Finding Balance

Tonight I didn't really want to work, but having been lazy the past couple weeks I decided to tough it out and actually earn some money. The city was surprisingly busy, so I did well. However, as the night wore on I found it harder and harder to continue, until it got to 2:00 AM, which is the busiest time of the night, but still 2 hours before I'm supposed to be done my shift. To go home at this point would be ludicrous, I've already worked 10 hours, what is another hour? It'll settle down in an hour then I can go home, and maybe pick up $50 in the process.

But I decided to count how much money I had already made anyway. $230. Earlier in the night I told myself I'd be good with $150 (well under my nightly average, but enough that it would make the night worthwhile)....but then I started thinking, what's the limit? I don't need the money, but my inner greed tells me that I should always have more. There is always a cost-benefit analysis going on as to whether that money is worth the effort....but I started thinking of it like future job opportunities. Maybe one day I'll get offered a really good paying job, but it will also come with a lot of responsibility and stress. Do I need it? Would I take it just because the money is worth the effort? Maybe I go through my whole life taking opportunities just for the value that I feel they create, and never really cash in on any of them.

I cashed in tonight, went home early. Any rational thought process says that's a stupid move...but I feel no regret. I had enough money and when you remove greed from the equation, the only rational move is to go home and get some sleep (or in my case, go on Facebook and write a blog). I just need enough. Any effort that I put it to get some more than that, regardless of how much I'm getting, is wasted effort in my opinion.

Funny thing though, when I parked my taxi some random guy at the taxi garage wouldn't let me go home because he needed a ride and the city was so busy that he would never get one for an hour or so later. A bad decision, I drove him home because it was on my way home, so I gave him a ride in my own car....a random. Turns out he was an ex-cabbie. He told me about how a girl was stabbed and killed in his car, and how 5 times in his life he had a knife pulled on him, and how many people he had to drive bloodied and dying to the hospital, and how many gang members he's had to deal with.

This job....it ain't worth it any more. I'm stuck because of the money, but I think it's time to grow a pair and quit....to stop letting money rule my life.

Interesting People

Sometimes it's just nice to sit back and take a peak into other people's lives. I feel conflicted on the issue though. On one hand, I work 12 hours in a row, and that can suck...getting some interesting people in my cab can certainly make things a little more entertaining. However, I find that the more interesting people are usually terrible human beings. If I graphed this relationship, it would probably be y=x...a direct relationship of interestingness to terribleness.

For example, a woman and child I picked up at 2:30 AM at Sobey's. While I'm driving there I am wondering to myself: 'where do you have to be in life to go grocery shopping at 2:30 in the morning'. Sure, there's a possibility of some drunks wandering there and not wanting to walk further, but I've picked up legitimate people there at this time before. It ended up being a woman and child, and I later found out the father was in prison for another 4 years. The woman talked about the father and how she never regretted any of it. She had very fun times in the good ole' 'young offenders' days (her words, not mine). The kid actually seemed to be intelligent, I felt that the two spoke on the same intellectual level....which was not overly high. Still, they seemed like nice people and I enjoyed my little glimpse into their life.

....and then there's another couple. As I drove up to the house they were, they were making out on the lawn. Me, being a professional, I'm ready to turn the music up and ignore them as they make out the whole way back....but instead the woman starts talking the entire way, barely stops to take a breath. The guy, he's not really enjoying this. I can hear by his occasional laughs that he's not really paying attention but trying to be nice. Every once in a while he goes to give her a kiss (yes, I am a creeper)....I can't quite tell if it's because he wants some action, or because he's just trying to shut her up for one short second.

A lot of people get into my cab, and after they leave I am often left with the question: 'what do you have to do to end up with a pathetic life like that?' I raise this point because some 'people' got into my cab. I don't know how to explain much more than that....they were just gross. I don't want to be superficial because I'm not the best looking guy myself, but those girls were at least 100 lbs. too big to be wearing short-shorts like that. The guy with him, he was worried about the price of the cab that was going about 5 blocks (maybe if they walked a little more those shorts wouldn't look so gross on them). The fare was $8 and he gave me a $10 and told me to keep the rest as a tip....but before he left he made sure that the fare was actually $8. I guess if it was $7.75 he would've wanted some change. How do you get to that point? Oh ya, and they spent the whole trying to smoke, swearing at me, changing the radio station, swearing at eachother, telling me they were going to offer 'services' for cab fare.

I'm glad the end of my night got me some interesting. That way, when I go home afterwards, I feel like a Champion and a great person just for maintaining some level of competence and respectability.

Good God Saskatoon.....you are getting grosser by the minute.