The sun sets on 2013

The last vestiges of sunlight are gone over Tampa Bay. This year things slowly have begun to improve. I am hoping 2014 is my favorite year. It needs to be.

Final Holiday picture

This shows the three Christmas cards I got. Happy New Year.

Cigar City Cabbie featured on Ybor City Stoogie

Go to Yborcitystogie.blogspot.com to see the article about Cigar City Cabbie. There is much paranormal activity in the Tampa Bay area and I am the night stalker

Taxi driving in Tampa is getting better

The last five years have been brutal. The economic collapse left service workers in Tampa in destitution. I only wish the people responsible for this to die horrible, painful deaths. No amount of pain would be enough for those greedy bastards. Ten percent of my life down the fucking tube. No Arizona, no days off, no money, wearing dirty cloths, eating shit out of the toilet (you get used to it after a while).

Anyway, the business is clearly getting better as this holiday season has been active for the first time since 2007. You understand that?..2007. I only hope this is not an illusion.

My Christmas gift

George and Kevin gave me the batteries to the Christmas gift they got me but they won't tell me what it is. They said it has not arrived yet. Hum... Anyway, it uses lithium 123 batteries which must be to some wicked gadget. Cool. Just hope it comes soon.

Sam working hard before Xmas

Sammy is a damn good mechanic and a help of a nice guy. Here he is servicing a taxi cab. The Christmas decorations were in Paul's office.

My Christmas arraignment

On the left is the Thanksgiving card from Tom and Sandy; on the right is the Christmas card from Teri and Kevin; up front are the batteries George gave me as a Christmas gift. How lucky am I. Merry Xmas to all!

Downtown Tampa at sunset

This is me headed to downtown to avoid the hockey traffic. My fares were going to a strip club on Adamo and seemed in a hurry.

New construction in Hyde Park

Next to the SweetBay on Swann they ate building new condos. They have been working on them for some time and the project looks massive. As a taxi driver, I take this as a sign of a recovering economy. These condos represent fares going to the airport in the early morning. There is also new construction north if Kennedy that will increase our high end business.

Wrong blog!

The people you meet

Two young women flagged me down on Howard ave and I thought I had seen them before. We pick up a bunch of folks, so this was no strange feeling. They needed to get to TIA to catch a flight to Ft Lauderdale.

In conversation they said they worked for Fox sports and were in town for a Lightning promotion. Then, it hit me. These were the Florida Rays girls from Fox TV sports. I see them at all the Rays games. Cool!

Yes...they are very pretty in person...and nice.

I thought there was a Duran v Leonard 3

I remember being at a sports bar in 1989 with Karen and Ricardo and seeing the rematch of the "No Mas" fight. An interesting documentary has been made showing how that watershed event psychological affection both of them decades later. Glad to know money can't calm all your storms.

Documentary film about the Tampa taxi driver

These are some of my attempts to be a documentary film maker. It is a challenging task but I am working hard at it. Please watch and let me know. I hope to cover a wide variety of topics.

Sasquatch Ontario has been made

People who follow me know iI do weird stuff, like search for Bigfoot. We are serious about it and post our videos on YouTube. The problem is that site is being taken over by hoaxers, like TimberGiantBigfoot and Sasquatch Ontario. They have loyal followersThat believe their bullshit. I don't.

Do these sounds remind you of something? A sound guy friend of mind created these with "Garage Band" software. You wanted proof; you got it. Sasquatch Ontario is a fake.

Fake Bigfoot Vocals.mp3

Enigmatic Anomalies 1st annual jack-o-lantern contest

George and Kevin are having a pumpkin carving contest. Get your jack-o-lantern ready and you may receive some head!

Clothing optional Eden apartments Tamp Bay

I saw this article on Ybor City Stogie from 2008 about an apartment building near Westchase going clothing optional. I am very much aware of the nudist resorts and naturalist palces in the Tampa Bay area, and Pasco county. I don't believe I have heard of this place. Perhaps it never got off the ground. What is interesting is the article on Stogie is still one of his highest rated pages. With a photo like this, I wonder why!/>

Ybor City chickens on rampage

Ybor City strip right at sunrise

I was dropping some very late-night party people off on west side of the Ybor strip and I turned down a side-street. The sun had just come up and I knew it was going to be another hot day. Over in a parking lot, I could see them. There they were....dozens of  them...the chickens! They must have been meeting there to plan the days activities of what mischief they were going to get into today.

A chicken meeting of the high commnad..reporting for duty

A blogger once said that he has never seen any hens in Ybor. Well, there were several hens with little ones followinig them. Perhaps it is right at sunrise that you have the best chance of seeing these guys. They do seem to be growing in population

A hen with her young

These big guys were screaching their guts out

Memorial to JFK

At the University of Tampa is a memorial to the fallen president. JFK visited Tampa four days before his assassination and his motorcade went down Grand Central Blvd. The street was later renamed John F Kennedy Blvd, in his honor.

Fear and loathing on Monday morning

Monday mornings used to rock. There were airport calls galore. You could basically cover your lease in a few hours and end up with a good day. Now, you must be very lucky because the GPS system will pick the closest cab. Man has turned his sacred fortune over to "the old man in the cave." Order and discontinuity I say. An existentialist would go with the flow and be unconcerned. I just want to know when that train will arrive.

The taxi meter now becomes a $2.40 a mile idol that responds less to worship and more to arbitrary position. Salvation is found not in homage, charity, good works or prayer, Or, God forbid, customer service. Its now the capriciousness of a man made idol. The sanctification of the chosen it selects is short lived. He may not even know where the customer is at and that presents a service problem, as well as, metaphysical. Sin, reprisal, and redemption now enters the physical terrain.

I'm not really an apostate of this silicon overseer. For, I was never a disciple. Zion was never in our grasp. Indiscriminate parcels of good fortune bestowed with annoying deference only undermines good intentions.

I embrace life but know being alive is complicated and imbalanced. No amount fairness can ever be enforced.

This system causes a different form of doubt and loathing. Immobilized by fear, the driver acquiesses to the silence. Waiting for a repose from the silicon idol that you would pay homage, only to break the refrain of nothingness, if you only knew your penance.

You develop emnity with the equalizer. Cull it from existence and my imperfect world returns.

"What's this"..a call just came in. Its going to the airport! Someone up there likes me!

Viva Ybor Cigars

I am now "Cigar City Cabbie." This name is befitting the heritage of Tampa and its Cuban people.

Did you know Tampa was the command and control center for the Spanish American War? Did you know Port Tampa was the embarkment point for Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders? All Cuban tobacco was sent to Tampa where thousands of immigrant workers hand rolled the cigars.

Now, that I am finished with design and names, I should be blogging hardcore.

Tropical rains in Tampa

We are getting hit every afternoon with heavy rains. It rained hard last night during the Bugs exhibition football game. No help. They got killed.

This is Kevin and I on our way back from Sarasota meeting with the documentary company about an upcoming project. A lot going on, will fill in as I know more.

Shoe caught on film

The famous former dispatcher "Shoe" was found on another blog about jogging. A blogger who takes images of where he runs was photographing this Jamacian resturant, and the United Cab was parked out front. The driver loading the trunk is without a doubt Shoe. He has had the owner as a special account for years. Specials are good deals if they put real money in your pocket.

This is Shoe...no doubt

Jose Marti Park

The gate was locked the day I was there. It closed at 1:30 PM

There is a park in Ybor City that is actually soverign Cuban territory. It is called Jose marit Park. It stands as an honor to the Cuban freedom fighter who encouraged the United States to get involved in the Spanish American War. Spain ruled the people of Cuba with an iron fist, and Jose Marti, and others, wanted them gone. Too bad Cuba has retured to a conditon even worse then when the Spanish were there.

An honor to the family that helped Jose Marti remain free from Cuban capture

The American and Cuban flag

Postcard from Sarasota

Kevin and I met with the founders of Big Wolf Productions today to discuss the upcoming documentary they are planning about the Skunk Ape. They were great guys with some interesting ideas. We hit it off with them and have already scheduled a backwoods camping trip for the last week of October (the one I offered to Matt Moneymaker).

This photo was at Square One Burgers. If you have one up your way, I highly recommend going. The service was great; the food was awesome. Kevin and I can't wait until autumn. Its going to be a great Skunk Ape season. Really good things to come.

In search of Tampa's ghost

Well, searching for a good image. I had this concept of juxtaposing the modern skyline of downtown Tampa with the Gothic theme of Oaklawn cemetery. Sunday morning was calm with nobody around.

I found my shot but could only notice the state of care for this historic place. They need to at least cut the grass.

Ybor City chickens are flocking

Ybor City strip right at sunrise

I was dropping some very late-night party people off on west side of the Ybor strip and I turned down a side-street. The sun had just come up and I knew it was going to be another hot day. Over in a parking lot, I could see them. There they were....dozens of  them...the chickens! They must have been meeting there to plan the days activities of what mischief they were going to get into today.

A chicken meeting of the high commnad..reporting for duty

A blogger once said that he has never seen any hens in Ybor. Well, there were several hens with little ones followinig them. Perhaps it is right at sunrise that you have the best chance of seeing these guys. They do seem to be growing in population

A hen with her young

These big guys were screaching their guts out

How to annoy your taxi driver

Am I as old as your daddy?

When people just get in your cab I know they are just trying to be nice, but they can say things to a taxi driver that sound banal, but really just piss him off. One the things I hate is in the early morning, they will ask "What time does your shift end?" or "been on duty all night?" I really don't  know why that gets to me but when they ask "is it busy?" That really pisses me off. The reason is because it is only mouthed by some short fair mother fucker who is not going to put any money in my pocket.

If I was busy would I be sitting around with my thumb up my ass

Another thing cab drivers don't like hearing (especially from young women) is "Hey Mr. Taxi Driver" as a default greeting. They are usually drunk and will roar this out at regular intervals. Do I look that old that you call me sir!
 If you have been driving cab for any time at all people will ask you "Can we go to McDonald's?" Well kiss my ass goodbye for the next twenty minutes. Never mind the fact that there is nothing fast about fast food, but, the people are usually drunk and annoying and its during the bar rush of the night. There are fares I could be picking up and making money with. No way now. Since I picked these stoners up, I am now saying "Give me a number three with a coke, and a side order of extra large fries." Then, they spill most of the shit on the back seat. Special sauce from Big Macs is tough to clean up. These people are corporate lawyers by day. dick heads by night.
"Got any tunes?" That one is so messed up. The reason is they will blast the radio and you can't even hear yourself think. Then, they start asking you questions and you can't hear a thing. Its always hip hop music and it sounds like shit.
"I won't throw up" That means within minutes you are hopping a curb and yelling at them to open the door before they toss on the back seat. Some cities now have an extra charge posted on the window for throw up.
"Change for a hundred?" That means they are going to rob your ass and they want to know how much they are going to get.
"Do you take head?" That is when a drunk women has no money and she wants to prostitute herself for the fare. Some drivers I know always take the head. Lets just say, I could get head every night if I wanted. I really need the money, however.

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Bubba the Love Sponge former studio?

When your a cab driver, you here things. I wait until I here something a couple time before I put much stock in it.

nice place in the shade trees

In the Westshore area of Tampa there is an old building my fares tell me once was Bubba the Love Sponge studio. I believe when he was on satellite radio. There is a boat in the back, and a basketball hoop. The beware of dog sign means there may have been a pit in here. Since he's back on commercial radio, he does not need this place.

E Howard Hunt one of the Three Tramps?

E. Howard Hunt's son was on Coast to Coast radio tonight with George Knapp. He talked about the various reasons for different factions to want to assassinate JFK. We have heard all this before. So far, there has been no mention if Howard Hunt being one of the "three tramps" that where in custody in Dallas. They were wearing wing tip shows and they were fresh shaved.