"LIfe's Fine But It t'aint easy"

Today is the one day I try to forget my problems and just remember how tough things were for the early Pilgrims. Face it, they had no Publix supermarket to shop at like I did today.

President Obama wrote an editorial about giving thanks for our blessings. He wrote about how the Pilgrims believed in providence and understanding thier blessings. You have to look to see miracles and perhaps the benevolence of the Indians was a gift. Their own survival was cause for thanks.

That is truly how I feel today.

A feast of spiral ham, turkey breast, green bean supreme and mashed potatoes with gravy await me while I watch the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Oakland Raiders. No Thanksgiving would be complete without that.

The Pilgrims had to go out and hunt. They looked for Tom Turkey or a large buck to feed their family. Hunting is still popular as sport. I hope it is still allowed beyond 2012.

Anyway, I'm alive; I made it another year. Things should get better.

Mackerel Sky And Mares' Tails

"Mackerel sky and mares' tails make lofty ships carry low sails. "

The unmistakable herringbone pattern of mackerel sky and the long, wispy cirrus which is mare's tail are all high-altitude indicators that a moisture-bearing low pressure system is moving in from the west. This usually means an increase in wind speeds, a shift to blustery easterly winds, and increased cloud and precipitation within the next 24 hours or so. A wise captain avoids torn sails and damaged spars by taking his sails in.

I saw this cloud pattern Friday Morning. I predicted that by Sunday we would have a front move thru the Tampa area. It did, but it did not bring any cool weather with it. I am still running the air conditioner. Man, I really would like to see some cooler weather by Turkey Day.

The Individual vs The State

The issue of individual liberty will be settled in the 25th century

A Black Cat, Friday The Thriteenth, UFO's And Water On The Moon

I knew something like this would happen. Today was Friday the Thirteenth and on my way to my first call after sunrise, a black cat shot out of the bushes on Palmetto street and ran under the fence going into the Arbor Ponds apartments. Man, I did not need that.

You see, luck is vital to a cab driver. We are not paid a salary or an hourly wage. It is pure commision. If we get bogged down with short fairs, we are screwed. We owe our company a lease not matter the quality of our fares. I was a little nervous after this very black, without any white chest hair, made his dramatic move in front of my cab. He seemed to bring me luck, however, I had a very interesting day despite the cat. I also made a little bit of money.

The only weird thing that happened was I had a time call going to the airport and when I got there, I could see the customer had a vanity license plate. It dealt with the subject of UFO's. Never seen that before.

The customer explained that he was part of the UFO community and that he had been abducted 20 years ago in North Florida. He did not seem nuts, he lived in a nice south Tampa neighborhood and his story seemed credible.

Considering that NASA just announced that the missile fired into the moon last month did, in fact, find water on the moon, and lots of water. I think that pretty much nails down that the potential for life elsewhere in the universe is limitless. The mans story seems less nutty than it would have been yesterday.

Why Free Taxi Cabs, why Now?

This is not the time for taxi companies to offer complimentary cab service in the vital downtown Tampa and So Ho areas. Most taxi drivers are broke and struggling in this economy. We cannot offer free rides. It would not be practical and we are regulated in this part of town at $3 a head from 2 to 4 riders. I guess Minartti (the owner of Yellow cab) got Keven White to let him do this for a kick back. White is a very corrupt County Commissioner and he should be voted out of office. Oh, he likes mixed-race ass by the way.

I saw a group of "hybred" green cabs at what is left of the old Yellow Cab compound on n. Oregon ave in Tampa. They were locked up behind a chain fence. Just keep them there.

Google Searches And Josh Freeman

I have been getting some interesting Google searches...One was "Is Josh Johnson gay" I don't know if he is gay, but I do know that he has four starts and has lost all of them. He is trying but I believe his days as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer starting Quarterback are over. Josh Freeman will be the starter now for the next ten-twelve years. He came in late in the London game against the New England Patriots and I don't think he will be headed.

Another Google search was for the minimum age for a cab driver in Tampa. That would be 26 for insurance reasons. you also have to get a Hack permit that will cost you $100! I am not Joshing about that.

This is a photo I took of Josh Freeman at a gas station in Tampa a couple months ago. He seemed to be a nice guy not really full of hmself.

Don't Know What's Going On

It is getting strange...in a sort of Good way. Unlike last year when the United States Economy was falling off the edge of the Earth, we are now having some good days thrown into the mix. The back office and the dispatchers say the call count is beginning to go up. That is good news. However, why are more and more people losing their jobs and foreclosures are going up. I have no idea.

You may have heard the term "lagging indicator" as the unemployment rate is vulgarly refereed to. Tell that to the people that can't pay the bills. I am not going to beat this into the ground. I can only say....knock on wood....that I have been gaining some ground in the last few days...that is it. That is all I care to say at this point.

Is it all going to come to an end tomorrow when the United States blows up a nuclear bomb on the moon on Friday October 9, 2009 at 7:31 Am? Who knows.

Jerked Around

It was hard to get to mad at this guy today. He was just trying to survive like I am. I have been driving for 14 years and I have regularly picked "Dave" up over the years. He used to live on Wisconsin ave until he was evicted. I picked him up today at the Crosstown Inn, a sort of rundown motel at Dale Mabry and Gandy.

He needed to go to Metropolitan Ministries because that is where his mail is now being delivered. I agreed to take him and pick up his Social Security check and then, take him to Amscot. Sounded simple. It got a little complicated.

He went inside the Mission, which was crowded with people picking up boxes of food and waiting in line inside for what the sign on the door said "food, money, living expenses" and other things like that.

I could not help but notice that the parking lot was full of new and late model cars. Go see for yourself. Just go by. That really pissed me off.

Many time in my life, I have had to sell a car or other things to get money to eat. These people are not making sacrifice. The ones I saw were duchies. Sell your Goddamn Car and your family can eat tonight. I don't even have a car, and I don't BEG.

The guy came out and said his check was not there and we needed to now go back to south Tampa to the Post office. He was completely ignoring the $25 on the meter.

I'm sorry folks. I am sensitive to his plight, but I cannot run the meter up to 50 or 60 bucks just on speculation that I might get paid. I took off and left the schmuck behind.

I shortly got a real fare and collected MONEY!

603 Otis Ave Tampa Florida

A Seminole Heights man says he has talked to a neighbor about piles of trash and a house in disrepair. He says he has called the police and code enforcement. Stephen Cain says none of that worked, so now he's turned to the Internet to document his dilemma.

This guy got so pissed when he could not get the Tampa Code Enforcement to do anything, he started a blog on Blogspot...6003otisave.blogspot.com

He has posted photos of burnt piles of wood and mattress remains in the backyard. His neighbor seems to make a lot of noise and his "girlfriend" lets her kids camp out in the backyard which annoys the shit out of this guy. I can see why

I went by the place and took a photo of this dilapidated place. I could see swing sets and slides and monkey bars in the yard, and junk that I didn't even know what it was.

He believes that the owner of the house at 603 N Otis Ave is letting homeless people live with him. I thought we lived in America where people could try to help others. My bad.

I have had, in my lifetime, problems with neighbors. Often, the only recourse is to move. They will never change, and I realized that. The only thing that I can control is myself, so I got out of the intolerable situation. That may be something that the blog publisher may want to consider.

I am not insensitive to his plight. I am just being real.

Flying A Sign And The Homeless In Tampa

I see it every day in Tampa. They seem to be at every intersection. Their pleas for help are drawn on the back of cardboard and they seem as common as the traffic lights themselves. Who are these people? What led them to the streets? Should I give them money? Whatever is going on in America is driving people to the street corners, and in Florida, the broiling afternoon sun to try and survive.

Some people subscribe to the Urban Myth of the homeless guy “Flying a Sign” and making a couple hundred a day and then going home to his spread in the suburbs. I don’t know about that. Flying a sign does not seem to be a very profitable activity, considering the competition today. Some people believe we should give them a bag with some lame ass crackers and directions to a social center inside instead of money. I think the condition that exist today cannot be solved by directions to a county office. It is more chronic than that

A few years ago, I considered these people to be bums. Nowadays, I’m not so sure. Driving my cab for 12 hours a day, makes me familiar with these people. I don’t think they are bums, they are the homeless and the unemployed. The ones I have talked to HAVE NO JOB. Simple.

A homeless guy named “Billy” hangs out at the Hyde Park taxi stand #21. He talks to the drivers and seems normal. He is just “down on his luck.“ He claims to have been homeless for years and often panhandles for money. He survives, but that’s about all he does. He has found places around downtown to get food. Some are better than others, but most will feed you and give you some sandwiches to take with you. That helps them for today. What about tomorrow.

Billy goes on Sundays to an old venerable church near down town called Hyde Park United Methodist. They feed the homeless on Sundays with a hot buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, hotcakes, juice, fruit and so forth. The dichotomy this creates is that this act of kindness is in the shadow of swanky high rise condominiums and Bayshore Mansions.

Many of the people that eat at this church, hang out and sleep on Bayshore and many of the buildings in East Hyde Park. They are now calling this area Homeless Hyde Park. It is a problem that is getting worse as time goes on. The homeless women Missy Sjostrom was killed by a hit-and-run driver in this area one night while crossing the street at the base of the Davis Island bridge, another area were rich people live. The young women that hit her has rich parents and they hired a good lawyer to protect her from the legal system.

What these people need is HOPE and CHANGE. Maybe, one day, someone will come along and actually do something that will give real hope to these people, like a job and a place to live.

My understanding is that we are in the worst economy since 1936. Over 250,000 more people lost their jobs in America last month, and there seems to be no end in site. The unemployment rate is 9.8% and climbing. There are no jobs. Face it people.

The homeless people need work, money, health insurance and drug counseling. Giving them some lame crackers thru the window of your car is not helping them. You say you don’t want to enable these people since they may have an alcohol problem. You might be, but you are enabling them to live and keep going on. That is more kind.