I had my first accident today. It was, thankfully a non-injury accident. I expect the insurance cos. will find us equally at fault, despite my having the right of way. He was turning left from the oncoming lane. I was passing on the right, another car also turning left. Newither of us saw the other until it was too late. Because I was continuing through the intersection straight away, I had the right of way, it is legal to pass on the right to go around a car turning left. The other driver assumed the lane to the right of the car he was facing would only be making right turns. The driving behavior I exhibited was very common at that intersection. All the witnesses scattered. Especially the person in front of me making the left turn. The police/tow insurance process took about an hour, but I must say the cab company had a replacement vehicle for me by the time my car was towed to the yard.
It is, however chitty chitty bang bang. The horn goes off when you start it, that is, unless you have the headlights on. The gear arrows do not correspond with the lables. But at least they are in the same order. The crank monitor needs replacement, and they'll get that on monday.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Friday, June 03, 2005
type a type b
I have this running list of "two types of people" with a regular passenger. For example, people that let their dogs sleep in their bed with them, and those that are horrifed at the mere suggestion. "I think they let the dog sleep on the bed with them" they'll say in hushed tones.
As passengers, I realized last night there are two types of direction givers. The micro-managers, and the bottom liners. The Micro managers will give directions to such a small degree, I often have to interupt and just ask the end address. "Well, you go down main street, take a left on North Mount Tabor, and take a left in the K-mart parking lot" "So you want to go to K-Mart" "Yes, the garden center it is on the left side of the building, it has its own entrance". The other has such an inflated sense of self, as well as innate trust in cabbies internal GPS system, they will just announce their desitination, no matter how obscure. "I want to go to Subdivision, generica" "you now, by McDonald's" "on New Circle Road" That particular road is a 20 mile circle around the urban part of the county, with no less than 5 McDonalds within sight of it.
Somne times people seem incapable of telling me their address. They start to give directions. "Take a left". or "Just go forward, I'll tell you where to go". I hate that. My second night I had a guy say he needed to "just go down south broadway". At the edge of town South Broadway changes name and becomes a destination name road. His true destination was not on the broadway part of the road at all, but outside the county line. That started my destinartion demand at the beginning of each call.
Some people treat cabs like their own personal calf path, or wandering jew. They'll say "I just need to go to Wallgreen's. There, they announce they want me to wait for them while the shop, then bring up where they want to get food, then a return trip home. Sometimes I stack calls up. This means, if someone calls me when I am on the way to Wallgreen's, I will assume it is a one way to Wallgreen's and estimate my new pick up time for the second call.
People in the town rarely know how to hail a cab. Some just say "hey" or "wait!". I am kind of a stinker abotu it. I do not need the money as bad as some drivers, so I only respond to visible waves, or "Taxi!", a whistle, or human speed bumps.
As passengers, I realized last night there are two types of direction givers. The micro-managers, and the bottom liners. The Micro managers will give directions to such a small degree, I often have to interupt and just ask the end address. "Well, you go down main street, take a left on North Mount Tabor, and take a left in the K-mart parking lot" "So you want to go to K-Mart" "Yes, the garden center it is on the left side of the building, it has its own entrance". The other has such an inflated sense of self, as well as innate trust in cabbies internal GPS system, they will just announce their desitination, no matter how obscure. "I want to go to Subdivision, generica" "you now, by McDonald's" "on New Circle Road" That particular road is a 20 mile circle around the urban part of the county, with no less than 5 McDonalds within sight of it.
Somne times people seem incapable of telling me their address. They start to give directions. "Take a left". or "Just go forward, I'll tell you where to go". I hate that. My second night I had a guy say he needed to "just go down south broadway". At the edge of town South Broadway changes name and becomes a destination name road. His true destination was not on the broadway part of the road at all, but outside the county line. That started my destinartion demand at the beginning of each call.
Some people treat cabs like their own personal calf path, or wandering jew. They'll say "I just need to go to Wallgreen's. There, they announce they want me to wait for them while the shop, then bring up where they want to get food, then a return trip home. Sometimes I stack calls up. This means, if someone calls me when I am on the way to Wallgreen's, I will assume it is a one way to Wallgreen's and estimate my new pick up time for the second call.
People in the town rarely know how to hail a cab. Some just say "hey" or "wait!". I am kind of a stinker abotu it. I do not need the money as bad as some drivers, so I only respond to visible waves, or "Taxi!", a whistle, or human speed bumps.
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