MY FAVORITE RIDER COMMENTS IN APRIL 2025

He: "Out of college, five of my friends and I traveled to many states in the west looking for a lot of land we could buy together. We finally bought 200 acres in British Columbia on a dirt road, with no electricity or running water, and an hour and a half from the nearest gas station. I built my house from scratch and we were there forty years." 

Both nurses, the one sister told me, "During COVID she used to take her clothes off on her front porch and her husband gave her a robe."

Her stepfather was a mortician and she said, "I've never seen a dead body and I'd like to prolong that as long as I can. I heard they have a smell."

I told a rider I know that I was moving after being here seven years and he said, "You're like criminals, you're moving every year. You're a fugitive, people are going to want to know what your crimes were. Can't wait until your kids find out you're fugitives. I might just turn you in if there's a reward."

She: "We had no electricity in the house we built for thirteen years.  When I got a washer and dryer it was a hallelujah moment. I was a happy woman."

The Charleston man said, "I feel like no one has a job in Myrtle Beach and they are just hanging out all the time."

I asked the guy whose parents were from India, "How did you meet your wife?" He said, "We met at a bar. She doesn't usually hang out with Indians, but we hit it off and we found out are last names were both Patel, who would have thought?"

Recovering from alcohol and drug addiction and eleven months clean, the 27-year-old said, "My mom and dad both have addictions and my mom wanted me to move back in with her so if I died she wanted to find my body and not someone else."

She: "I'm a scientist developing sunscreen for babies. I like it because it's hard."

The professional server gave this advice to giving great service, "You have to read the room. You have to caress their face without touching them."

He said, "The destination for a vacation is not always the gift; be the gift for the destination."

She: "My dad was a train conductor and he was a unruly grizzly bear. He had a distaste for the public."

Driving down a road lined with trees, I said to they young guy, "I wouldn't want to drive this road at night." He replied, "We used to have lights but everyone shot them out."

She told me: "Thanks for being the 4th or 5th Jeff on this trip.  One Jeff was buying us drinks and we called him 'Sugar daddy Jeff.' Jeff is also the name of my father-in-law who is the bride's dad.  She thought we were calling her dad, 'Sugar Daddy.' "

He: "The reason you didn't have a TV for five years is that you didn't want to see yourself arrested on TV." 

"Golf is like an addiction. When someone asks me what my handicap is, I tell them its that I think I can play golf."

My rider said, "I'll pick you up from the airport in a pick-up truck with no seat and then I'll drive by you and not see you and charge you $4,000 for the ride."

"After being together for close to twenty years, we got married in Vegas by a black Elvis. There were a lot of pregnant women in line."

He sold cars and I said, "Do you know who the greatest car salesman who ever lived?" He looked at his dad and said, "My dad is. He sold cars for 25 years and never had a month that someone sold more."

I asked the great car salesman, "What is the secret to your success?" He said, "Attitude and enthusiasm is everything. If you're not enthusiastic about something, how will anyone else be."

The chef said, "The difference between a cook and a chef is that the cook knows how to cook, but the chef knows why you cook it that way."

"I worked with a guy here who was from El Salvador and he walked for 30 days across Mexico to get here."

He loved the bills in my car and then told me, "My wife works for the State Department and she's visited 108 countries and she has a coin collection from them."

She: "I wear cookie monster socks because it makes people laugh. I don't know why I grabbed these Elvis socks, they're extra. I want you to have them.' (ELVIS IS HANGING IN MY MUSEUM!)

Married twenty-five years and together 44 years, I asked them what's the best advice for a successful marriage? They said, "Always have physical contact with each other, never escalate a disagreement, don't go to bed mad, and don't judge each other."

MORE COMMENTS

"My parents were from India. In the early 1990's living in the southern part of New Jersey, there were no Indian grocery stores around.  We used to drive two hours to Edison on Oak Tree Rd. and it was a whole day event stopping at friends on the way."

She: "I would risk it all for pie. I would trade my panties right now for a glazed donut."

"I have a seven-year-old who is stress free and knows nothing about life."

"My body does not have DNA for cold weather."

Going for dialysis treatment he said, "It's a pain in the ass, but it keeps me alive." 

Airplane mechanic: "You have to have a passion to do this or it takes a toll on you."

"In Buffalo in the winter, we don't have any sun."

She: "I've always had great days. I even won a "Kindness Award" in elementary school."

"My mom told me that it was time for me to get a big girl job. You have to find what you want to do."

He decided to stay in the Mt. Pleasant area after he and his girlfriend broke up. He said, "Tall, blonde girls are right up my alley."

The environmental lawyer told me, "I was inspired by summer camp as a kid. I wanted to make a positive difference in the world. I work in a major law firm and we all work terrible hours."

He: "Hair is overrated."

He: "I'm a father of triplets who are 17."

She: "Franco Harris was a germaphobe.  He wore longer sleeves and shook hands with people with his sleeves."

Her best advice in school is, "You have to trust the process."

She: "I remember there used to be a reality TV show called 'Myrtle Beach Manor' about a trailer park." (2013)

She: "Being a CNA is not always easy, but it is rewarding."

"The best thing about Colorado is that everyone always wants to go outside."

He told me, "I used to look a lot like Dwight Evans of the Red Sox." His wife added, "That's why Dwight Evans was my favorite player."

"Our kids bought the house next to us and we have a heated breezeway that goes in between the two houses and our two grandchildren go back and forth all the time."

Living in The South she said, "I had to get the f _ _ _ out of Washington D.C."

She: "My manager gave me this advice, "Take time off and go somewhere."

"Seattle is consistently pleasant."

The husband said, "My wife gives me consistency."

He: "Has anyone said the you sound a lot like Dick Vitale." (sports commentator and basketball coach)

The medical professor told me, "It's different today than before the pandemic. Students want to be in school and in the labs."

"When I first moved to The South, I thought people were way too friendly."

"There are a quarter of a million Americans living in Costa Rica."

UNIQUE OCCUPATIONS

Two airplane mechanics

She sells batteries

She sells garbage dumpsters to companies

A Grade Engineer

Owner Tennis Academy 

GE Project Manager for nuclear power plants

Medical Professor

Internet publisher

Scientist making sunscreen for babies

Cop who is also a Financial Advisor

Flower Distribution

Forensic Scientist

Film Producers

NEWEST BILL

Thank you to the Florida guy in flower distribution who gave me this bill from Israel.

COMMENTS ABOUT LILY, MY MANNEQUIN

The therapist for almost forty years said, "I love this."

The forensic scientist told me very little about the murder investigation. She said, "The professor had multiple mannequins in the garage, that's all I can tell you."

The training manager said about Lily, "I love it."

Looking at the pictures of Lily with others, she said, "That's fun."

"She is hilarious."

COMMENTS ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

"You should be a respiratory therapist because you make people laugh their ass off."

"If you have a bad attitude and you get in this car, you have to smile."

He: "This is the coolest shit. You take a lot of pride in this."

He: "You're a conduit of human energy."

"Your car is like a great scrapbook."

"You've put me in such a good mood, I am so happy."

"You made my day great."

Looking at me explain the money, he said, "Wow," not once or twice but 10-15 times over five minutes

"This has been a fun time for me."

Looking at the money in the car she said, "It's wonderful, you must have talked a lot to these people for them to give you this money."

"This is so beautiful, so special."

"You're awesome! I hope I get you again."

"I love the car."

"This was a great ride."

After telling her I was moving she said, "I'm sad for Myrtle Beach.."

"I've never had a ride like this. I love it."

"This was so fun."

"This was the most interesting ride."

The car salesman told me, "You missed your calling. Sales is the most profitable career to be in."

"You're blessed."

"This was very fun."

"This was a lovely Uber ride."

My Favorite Riders in April 2025

GOING BACK TO A SIMPLER TIME

My first ride of the month will rank as one of the most unique and interesting rides I've ever had. I drove the couple for two hours to Savannah to get their flight home to British Columbia and I had plenty of time to get the whole story. From Colorado, he graduated college in the late 70's or early 80's, and he and his friends wanted to buy a lot of land to build build their own community of houses.

After touring western states, they found a remote piece of land around 200 acres in British Columbia.  It was on a dirt road, with no electricity or indoor plumbing and they had a well and a stream for water.  They eventually developed a pond for the area and they built six houses by themselves.  They were ninety minutes from the closest gas station.  His wife said, "When we got electricity after 13 years, it was a hallelujah moment-I was a happy woman."

After being together for around twenty years, they got married in Vegas by a black Elvis and told me, "There were a lot of pregnant women in line." They have lived a much simpler life, growing their own food and living in a house that looked like a castle from the outside.  They have moved to a small city and are adjusting to civilization and don't have to come face to face with a bear or a large squirrel breaking into their house. I could tell that they were very close and they enjoyed a lifetime of experiences that most of us will never experience. (Pictured below is NOT their house)

LAUGHTER WAS HIS BEST MEDICINE

The retired finance guy from New England was not having a very good day.  I picked him up from a hospital where he was diagnosed with a very bad cold.(not COVID)  He was wearing a mask and he was concerned about some other conditions he had being affected by the cold.  I was his first Uber ride and he will never forget how bad he felt and how much he laughed.  We both laughed a lot and our ride ended with him saying, "You should be a respiratory specialist, because you make people laugh their asses off."  I was a little concerned I was making him laugh too much, but since he was a Boston Red Sox fan he got to hear some of the funniest stories I have ever heard in my car.  I'm guessing that his stomach hurt when he exited the car and I know he felt a little better riding with me.

RECOVERING IN SOUTH CAROLINA

One of the most inspirational rides I've ever had was a very mature speaking 27-year-old from Pennsylvania. He had moved here to, "Recover from my addictions." His mom and dad have suffered from serious addictions and at the same time had very successful careers.  He grew up with it and alcohol and drugs were leading him to a terrible ending.  He spent thirteen months in jail for a D.U.I. and his mom wanted him to move back in with her, because, "If I died she wanted to find the body instead of someone else. He has been eleven months sober and drug free and looks at his life as someone who can help others overcome their demons.  He goes to music concerts to, "See his old self" and reach out to others to help them change their life.  His past life is filled with a lot of struggles, but he's looking forward to his much brighter future.

MR. "WOW"

The family was from New York and as soon as I started showing them my museum, the husband said, "Wow." Once he started he could not stop. He may have said it 10-15 times and at one point I joked with him that I would have to charge him for each, "Wow." He really liked the car and could not come up with much else to say about it, but he really liked it. Whenever I hear the word, "Wow" in the future, I'll think of him.

MS. "I LOVE THAT"

The young professional woman was a joy to talk with. She's in the right field as an account executive helping companies use all the modern computer technologies that I struggle with.  She is definitely a people person and as I shared my museum with her she repeatedly said, "I love that."  I teased her about her favorite phrase and she genuinely loved being in my car. We had a great ride and when I said that she could sell anything, even medical devices, she told me, "My dad did that, I'll keep that in mind." She gave me a small, crystal rock from Costa Rica that I'll display somehow in my car and her very generous tip on the app for a very expensive ride showed that she enjoyed the ride as much as I did.  I said goodbye and told her, "I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it."

THIS CHEF LOVES TO TRAVEL

I had a lot in common with this guy, except the cooking part. When he was in the military he would jump in his car and drive in any direction to get away and see things. "I'm really a speed demon." He loves moving and without any planning he still jumps in his car and picks a direction.  He stops when he feels like stopping and he returns when he wants to.  On the road he feels like himself and just takes everything in that he sees.  He had a great comment about the difference of being a cook or a chef when he said, "A cook knows how to cook, but a chef knows why you cook it that way." He doesn't know when he will get in his car to go, but it will be soon.  Maybe, I'll see him on road?

SHE TALKS GIBBERISH TOO!

A young family from Tampa with their nine-year-old daughter were a lot of fun driving.  The baby said some gibberish and some, "Da-Da's,' and then the husband told me, "My wife talks gibberish too with her brother."  The brother is thirty-one and they have a secret language together.  When the wife took gymnastics years ago, her girlfriends created a different language which was like gibberish and she taught it to her brother so they could have private conversations. She read the title of my book, "Driving on The Sunny Side With 10,000 Strangers" in gibberish and I could not understand a single word.  I recorded it and now the Tampa Gibberisher, (probably not a word), joins the "Boston Seagull" and the "Arizona Dolphin Caller" as women who have recordings played in my museum. I cannot even imagine what I'll be recording next time.

I'm Losing My Bowls

Just to repeat, the title of the blog is about me losing my bowls.  If you look at it quickly you might think it says something else, but really, it's about my bowls.

People lose a lot of things, their keys, their pen, their hair and sometimes people just lose their minds over something.  My wife informed that I am going to be losing my bowls.  Pictured below is one of bowls that I use for cereal. We are not sure how long I've used them, but I think it was after I lost hair on my head.  I think I started using them in New Jersey maybe ten or fifteen years ago.

I am sure you have many questions about this, so let's say you are interviewing me and I am answering all the important questions you have.

You: Why is your wife taking away your cereal bowls? 

Me: According to her, the plastic bowls are dangerous, because the plastic gets in your food.

You: How many of these bowls do you have?

Me: I have three, two are green and one is yellow like the sun.

You: Are all the bowls big like in this picture?

Me: No, it's not as big as it looks, but it's bigger than the other bowls that are not plastic.(see below)

You: What do you like about the plastic ones?

Me: I think they hold more cereal because it's deeper and I think it holds the milk better. And if you drop one of my bowls, it doesn't break.

You: What are the other bowls made of?

Me: She said it was corelle.  I had her repeat it and spell it, I thought maybe they were Cornell dishes.

You: What is so special about corelle dishes?

Me: She said they don't break unless you drop them and then they shatter. I think she meant they don't chip? She was explaining this when we were walking the dog and I couldn't take notes.

You: What else do you use your dishes for?

Me: Just Cocoa Krispies, Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Cheerios, and Special K, with strawberries.

You: When will she take them?

Me: Probably when I'm out of the house. First, she'll make a big chicken(a chicken roaster) to soften my loss. Then, she'll put them in a black bag that you can't look into and she'll put them in the garbage can. I won't know until the morning when I reach for my bowl and it's just not there.

I know the end is coming.

RIDER APPRECIATION WEEKEND

This weekend will be my last weekend of Uber driving in South Carolina.  I have given over 15,000 rides and I have learned so much, laughed so much, and entertained so many people in my two vehicles.  The people in the Charleston and Myrtle Beach areas and all the tourists I've driven have been incredible.  It won't be easy leaving and knowing that I won't be driving them ever again, so I wanted to have a lot of fun with my last two days and give my riders an experience they will never forget.

When I was a kid, I went to Yankee Stadium with my dad on Fan Appreciation Day.  The Yankees were playing the Red Sox and they had Home Run Derby between the two teams.  It was a lot of fun and I've told many of my riders that I remember that day.

On Saturday, I will in Myrtle Beach and on Sunday I'll be in the Charleston area.  On each of my side doors will be a sign welcoming my riders to Rider Appreciation Weekend.  I will have an autograph book that they can sign or make any comments in.

Riding with me with this weekend will be over 150 of my past riders.  I have money from 65 countries and an additional 20-25 countries displayed.  I will have pictures of 30-40 riders in my car and another 15-25 things that riders have given me.  Each ride will get an envelope from me with a personal message from me and also a small gift. On each envelope it will say thank you in another language, just like all the bills I have in my car.

Lastly, I will have hanging 17 special, short comments that riders have said to me that show their kindness, generosity and humor.  These are my top six of those comments:

"I'm almost crying, I love being in your car"

"This blows all the marbles out of my pockets."

"I know funny and funny is you." (This one is for my kids)

"I'm a better human being after taking this ride."

"I'll remember this forever."

"This is like a time-traveling machine."

The local television station WBTW, channel 13 interviewed me about my final weekend and she went live with the story twice last Thursday in front of our house after doing the interview in the morning. The interview will also be on the rideshare YouTube show, "Show Me The Money" tonight which I have been on before.

https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/myrtle-beach/myrtle-beach-uber-musuem-driver-looks-back-on-years-of-service/

Ridiculous and Funny

In case you need a break from reality and all the interesting things going on in the world, this may be what you need.  On January 1, 2022, British writer Dan Brotzel, decided to do something no one else in the world has ever done. He decided to celebrate a holiday every single day of the year.  It wasn't just one holiday, (which probably also hasn't been done), but he was going to celebrate a different holiday every single day of the year.

Above is a picture of Dan signing up for the London Marathon on Paget's Disease Day. He found out that there are thousands of holidays during the year and you can make your own one up if you want to. New holidays have increased tremendously due to social media.  Dan said his plan was, "A ridiculous idea with no obvious point, but I was in." 

He had a lot of fun, met a lot of interesting people and learned a lot while he also donated some time and money to good causes. He did 1,000 squats for Marie Curie Day and wore a gorilla suit to work for Wear a Gorilla Suit Day.  He has an audio book called "Awareness Daze" that is eleven hours long about his year of adventure.

In case you are interested in celebrating any of these days, here is a short list of ones that he mentions:

National Wash Your Nose Day                                     National Stationary Week

Feeding Tube Awareness Week                                     Anti-Frizz Month

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day                                    CAPPS LOCK DAY

National Fruitcake Tossing Day                                    Zombie Awareness Month

National Bubble Bath Day                                            Talk Like a Pirate Day

British Pie Week                                                            National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month                             National Dimples Day

World Cancer Day                                                         National Something on a Stick Day

Zero Waste Week                                                           I Hate Coriander Day

National Comfort Food Day                                          National Chilli

Haiku Day                                                                      National Pretzel Day

National Double Cheesburger Day                                Holocaust Memorial Day

National Peanut Butter Day                                            National Kazoo Day

Eat a Bagel Day                                                       National Last Day of Christmas Shopping

National Hermit Day                                                       National Cabbage Day

                        NATIONAL PIZZA WITH THE WORKS EXCEPT ANCHOVIES DAY

What About Pedro? (Not his real name)

                                                        

For seven years I have been blogging stories about my riders at the end of the month and only one time did I write a separate blog about one rider.  When a woman who works for The Kansas City Chiefs pulled out her super bowl ring, I had to write about her to thank her for her thoughtfulness and to emphasize how incredibly generous she was to give me that thrill. I sent her a copy of the blog.

For the past three years, I have been driving the below couple to and from the airport for them to visit their doctors each month in the Boston area to keep them in business.  They are easily my most frequent riders with possibly 50-60 rides. They never did get a free ride, despite his pleadings. The deep cleaning of their teeth is very important to them and they enjoy experiencing the cold and snowy northeast compared to the warm sunny skies of their other place here in Myrtle Beach.

                                              MOST FREQUENT RIDERS

Pedro, pictured above, is not his real name. He has kept me and his wife, Susan, laughing throughout these rides.  Calling my car an "old jalopy," or that I was, "pushing the weight limit in my vehicle," or that I had a "floozy and I should say hello for him," Pedro has had too many funny and wacky comments.  He loved talking about how my wife and I did not have a television for five years here and he said, "It's un-American, even people in third world countries have tv's." He's a tv fanatic and in his honor when we move into our house this summer I'm going to officially name our tv, "Pedro." (not his real name)

On Saturday, April 12th, (almost 113 years after Fenway Park opened up-April 9, 1912 and two days before the Titanic sunk), I drove this couple home from the airport one last time. Half way through the trip, Pedro, and possibly some of the other personalities inside of him, started to ramble and left his wife Susan, calling out every few minutes, "My stomach hurts."

Here is what I have from the final ten minutes of laughing with them:

Pedro:(not his real name) "You and your wife, you're like criminals, you're moving every year. You're a fugitive, people are going to want to know what your crimes were. Can't wait until your kids find out you're fugitives. I might just turn you in if there's a reward."

He: "The reason you didn't have a TV for five years is that you didn't want to see yourself arrested on TV." 

He said, "I'll pick you up from the airport in a pick-up truck with no seat and then I'll drive by you and not see you and charge you $4,000 for the ride."

"Keep running, don't get caught. If you do, I'll bail you out."

I was trying to drive and take notes.  As we entered their development for the last time, I was as usual zig-zagging around the potholes. There were people in the neighborhood cheering us on by waving chocolate bars at us. You think I'm kidding, but they were trying to get us to stop and donate money to a local church.  Pedro showed his support by saying, "Don't stop, just run them over."

When Joan Kennedy(mother to John, Robert and Ted among many others) turned 100 years old there was an article in Parade Magazine, which I think I still have.  She was asked, "What are you most proud of in your life?" She said, "We always had laughter in our house."

Pedro and Susan will always have laughter in their lives and with their smiling faces hanging in my jalopy, laughter will always be around them there. Unsuspecting Coloradans will hear about the ramblings of a half demented, half hilarious, television crazed, really nice guy, who talks funny and lives that way too, while rooting for all the Boston sports teams.

Pedro, you have a lot more innings to pitch, can you stay out there pitching to my Yankees for a few more innings? (Grady said it was okay)

Have a Baby and a Bagel?

                           

         

I love babies and I love bagels, but I have to admit I have never thought about babies and bagels together. Where did bagels come from? How about the early 17th century in the Jewish Community of Krakaw, Poland.  They were given to women who had just given birth!

I'm having a little difficulty picturing this in modern times.  The husband comes into the hospital room not with flowers or balloons, but with a dozen bagels? Would that be with or without cream cheese? 

A bagel signified "The Circle of Life" and the longevity of life for the baby. Again, I'm picturing something very different in my head like, "The Lion King" and Simba and a lot of animals running around, but there are no bagels.

Back in the old days they would give expectant mothers and midwives bagels. This would give good fortune and even keep away evil spirits from the baby.  And the best part, at times they would wear bagels on a necklace or just have bagels in the birthing room.

I hope you find this amusing, because I can't picture a bagel hanging from a necklace or a stack of bagels in the birthing room.  What is more shocking: thinking about what they used to do with bagels, or would a 17th century woman be shocked at how many bagels we eat and all the different kinds of bagels?

I don't know the answer, but I'm never going to look at a bagel or a baby the same way.