although my Japanese rock started a couple conversations. I feel like playing more foreign music as a way of picking out the racists more quickly. People expect Pakistani and Indian music, but nobody expects the Japanese and French to make an appearance.
Tomorrow night, I begin taking stats. Demographics vs. Tip Size ....I might need a control weekend first, Hour vs. Tip Size.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Dispatch
*Dispatch, this is 107*
*Go ahead 107*
*A black cat has just run past the front of my vehicle, please advise*
*Could you repeat that 107*
*A black cat has crossed my path. I believe this to have severely harmed my luck for the evening. Dispatch, please advise*
*107, this channel is for official use only*
*This is a very official matter dispatch*
*107, please leave the voice channel open for official calls*
*When I'm dead and bloodied in a ditch due to bad luck, will that be official enough for you dispatch?*
*No*
*Go ahead 107*
*A black cat has just run past the front of my vehicle, please advise*
*Could you repeat that 107*
*A black cat has crossed my path. I believe this to have severely harmed my luck for the evening. Dispatch, please advise*
*107, this channel is for official use only*
*This is a very official matter dispatch*
*107, please leave the voice channel open for official calls*
*When I'm dead and bloodied in a ditch due to bad luck, will that be official enough for you dispatch?*
*No*
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Welcome to Sketch-town
My evening started with a mad craving for McDonalds that only a drunk would understand. It took a considerable amount of will power to stick to my regular cabbing diet of a donut and hot chocolate....that is, until 2:30, when a customer needed his McDonald's. A closed 51st street location would not stop him, and when we eventually found an open McDonald's, a 10 car line-up in the drive thru wouldn't stop him either. Unfortunately, he insisted all too much that he buy me a couple cheeseburgers. I caved.
It was at that point I decided to never eat McDonald's while working ever again.
My customer was a group of 6 who went to McDonald's and bought me a cheeseburger and a McFlurry. They were both delicious.
One group of ladies had the extreme pleasure of having me as their cabbie not once but twice for the evening. Unfortunately, they had a third cab trip that wasn't with me. This cabbie brought them to a bar that was closed and left quickly before they realized, which is when I came to their rescue. They somehow rationalized that I should give them a discount because this was their second trip with me and they were screwed by another driver. There's no reason why I should give them a discount. They got 50% off.
My last fare was a young lady who had a pretty rough evening and had her cell phone ripped in half by her best friend. I let her use my phone and she apologized almost the whole way about being a bad customer for complaining so much. The thing is, I liked her more than most of my other customers. I liked the good feeling from being able to help her and I like hearing about other people's problems. Unfortunately I couldn't offer any wise advice, but I'm a good listener and she seemed to appreciate that....she kept apologizing though, I don't get that part, I felt weird that I had to say 'that's okay' repeatedly, and then make up a story about how my phone minutes were about to expire so they needed to be used up anyway. Tip: $4.00
Overall evening rating: Sketchy
It was at that point I decided to never eat McDonald's while working ever again.
My customer was a group of 6 who went to McDonald's and bought me a cheeseburger and a McFlurry. They were both delicious.
One group of ladies had the extreme pleasure of having me as their cabbie not once but twice for the evening. Unfortunately, they had a third cab trip that wasn't with me. This cabbie brought them to a bar that was closed and left quickly before they realized, which is when I came to their rescue. They somehow rationalized that I should give them a discount because this was their second trip with me and they were screwed by another driver. There's no reason why I should give them a discount. They got 50% off.
My last fare was a young lady who had a pretty rough evening and had her cell phone ripped in half by her best friend. I let her use my phone and she apologized almost the whole way about being a bad customer for complaining so much. The thing is, I liked her more than most of my other customers. I liked the good feeling from being able to help her and I like hearing about other people's problems. Unfortunately I couldn't offer any wise advice, but I'm a good listener and she seemed to appreciate that....she kept apologizing though, I don't get that part, I felt weird that I had to say 'that's okay' repeatedly, and then make up a story about how my phone minutes were about to expire so they needed to be used up anyway. Tip: $4.00
Overall evening rating: Sketchy
Saturday, November 20, 2010
No, You Can't Pay In Nachos
As a cabbie, I'm learning a lot about people, so when an incoherent young male enters my cab, gives rough directions and eats nachos the whole way there, I know to be suspicious. After going on a long trip through the city we eventually get to his house (tip off: we took a longer route and he didn't care) So, as we're pulling up I take off my glasses, unbuckle my seatbelt, and I'm ready to go. Sure enough, the cab stops and he just gets out without paying. Fortunately, he's not a runner. He tries to give me a fistbump, offers me some nachos, and tries to just walk away. He leaves some fajita-type things in my cab. I grab the food, get out, toss the food high in the air and tell him he needs to pay up. He seems surprised that I actually got out of the cab, he has evidently done this before. So, I grab him by the shirt, turn him around, and take his wallet. I take out the fare, plus a $5 tip which I decided he wanted to give me for the inconvenience, and told him to have a nice day. This little incident boosted my energy for a little while. I was disappointed that it was so easy but was glad to get money from a skipper.
My next fare was a young couple coming from the Scuz. The male was a drunk asshole and the girl was a hopeless dependent. She was way too good for her and he treated her like garbage. She kept calling him cute and funny. While saying good things about him, she was half-laughing and half-crying and every once in a while fell into a cry about him ditching her and being with other chicks. They've been going out for two and a half years, I hope she dumps him. They stopped at McDonald's and I got a cheeseburger out of it.
I ended up back at the Scuz and ended up picking up two guys I went to high school with. I've picked up people I've gone or still go to school with, but these guys were actually good friends of mine in high school. We never talked after high school and they seemed really surprised to see me. I felt kind of stupid being a cab driver, but I made sure to point out where I was in school so they didn't think I completely bombed in life.
Last trip of the night involved me losing my drive-thru virginity. I got a decent tip out of it.
My next fare was a young couple coming from the Scuz. The male was a drunk asshole and the girl was a hopeless dependent. She was way too good for her and he treated her like garbage. She kept calling him cute and funny. While saying good things about him, she was half-laughing and half-crying and every once in a while fell into a cry about him ditching her and being with other chicks. They've been going out for two and a half years, I hope she dumps him. They stopped at McDonald's and I got a cheeseburger out of it.
I ended up back at the Scuz and ended up picking up two guys I went to high school with. I've picked up people I've gone or still go to school with, but these guys were actually good friends of mine in high school. We never talked after high school and they seemed really surprised to see me. I felt kind of stupid being a cab driver, but I made sure to point out where I was in school so they didn't think I completely bombed in life.
Last trip of the night involved me losing my drive-thru virginity. I got a decent tip out of it.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
My Own Personal Roundabout
I thought tonight would be exciting. Last night was slow which means everyone should be going to the club on Saturday....but no. An hour and a half went by tonight, without a single customer. I sat in various parking lots listening to Bob Marley and drinking energy drinks. When I finally did get a ride there was a combination of energy drinks, Wolfmother on max volume, and giddiness that had me flying down the streets in eager anticipation of who my awesome customer would be. Unfortunately my customer turned out to be an A&W worker finishing her shift. You were a terrible customer. You in no way entertained me, I'm so disappointed in you.
During this hour and a half, I made my way to the parking lot of the Real Canadian Wholesale, which was closed and therefore the parking lot made empty. I took advantage of this opportunity to create my own personal roundabout. I circled the parking lot with Wolfmother once again on max volume. Keep in mind that this was at 8:00 and right beside 8th street. I received a few strange looks, especially from the lady sitting in the truck parked at the edge of the parking lot.
In this parking lot I also discovered another gem, a garbage can. I know, doesn't sound special, but this is not an ordinary garbage can, it's a garbage can that I can drive by and throw stuff away without getting out of my cab....and it's a spot that I frequently go by. Laziness for the win!
A 60 year old man commented that he liked my music and was interested who they were. He didn't seem pleased with their name when I told them that they were called 'The New Pornographers'. That CD got some other positive comments throughout the night as I played it twice (not because I liked it so much, but because I was actually busy and didn't have time to switch it out).
I'm considering keeping track of stats throughout my shift. One stat per night, for example: for solo customers, how many sit in the back seat vs. the front seat (solo back seat customers are elitists)....or, demographics for different club destinations. This is an idea that really only seems good at the end of a 12 hour shift when you've had too many energy drinks. It's probably going to happen though.
I brought my camera out on my shift this weekend to get some pictures of the Saskatoon evening wildlife (drunks, hookers, and babes)...but unfortunately my camera sucks and can't take a moving shot or a half decent night shot.
Highlight of the Night: Two japanese girls going to the Shark Club. Wowz.
I had to talk to a few other cabbies tonight. I didn't know their names so I just called them each Mohammad. They either didn't correct me or their names are actually Mohammad. Of the four cabbies whose names I actually know in this city, two of them are Mohammad. /racism
During this hour and a half, I made my way to the parking lot of the Real Canadian Wholesale, which was closed and therefore the parking lot made empty. I took advantage of this opportunity to create my own personal roundabout. I circled the parking lot with Wolfmother once again on max volume. Keep in mind that this was at 8:00 and right beside 8th street. I received a few strange looks, especially from the lady sitting in the truck parked at the edge of the parking lot.
In this parking lot I also discovered another gem, a garbage can. I know, doesn't sound special, but this is not an ordinary garbage can, it's a garbage can that I can drive by and throw stuff away without getting out of my cab....and it's a spot that I frequently go by. Laziness for the win!
A 60 year old man commented that he liked my music and was interested who they were. He didn't seem pleased with their name when I told them that they were called 'The New Pornographers'. That CD got some other positive comments throughout the night as I played it twice (not because I liked it so much, but because I was actually busy and didn't have time to switch it out).
I'm considering keeping track of stats throughout my shift. One stat per night, for example: for solo customers, how many sit in the back seat vs. the front seat (solo back seat customers are elitists)....or, demographics for different club destinations. This is an idea that really only seems good at the end of a 12 hour shift when you've had too many energy drinks. It's probably going to happen though.
I brought my camera out on my shift this weekend to get some pictures of the Saskatoon evening wildlife (drunks, hookers, and babes)...but unfortunately my camera sucks and can't take a moving shot or a half decent night shot.
Highlight of the Night: Two japanese girls going to the Shark Club. Wowz.
I had to talk to a few other cabbies tonight. I didn't know their names so I just called them each Mohammad. They either didn't correct me or their names are actually Mohammad. Of the four cabbies whose names I actually know in this city, two of them are Mohammad. /racism
Saturday, November 13, 2010
You Can't Just Hit Pedestrians Like That
First 3 hours: 3 trips, but all to the Blades game with Shannon Tweed, which backed up traffic an amazingly long way, so it was still decent money.
D-Bag #1: A fellow who was angry about me not taking Circle Drive to Idylwyld. I'm looking at the Google Maps as I type this, the route I took was approximately 700m shorter than his route, and I knew this...but he still gave me a grumpy demeanor. Instead of saying anything about my route being better, I gave him one of his $5 bills back at the end of the trip and apologized for taking the wrong turn. Why? Because I'm a classy guy, that's why.
D-Bag #2: A guy who didn't want to take the $10 cab back to his place and threatened to drive home drunk (extremely drunk). I instead told him that I'd use the tip his friends gave me ($3) to drive him home. Why? Because I'm classy and I'm awesome.
D-Bag #3: At the end of night, I'm listening to my Grizzly Bear CD, a band that I wasn't sure if anyone knew. However, a girl in the group for my last fare of the night did know them. She told me to crank it up and proceeded to have a make-out session with her boyfriend. Seeing this, I decide to drive smoothly along what it otherwise a bumpy Taylor Street. How do I get repaid for this? A $1 tip. Honestly, if you're going to tip that little, just don't tip at all. That's less than the obligatory nice tip and it was even a good ride for them.
I did have my CDs though, so it was a good night. It was made better by the 65ish year old man who was rocking out to 'Mick and the boys'.
Best moment of the evening: I'm driving down Broadway and a man runs into the street and stares at my approaching taxi. I slow down and stop. He runs at my cab, jumps on the hood, and proceeds to yell at me: 'You can't just hit a pedestrian like that, I'm going to sue you!' He then walks to my window. I roll it down and he offers me a handful of his Chili/Lime almonds that he is snacking on. I politely refuse, but he insists so I finally accept. They were actually quite good. We wave and go our separate ways.
At around 3 AM a message comes on my computer that a fellow cab driver has hit the emergency button and we are told where his approximate location is, so I go racing off. Getting robbed, getting stabbed....these are things that I don't really think about, but they are always on the back of my mind. I don't know why he hit the emergency button but I'm going as fast as I can to get there. I'm the first other cab on the scene and as it turns out he just went home and took a nap, must've hit the emergency button my mistake. Anticlimactic, I know....but as I'm waiting there, about 5-6 other cabs show up to check it out. For the first time as a cab driver, I actually felt like part of a 'brotherhood of cabbies'. If that guy would've actually been in trouble, we would've beaten whatever shitbird was causing trouble. If I ever get into trouble, there'll be guys there to help me out. It's a nice feeling.
Speaking of other cabbies, I got to have a conversation with another cabbie while waiting outside Amigo's. I've seen this guy a couple times. Instead of the dress clothes that we are supposed to wear, he wears jeans, a sweater and some gold chains around his neck. He completes the look with slicked back hair and a pretty solid mustache. He will henceforth be known as Mr. Cool. We talked about how it was going to be busy next week because of welfare checks. He was surprised that I didn't know about the timing of welfare checks, but I told him that I was too white and middle class to know about such things. /racism
Committed boyfriend of the night: A guy takes a $35 cab ride to see his girl home and then goes back to the bar. She cries almost the whole way and they spend a solid 4-5 minutes at the door saying goodbye. On the way back to the bar, he tells me how he hates dealing with her crap because she's so young (19). He said that I would see all girls that age as immature when I become his age (25). He sticks with her because 'she is so fine'. We eventually talked about entrepreneurship and owning our own businesses one day.
Tip Guidelines (because I've had so many people ask me)
-this is what you're telling me with your tip
$0.00 - I'm a complete asswipe who doesn't deserve to live.
$0.01-1.99 - I'm insulting you. I'm putting in the effort to tip but making an effort to tip poorly.
$2.00 - 3.50 - Obligatory tip. I'm just being proper
$3.51 - 5.00 - You've actually done something to deserve this, you're an okay guy.
$5.01 - 8.00 - I'm sorry about that / You're awesome!
$8.01 - 11.00 - I'm a drunk cougar and I think you're cute
$11.01+ - I'm REALLY sorry about that
Hope that helps....
Tonight I learned that in Kenya, it's impolite to not have someone sit shotgun in a taxi.
On one last note, I must have been looking extra young tonight, because I got more comments on that than usual.
D-Bag #1: A fellow who was angry about me not taking Circle Drive to Idylwyld. I'm looking at the Google Maps as I type this, the route I took was approximately 700m shorter than his route, and I knew this...but he still gave me a grumpy demeanor. Instead of saying anything about my route being better, I gave him one of his $5 bills back at the end of the trip and apologized for taking the wrong turn. Why? Because I'm a classy guy, that's why.
D-Bag #2: A guy who didn't want to take the $10 cab back to his place and threatened to drive home drunk (extremely drunk). I instead told him that I'd use the tip his friends gave me ($3) to drive him home. Why? Because I'm classy and I'm awesome.
D-Bag #3: At the end of night, I'm listening to my Grizzly Bear CD, a band that I wasn't sure if anyone knew. However, a girl in the group for my last fare of the night did know them. She told me to crank it up and proceeded to have a make-out session with her boyfriend. Seeing this, I decide to drive smoothly along what it otherwise a bumpy Taylor Street. How do I get repaid for this? A $1 tip. Honestly, if you're going to tip that little, just don't tip at all. That's less than the obligatory nice tip and it was even a good ride for them.
I did have my CDs though, so it was a good night. It was made better by the 65ish year old man who was rocking out to 'Mick and the boys'.
Best moment of the evening: I'm driving down Broadway and a man runs into the street and stares at my approaching taxi. I slow down and stop. He runs at my cab, jumps on the hood, and proceeds to yell at me: 'You can't just hit a pedestrian like that, I'm going to sue you!' He then walks to my window. I roll it down and he offers me a handful of his Chili/Lime almonds that he is snacking on. I politely refuse, but he insists so I finally accept. They were actually quite good. We wave and go our separate ways.
At around 3 AM a message comes on my computer that a fellow cab driver has hit the emergency button and we are told where his approximate location is, so I go racing off. Getting robbed, getting stabbed....these are things that I don't really think about, but they are always on the back of my mind. I don't know why he hit the emergency button but I'm going as fast as I can to get there. I'm the first other cab on the scene and as it turns out he just went home and took a nap, must've hit the emergency button my mistake. Anticlimactic, I know....but as I'm waiting there, about 5-6 other cabs show up to check it out. For the first time as a cab driver, I actually felt like part of a 'brotherhood of cabbies'. If that guy would've actually been in trouble, we would've beaten whatever shitbird was causing trouble. If I ever get into trouble, there'll be guys there to help me out. It's a nice feeling.
Speaking of other cabbies, I got to have a conversation with another cabbie while waiting outside Amigo's. I've seen this guy a couple times. Instead of the dress clothes that we are supposed to wear, he wears jeans, a sweater and some gold chains around his neck. He completes the look with slicked back hair and a pretty solid mustache. He will henceforth be known as Mr. Cool. We talked about how it was going to be busy next week because of welfare checks. He was surprised that I didn't know about the timing of welfare checks, but I told him that I was too white and middle class to know about such things. /racism
Committed boyfriend of the night: A guy takes a $35 cab ride to see his girl home and then goes back to the bar. She cries almost the whole way and they spend a solid 4-5 minutes at the door saying goodbye. On the way back to the bar, he tells me how he hates dealing with her crap because she's so young (19). He said that I would see all girls that age as immature when I become his age (25). He sticks with her because 'she is so fine'. We eventually talked about entrepreneurship and owning our own businesses one day.
Tip Guidelines (because I've had so many people ask me)
-this is what you're telling me with your tip
$0.00 - I'm a complete asswipe who doesn't deserve to live.
$0.01-1.99 - I'm insulting you. I'm putting in the effort to tip but making an effort to tip poorly.
$2.00 - 3.50 - Obligatory tip. I'm just being proper
$3.51 - 5.00 - You've actually done something to deserve this, you're an okay guy.
$5.01 - 8.00 - I'm sorry about that / You're awesome!
$8.01 - 11.00 - I'm a drunk cougar and I think you're cute
$11.01+ - I'm REALLY sorry about that
Hope that helps....
Tonight I learned that in Kenya, it's impolite to not have someone sit shotgun in a taxi.
On one last note, I must have been looking extra young tonight, because I got more comments on that than usual.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Inappropriate Leg Touching
My night: Fight in my cab, fight outside my cab, crotch in my face, inappropriate leg touching, free willy theme song, Bohemian Rhapsody, driving friends around for free, Tim Horton's donuts, cop cars, ambulances, being too late to pick up friends, flirting with cougars, being 'too young', being 'too good looking to be a cab driver', and being given directions in another language.
I just have no desire to type anything more than that. For one, I'm tired...but more importantly, I am seriously distressed about the lack of good music in my cab. This is a problem that will be dealt with this week in the form of burning CDs of all my music.
I just have no desire to type anything more than that. For one, I'm tired...but more importantly, I am seriously distressed about the lack of good music in my cab. This is a problem that will be dealt with this week in the form of burning CDs of all my music.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Taxi Cab Depression (Hi, my name is Roger)
What makes a bad night for a tax driver? Rowdy customers? Rude customers? Getting ripped off? Not making money? Believe it or not, none of these things really irritate me. What makes a night bad for me is boredom. The city sucks, I spent way too much time sitting in parking lots tonight....and way too much time getting to the customers house early and waiting for them to get ready. I can deal with almost everyone and everything that comes into my cab, but boredom just sucks.
For this reason, I was glad for a little AIESEC party break in the middle of the my shift. I'm glad that I have a job that I can just stop working whenever I want, but at the same time it's hard to stop working because all I think about is how much I could be making if I was actually working instead of eating ice cream cake.
Random conversation:
Tim Horton's Employee: 'that come to $1.87'
Me: *hands him a $20 bill'
THE: It's just easier if you pay with that $5 bill in your hand
Me: Ya, I just want to break a $20
THE: But it's just less change to pay with a $5
Me: That's the point, I want some $5 bills instead of this $20
THE: But it's...
Me: I don't even want your shitty coffee, I really just want the change
THE: Your change comes to $18.13
...
Me: Hey man, I'm sorry about the whole 'shitty coffee' thing
THE: That's okay
Me: I love your coffee, I'd die without it.
THE: I hate the coffee here
The excitement of the evening picked up with a group of customers, one in particular who referenced every popular movie of the last decade within 5 minutes, took a piss out the side of my cab, tried to get his friends to make two stops, opened the door while I was driving down 33rd, and then eventually got home. When there, he apologized for his antics, which included asking me 5 or 6 times what my name was. Despite giving him my correct name, he called me Roger and claimed that I was ignoring him. He gave me $60 for a $6 fare, but then didn't like that I was ignoring him. He called me an asshole, took back $40 and said if he ever saw me again he'd punch me in the face. He then finally got out and I took his friends to their house. I told them that the extra $14 the other guy gave me covered their fare, but the one girl gave me an extra $10 and apologized.
My next customers were similarly loud but less threatening. The one guy who sat up front asked me my name 4 times. Despite also telling him my real name, he decided that my name was going to be Chad instead. He attempted to razz me as he usually does to other cab drivers, but couldn't be on his game because he said I was too cool of a guy. When we got to their home, they invited me in for a beer, to which I declined.
Later on, I met two guys who were snorting something as I drove up. Their later conversation revealed this to be cocaine. They gave me an address across the city, to which I began driving on the most direct route. Half-way through one of them accused me of going in the wrong direction. He told me to make a couple turns in what was actually the wrong direction. Eventually, we stopped and I got out my map to ensure them that I knew where I was going. They were upset with my constant delays and going in the wrong direction. When we had almost arrived, they argued as to whether they were going to the right place. When we arrived, I decided not to unlock the doors. The guy in the back tried to get out really quickly but couldn't pass my super awesome security device known as child-safety locks. His friend also tried to leave quickly, but upon seeing that I wasn't unlocking the back door for his friend, he paid me the $12 fare....no tip, of course. His friend in the back finally got out and proceeded to slam the side door of the van on his own hand. As I drove off, he was clearly in a considerable amount of pain. He slammed a door really hard on his hand. He also almost left his shoes in my cab. I don't know when or why he had his shoes taken off. I got out of there pretty quickly.
My next fare came in the form of a woman running away from a guy. She jumped in the front seat rather quickly and said: 'He's not coming. Go, go, go!' We struck up a conversation, and it turns out she is also a 4th year student at the Edwards School of Business. She didn't recognize me at all, but she did look a little familiar to me. I plugged AIESEC and my foreign film night during our conversation about what it is like being a cab driver. She was cool, having a good conversation can really make a night better.
My night ended with me working past my shifts' end in order to pick up Marshall, who has become a regular in my cab....Marshall and his 100% tips are welcome at any time. I was also supposed to pick up another friend, some guy I worked with a year ago at London Drugs. He found out I was cab driver and got my number through my brother. He said he would call me later in the evening but never did. Now that he has my number, he is about to become a regular in my cab.
How much money did I make tonight? I don't really care. I'm fucking tired and even I don't know whether I'm Carson, Roger, Chad, or some other persona that my drunk, angry, incomprehensible customers have made up for me.
For this reason, I was glad for a little AIESEC party break in the middle of the my shift. I'm glad that I have a job that I can just stop working whenever I want, but at the same time it's hard to stop working because all I think about is how much I could be making if I was actually working instead of eating ice cream cake.
Random conversation:
Tim Horton's Employee: 'that come to $1.87'
Me: *hands him a $20 bill'
THE: It's just easier if you pay with that $5 bill in your hand
Me: Ya, I just want to break a $20
THE: But it's just less change to pay with a $5
Me: That's the point, I want some $5 bills instead of this $20
THE: But it's...
Me: I don't even want your shitty coffee, I really just want the change
THE: Your change comes to $18.13
...
Me: Hey man, I'm sorry about the whole 'shitty coffee' thing
THE: That's okay
Me: I love your coffee, I'd die without it.
THE: I hate the coffee here
The excitement of the evening picked up with a group of customers, one in particular who referenced every popular movie of the last decade within 5 minutes, took a piss out the side of my cab, tried to get his friends to make two stops, opened the door while I was driving down 33rd, and then eventually got home. When there, he apologized for his antics, which included asking me 5 or 6 times what my name was. Despite giving him my correct name, he called me Roger and claimed that I was ignoring him. He gave me $60 for a $6 fare, but then didn't like that I was ignoring him. He called me an asshole, took back $40 and said if he ever saw me again he'd punch me in the face. He then finally got out and I took his friends to their house. I told them that the extra $14 the other guy gave me covered their fare, but the one girl gave me an extra $10 and apologized.
My next customers were similarly loud but less threatening. The one guy who sat up front asked me my name 4 times. Despite also telling him my real name, he decided that my name was going to be Chad instead. He attempted to razz me as he usually does to other cab drivers, but couldn't be on his game because he said I was too cool of a guy. When we got to their home, they invited me in for a beer, to which I declined.
Later on, I met two guys who were snorting something as I drove up. Their later conversation revealed this to be cocaine. They gave me an address across the city, to which I began driving on the most direct route. Half-way through one of them accused me of going in the wrong direction. He told me to make a couple turns in what was actually the wrong direction. Eventually, we stopped and I got out my map to ensure them that I knew where I was going. They were upset with my constant delays and going in the wrong direction. When we had almost arrived, they argued as to whether they were going to the right place. When we arrived, I decided not to unlock the doors. The guy in the back tried to get out really quickly but couldn't pass my super awesome security device known as child-safety locks. His friend also tried to leave quickly, but upon seeing that I wasn't unlocking the back door for his friend, he paid me the $12 fare....no tip, of course. His friend in the back finally got out and proceeded to slam the side door of the van on his own hand. As I drove off, he was clearly in a considerable amount of pain. He slammed a door really hard on his hand. He also almost left his shoes in my cab. I don't know when or why he had his shoes taken off. I got out of there pretty quickly.
My next fare came in the form of a woman running away from a guy. She jumped in the front seat rather quickly and said: 'He's not coming. Go, go, go!' We struck up a conversation, and it turns out she is also a 4th year student at the Edwards School of Business. She didn't recognize me at all, but she did look a little familiar to me. I plugged AIESEC and my foreign film night during our conversation about what it is like being a cab driver. She was cool, having a good conversation can really make a night better.
My night ended with me working past my shifts' end in order to pick up Marshall, who has become a regular in my cab....Marshall and his 100% tips are welcome at any time. I was also supposed to pick up another friend, some guy I worked with a year ago at London Drugs. He found out I was cab driver and got my number through my brother. He said he would call me later in the evening but never did. Now that he has my number, he is about to become a regular in my cab.
How much money did I make tonight? I don't really care. I'm fucking tired and even I don't know whether I'm Carson, Roger, Chad, or some other persona that my drunk, angry, incomprehensible customers have made up for me.
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