January Rider Stories

HOW TO START A DAY: It was 5 am. when I got my first ride, picking up a couple at a bar that had been closed for awhile. The wife got in first and after I handed her a mask, she told me her husband was anti-mask and not to be insulted if he gave me a hard time. (he didn't)  They had been celebrating his 32nd birthday.  They had been up all night and I'm sure had plenty to drink, but they were thoughtful, pleasant and entertaining.  They would have been a great ride in the middle of the day. They did talk a lot and sometimes they were talking to me at the same time, which was pretty funny. They appreciated the ride a lot since two drivers canceled on them.  They said they would give me a good tip, however they really gave me a great start to the day. She told me that she had met Chipper Jones, the Hall of Fame Baseball player and said, "I would have had his babies." When I started telling them my Super Bowl ring story, he asked if he could record the story and he did for some reason. He loved the idea that I was keeping track of my my favorite comments and blogging about it and said, "that's fucking genius." They also told me about a vacation they took a few years ago with their two kids. They rented a cabin on a mountain where there was three feet of snow. It was so dangerous that he had them get out of their Cadillac Escalade and walk up the hill. He barely made it up the hill and the neighbors were watching him. The wife got out first and immediately put a $20 tip on the app which was great. The birthday boy was still talking to me when he handed me a $100 bill. I was shocked and actually said, "I can't take that." He insisted and said, "you're the best Uber driver I've ever had. We were just hoping someone would pick us up." It's the best tip I've ever gotten and if they read this-I greatly appreciated  the tips and I and hope to drive you again.  Below is part of my tip.

                                                         

                                      

MY FAVORITE RIDER OF THE MONTH: I've had a lot of good rides, but when I drop off a "great rider", there's a different feeling.  I can't help but grin from to ear to ear and think, "there's someone I'd really enjoy being around." Sometimes I can tell that this is just a terrific person, or someone extremely unique, or someone who can make you laugh or amaze you with what they've done in their life. My 32 year-old male rider was all of the above and more.  He used to sell $70,000 cars for three years until he stopped when he, "didn't like what he had become."  My guess is that he was very good at it.  He's a jack and bore specialist which deals with sewer construction.  He loves it, but he calls himself a "certified laborer." He works around 80 hours a week and after 21 straight days working, he gets two days off. He's outspoken, confident and one of a kind.  He told me he's afraid of the ocean, but he picked up a gator once by it's tail when he arrived in the south. It's hard to pick what comment he had that was funniest, but, he did tell me, "the women down here are thirsty, that's not what I'm looking for." Just before dropping him off he said, ""I don't have a lot of friends here, but my buddy from work and I get together sometimes to play cards, smoke cigars, and pretend to be old men, do you want to join us sometime?" Me: "I don't smoke cigars, but I got the old man thing down." I didn't tell him I really don't play much cards, but I'd pretend and have a great time.

THE MOLECULAR SCIENTIST: It was unfortunately a short ride, but when do you ever get to talk to a molecular scientist? (it is on her business card) She was visiting Charleston and has never had time to see the town and it wasn't going to happen this time either.  I told her she had to come back as a tourist.  She was heading to the hospital to train people.  She has been in the field for 15 years, but the last two years has been the most challenging. She has worked on PCR Training(nasal swab) for COVID and has global responsibilities.  One of her co-workers at one point had to be hospitalized for exhaustion and I thanked her for her efforts. It doesn't take long to be impressed with someone and you can tell she is very committed to her profession.

THE MAN WHO NEEDED HELP: My first rider early in the morning surprised me, because right away he was very open and willing to talk about a serious subject.  After spending four years in the Coast Guard, he's had a difficult time dealing with some of the rescues he made and "alcohol has dulled the pain." I was taking him to The Veterans Administration where he was going to ask for help with his drinking, but also to check out his eye. He told me that last night, "I was snookered and walked into a wall." He knew he was doing the right thing to get help for his drinking and he was definitely doing it for his two young kids and wife.  I told him that I can't relate to his drinking problems, but I reassured him how important it is for him to be able to be around for his family. I also reminded him of all the things he's overcome in his life and wished him the very best with this.  I hope to see him again.

It Took Seven Years!

We all know that sometimes things take awhile to happen.  Some examples: I'm now waiting for my new car for nine months, some people have been waited over a year for their car due to the chip shortage.  I once had a rider go through a hiring process for a full year for a government job as a chef. My wife just received a medical bill for her Mom for something that happened at the end of January last year.  One of my favorite stories is that Walt Disney had to wait for 20 years before he could get the rights so he could make the movie "Mary Poppins."

Have you ever waited a long time for an idea to come to you?  Seven years ago, when our youngest daughter was in high school, I would frequently drive her to school. When I did, I would refer to each day with a special name- Magnificent Monday, Terrific Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, and Fabulous or Fantastic Friday.  It was my way of getting her to start her day in a positive way.  The problem was always Thursday, since we already had a "T" day in Tuesday. We never came up with a good name for Thursday.

I got the answer this morning and it's perfect. It was so easy, how did we miss it? I just read a one page, new newsletter that is out about Myrtle Beach.  I had the idea, what if I was able to write something for the newsletter each day, maybe "Sunshine For Your Day?" I thought back to how I used to name the days and when I got to Thursday I said, "Thankful Thursday." We should be thankful for every day, but the one day we all celebrate being thankful of course, is Thanksgiving Day, always a Thursday.

So, today is Thankful Thursday and it's a great day to thank someone for what they do.  It can be a worker in a store, someone who provides a service for you, a friend or neighbor, or someone in your family.  Imagine if I wrote for this newsletter and on Thursday people could thank someone publicly and send or show them the newsletter? Wait until my youngest daughter reads this!

When And Why Is No Really A No?

Have you ever tried to convince someone to do something or change their mind?  You try and try and try and they just say, "no." These days that could apply to many people about many things.  Did you ever wonder why some people are just so stubborn, or strong-willed, or opinionated, or independent, or adamant, or determined, or dogged, or headstrong, or inflexible, or ornery or persistent? If you hadn't before, you're thinking about that person and that subject right now. The following story may help you answer that question, "when and why is no sometimes really a no?"

A friend of mine who I'll call Jay.(It's really his dog's name, but I've been told not to use real names) Jay,(my friend, not the dog),  drives tractor trailers across the country. He used to work for me and I can tell you that he is a good guy, a hard worker, funny, outspoken, independent and he can give a manager nightmares. (not me of course) He has worked for many companies and I've joked in the past that when one of his managers left their job that they were taken away in a white coat. I also volunteered to write a letter to any manager who was having difficulty with him since I used to manage him.

His company promised him 3,000 driving miles a week, which is how he gets paid.  They haven't made that happen after two years, so he's annoyed with them.  Recently, they asked Jay,(not the dog), to do a short trip of forty miles and he said, "no," for a number of reasons.  There is such a great demand for drivers, my friend knows that if they let him go, he could have a job in a few days.  The company once again this week set him up for a short ride and he refused it. He was a little frustrated that they didn't understand the word no.

Jay,(not the dog), said to me, "I was born saying no." He told me the following true story.  "When I was 3 or 4, my grandmother visited and my mom wanted me to give her a kiss and I said, "no." My mom took out a five dollar bill and said, "if you kiss your grandmother I'll give you this." I looked at my grandmother and looked at the five dollars and said, "no."

Jay,(my friend), joked that his mom gave his grandmother the five dollars to change his diaper. I told him to send his supervisor an e-mail saying that right now he's not going to do short trips, but if he changes his mind, he'll let them know.  I told him to type this story out and they will laugh and remember this when they consider giving him another short ride.  It would have taken him ten minutes, but what was his answer to me, "no." I told him that I was so certain that this would help, that I would type it up and if he gave me his supervisor's e-mail address, I would send it to her.  He said, "no."

When you want to convince someone to change their mind or do something that you want them to do, give it your very best shot. A book I have is titled, "All You Can Do, Is All You Can Do, and All You Can Do Is Enough." If the answer is still, "no," after giving it your best shot, you're done.  Remember my friend Jay's grandmother and what is below.  

I can hear my children right now saying, "Dad, you should have turned this around the right way." My answer is simply, "no."

WINTER STORM ADVISORY-Southern Style

The most obvious difference between living in the North and living in the South is of course the weather.  Having spent 57 years in New Jersey and four in South Carolina, I can assure you that the weather is almost always better in South Carolina. We just had a week in December where the temperature was around 70 degrees the whole week. Freezing cold in the south is 30-40 degrees and that is really not that cold if you're used to cold in the North or Chicago or Minnesota, etc.

In the south, when we expect "bad" weather it looks differently too.  In the south you get an advisory, in the North, it's usually a WARNING! This is what we have coming up tonight:

"Action Recommended: Execute a pre-planned activity identified in the instructions.

Description: WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST SATURDAY

WHAT... Periods of freezing rain will result in total ice accumulations ranging between 0.05 to 0.20 inches. The freezing rain may mix with or change to a period of sleet and or snow prior to ending Friday night or early Saturday. A trace of accumulation is possible."

Other than a possible hurricane, this is about as bad as it gets.  Schools will be open remotely tomorrow and other events have already been canceled.  People are heading to the grocery store and getting gas as if they will be stuck in the house due to a blizzard.

If you live in the South, here are some simple tips for bad weather from a former Northerner:

Ice: If you're out walking-march.  Pick your feet up and pretend you're in the army.  It's very difficult to slip if you're marching, because you're not pushing off the ground.  Stay away from lakes and ponds that are frozen.(here there are gators under the ice)

Cold: Wear layers-they are easier to take off if you need to and they are more effective. Wear a hat or hood if you can, since it prevents cold from going right through your head.

Driving in snow or ice: If you have to, find car tracks in the road and stay on them.  "The Road Not Taken" is a great poem, but not advisable when the road is covered.  Everything is in slow motion as you drive, turns, starts and stops and when you're going backwards and forward. 

Just so you know I'm ready, here I am below and I have layers on!

The Forever Purse

 I think it was in the summer that my wife of 38 years said to me, "I really don't need anything."  I asked to get that in writing, but I didn't get it.  I'm not going to list the the things she's got since then, but the biggest was a larger car, which we really needed for traveling also.

A couple weeks ago, my wife was spending a lot of time online and I asked her what she was looking at. She told we that she needed a  new purse and this was going to be my Christmas gift. She told me the purse  was so amazing and it was built so well, that it would last forever.  I said, "so this is a forever purse?" She didn't answer right away and showed me some of the pictures.

The name of the company is Brahmin and they make designer purses as Coach does.  The company has been around 35 years and their bags are made is Massachusetts. The bags are made out of fine leather from Italy and it takes 24 "artisans" to make each bag. No wonder they last so long! I told my wife okay and then the big question was, which one will she buy?

Fortunately, my wife got a good deal and she was able to get two purses and one wallet.  She is also selling her Coach bag which will help pay for what she bought. When they arrived, she told me that each one has a name.  There's Katie, Amelia and Ady, I'm not sure which one is which, but they are now part of our family and of course, they are here, forever.

There is more good news! There are dozens of purses to choose from and some women have many forever purses. They do look great and below is the picture of the new girls in family and they are the last purses and wallet my wife will ever need.

If You're Checking Out My Blog For The First Time.....

 Recently, I've had a number of my Uber riders who have asked about my blog. Since my blog address is on the list I give them of my favorite rider comments, some of you may be seeing this blog for the first time. If you somehow just bumped into this online, this post will give you some information on what this is.

Four years ago when we moved south to Myrtle Beach from New Jersey, I started writing this for my family and some friends. I've written almost 450 posts on many different topics.  The main focus has been how my wife and I have experienced life in the south and whatever interesting and unusual things pop into my head. (such as my difficulty buying Cocoa Krispies down here, because they are not that popular) This year, I've been getting used to having the first pet in my life, Odin, a cockapoo puppy. Many of  my blogs are at least mildly funny, although my grown children would argue that. (they may argue that they would argue about it too)

The past couple years, I look forward at the very end of each month or first or second day of the next month, to posting two posts about my Uber riders.  The first post is usually 3-6 stories on riders who have unusual or important careers, have a great story they told me, or they were one of my favorite rides of the month for a variety of reasons.  The second post I make, is a list of my most memorable rider comments for the month and if you're reading this, you may have made the list.  When it comes out, the first 30-40 comments are the best ones, then there are some comments about some other Uber drivers and then all the rest of the comments that I recorded are below that.

The two rider posts will be the basis for the book I am going to start writing this year about my Uber rides.  I currently have over 7,000 rides and by the end of the year I will be around 10,000, which is the number I want to have for my book.  I have a working title, (suggested by youngest child) "Driving on the Sunny Side." I have also entertained the idea of doing a podcast where I could actually interview some of the riders who have been in my car, but it's just a a fun thought right now.

If you go to the bottom of this post you will see a list of my most recent posts and you can check them out.  I think you should also have a place that you can make a comment. However, if you would like to reach me for any reason, my e-mail address is jeff_hoenig@yahoo.com.  If you are bored to tears or bedridden and want to check out some of my other posts, you should be able to do that also on this page. You should also see a place that you can put in your e-mail address and when I post something, it will be sent to you.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Is It Okay To Say "Ass"?

 Last week, I was talking to my wife and I said the word, "ass." She said that she never hears me say that word and she may be right.  I did make sure to work the word into our conversation a couple times that night just for the fun of it.  Yesterday, I did it again, but unintentionally. She said, "there's that word again." But, is it okay to say ass to people, or is it more polite to say, "butt" or "backside"?

I tell a story to my riders about me driving into a neighborhood to deliver a box when I was a courier.  Up ahead, I saw a guy washing his car.  I had never been in the neighborhood, so I really wasn't concerned about him.  When I went to pass the guy though, his back was to me and he was waving at me behind his back as he washed his car.  I wanted to pull over and say, "what is your problem? You don't know me and can't even see me. Am I supposed to honk three times or waive at your ass?"

I think I've used "ass" a couple times and "backside" or "butt" in telling the story.  I'm not sure I'm that comfortable with any of them.  But, the question is, would anyone be offended if I say, "ass?"  Older people like myself or women? I really don't know.  Maybe I have to take a survey in my car with a couple people and get some feedback?

Although I do like to post pictures with a post, I didn't think a picture of my "ass" would be appropriate. And, I'm pretty certain you will agree with me on that.

Who Are You?

 I thought about that question the other day. We are all a lot of things.  For me, I'm a husband, father, brother, homeowner, blogger, and Uber Driver, just to name a few. How about you, who are you? Sometimes people think we're someone we're not.  Have you been in a store and someone thought you worked there? It has happened to me a couple times.

A few years ago, when I was a courier and occasionally delivering beer to a house, I pulled up to a house I had been before.  A guy saw me coming and came out and said, "are you the beer guy?" He had no idea how funny that was since I rarely drink a beer. However, I had to say, "yeah, I'm the beer guy."

On Saturday, I was having some tire trouble and went into a Firestone to get what turned out to be a screw out of my tire.  I brought a book in and did some reading and then I paced around the showroom for about a half hour until the car was ready.

I put my credit card in and the guy said to me, "are you a magician?" I've never been asked that before, so I looked at him oddly and said, "no, why?" He told me he saw what I was reading and I laughed.  I'm reading a biography on the great Harry Houdini. I told him that I like to read.

Later on, I got a better laugh, because I realized how I was dressed.  I must have looked pretty odd wandering around the showroom in black sweatpants and a black jacket.  If I had a Harry Potter wand I'd be holding it in the picture below.  I've always thought I looked a little like the Marvel character, Dr. Strange. He does usually wear a blue coat, red cape, and he has hair and a beard, but you decide:

December Rider Comments

As the couple got in the car I asked, "how are you tonight?" The man, who turned out to be a retired cop from New York, said, "good, I haven't had the urge or desire to kill anyone today?"(joking) Laughing, I said, "is it urge or desire?" Him: "That's open to interpretation." 

When I told the 16 year old, unmasked male that we're really not supposed to drive 16-year-olds, he reassured me by saying, "I'm vaccinated and I became a man when I was 13." (I don't think he was talking about his Bar-Mitzvah)

The young male got in my car and said, "I woke up this morning and my voice is deeper than when I went to sleep, how long is puberty?" (6-12 months maybe-he was 17)

"I was named after a swimsuit company. My mom needed a "J" name and saw Jantzen on the wall of a store."

Young man: "My Christmas gift this year was not going to jail."

Mom: "It took me three nights to wrap all the presents and my three kids unwrapped them in 15 minutes."

The 21-year old male said, "I think I've read thousands of books. In high school I read 200 hundred books in one year and they put my picture up on the wall for reading the most books in a year."

Picking up the young couple at the flea market next to the cemetery he said, "we like to text the driver we're in the cemetery to scare them."

"My friend (50 years old) is the smartest person I've ever met and he loves to read. For years we asked him if he could read "War and Peace" in one day.  Last Saturday, he read the 1,200 pages and finished by 4 pm. He said it was slow reading."

Young couple in car and she said, "We met in high school. He was a bad boy then, not like he is now. (3 years ago) The first time I saw him he walked into the classroom where we had been split up in partners and he said, "So no one wants to be my partner, because I'm ugly," and then he flipped over a desk."

The woman got in my car carrying a small, red bag. Me: "A gift for me, you really didn't have to." She: I hope you like earrings." Me: "As long as they are not on me. Actually, I have a gift for you."

I asked the woman from Philadelphia, "do you live in the city or a suburb?" Her 7-year old son said, "America."

Female: "I've been in the Army reserves for ten years.  I'm a Loadmaster, I coordinate and make sure everything fits into the planes before takeoff."(also occasionally an Uber driver)

I told the couple I was going to give them a gift, but it's not paying for their breakfast. He said, "that would have been a great gift."

Male: "I'm a great conversationalist, but today, I'm off my game."

I asked the woman who is new in the South, "have you gotten used to how friendly people are here?" She: "I may never get used to how friendly they are."

"I wasn't happy with my job so I started an oyster farm.  We're just getting started. I grow and sell oysters and sell about 3,000 a week."

The Russian woman and her daughter got in my car and I said, "would you like to hear a funny story about one of my Russian riders?" She said politely, "no, not really." (first time it's happened. It was a very quiet ride, but she gave me a $6 tip)

Experienced electrician: "When I wake up at 3 am and need to clear my head, I play classical piano."

"My Dad always told me that old age and treachery will always outlast youth and exuberance."

The five year Marine wearing a mask, said, "my experience in the Marines has been a roller coaster of emotions." Me: "emissions?" Him: "I wish it was five years of missions."

"On my flight home a very large woman sat next to me and spilled her coke all over me.  They didn't have much to dry me off so I sat all wet for three hours.

I asked the young man if he was able to sleep well on the Greyhound from Los Angeles to Charleston.  He said, " yeah-no, not really."

When I told him about the woman who said on a date in her second month, "I don't know what you're doing the rest of your life, but I'm going to marry you," he quickly replied, "if she said that to me, I'd run."

The southern male agreed it is difficult adjusting to the South coming from the North: "you have to adjust to people waving 5 fingers at you instead of one."

Arriving from New York City to the Charleston airport, he said, "I love the air here. It smells better here."

Young man with his girlfriend next to him, "she's the love of my life and I wouldn't trade her for anyone."

The woman was on a business call for 100% of the 25 minute trip from the airport and I had no conversation with her. Taking her luggage out I told her I was giving her my list of favorite rider comments for 2020. She said, "I hope I made the list for 2021." 

Telling the couple about the young woman who had a corn tattoo above her knee because she loved corny jokes, he said, "I love chicken parmesan, but I'm not putting it on my knee."

Another woman later added, "if it's chicken parm, it should be on the arm."

Young male rider said to me, "short trip, big tip." I'm adding now, "got zip, still a trip."

"My window washing business really took off when I was eating at a Chick-Fil-A and the manager set me up to do windows at three stores."

Woman raised and living in the south: "it should be cold in the winter, I wish it was 40 below zero."

Woman: "I was in Columbia, South America when I accidentally got into a cab that was a fake cab-I was a little kidnapped."

"My company owns three drones. They go for about $2,500 each."

"Most recycling these days is not being recycled because the costs of a container to send out to China has increased from a couple thousand dollars to around twenty thousand dollars."

Woman from New York living in the south: "I'm usually pretty patient down here, but every once in awhile my "inner New Yorker" comes out."

Male: "I didn't ask my wife out on a first date.  She was my bartender and one night after we finished bartending at different places, she called me at 3:30 am and asked if I wanted to come over and swim."

Young girl: "My car was totaled by a drunk driver while it sat in a friend's driveway.  The car was hit so hard it sent the car all the way across the street. Fortunately, I was in the house."

Two couples visiting Charleston on business were out on the water with other business associates and had a horrible experience. Woman: "I saw it. Something hit the second mate and knocked him overboard.  The Coast Guard found him twenty minutes later but it was too late."

SOME UBER STORIES:

Woman: "I think drivers have canceled on me because I'm not an airport ride and just going to work."

Me: "how has your experience been with the Uber and Lyft drivers here?" She: "The drivers have been great."

When I arrived before 6 am in Downtown Charleston, my rider was outside in the middle of some serious kissing.  He explained, "she got back out of her Uber(in front of me) and she started smooching and I just rolled with it."

She: "I just got into another Uber and when I realized I forgot my mask I went inside to get it.  The driver canceled and drove away, not realizing I had my things in the car.  He came right back and I asked him why he canceled, but he didn't answer."

She: "I was in a Lyft in Philadelphia with a co-worker and the male driver started talking about rape.  He then told us that Nicole Simpson had come to him in a dream to tell him that OJ Simpson was innocent."

She: "Early in the year Uber's prices were too high so I switched to Lyft, but now I'm back to Uber."

"I usually text the driver to go slow on my street because of the road conditions, because some of them like to speed."

"I was downtown at night and a got an Uber and when I went to get in the car the woman asked me if she could cancel because she wanted to stay downtown.  It was a long ride."

"I'm late for work, because I just had three drivers cancel on me."

Worst driver story I've ever heard from my female rider: "This summer I had an Uber driver coming to pick me up and he texted me that he had a flat and that I should cancel the ride.  I told him that he needed to cancel the ride, but he refused and said that I needed to. My friend realized that he was only a few minutes away, so we got in her car and found it at a bar. I called the police and explained to the cop what happened.  The driver ran out of the bar so fast he didn't pay his bill and told me that he would cancel the ride and drive me anywhere if I did not file a report.  I told him that he was canceling the ride and I was filing a report. I went home and saw the driver go past my house twice and I called the police again. I filed a report and the driver canceled the ride six hours later. Uber did nothing about it and his name came up twice when I ordered a ride and I canceled him." 

MORE COMMENTS FROM RIDERS:

She said, "my brother named me Lexus, when my Mom wanted to name me George after my uncle. I don't know how he came up with Lexus."

Young woman: "My ride or die is chicken." (she loves it)

Young woman who grew up in the south: "When I worked in New Jersey they were giving me lip for saying mam and sir.  They're not that nice up there."

After working for ten years, the Army reserve guy said, "I didn't want to work a living, so I got back into the Army."

He said, "Some of the most well-rounded people are military leaders."

Young UPS driver: "I've lost 30 pounds in the first three months doing this."

Woman from New York working in the South: "The customer service here just isn't the same."

Working in a factory with 300 employees, he suggested that they split the shares of stock that are given out when they their bonus, with everyone. He was told, "we don't do things like that here."

Male consultant: "When they stopped listening to my ideas, I retired."

"I live on an island in Greece and people are very laid back there like they are in the south."

Young male: "I love living in Columbia, South America, because people are very kind and happy.  I like coming to Charleston, because it's real American life."

The impatient woman from Texas who wants to live here, told me to pull into the parking lot and not wait for the woman pulling out.  She said, "she doesn't know how to drive." Me: "it's a much slower pace here."

Military guy said, "One of my favorite places I've visited was Bosnia."

Male bartender in his early 30's: he said, "My seven year old daughter is the best thing I've ever done."

The couple said they were both forgetful. "We couldn't remember when our first date was, so we made up a date and we're going with that as our anniversary."

The female escort early in the morning said, "I've met some good people and some bad people." She then fell asleep leaning forward. 

"A few years ago, we rented a  Ford Transit that had a converted bed and we drover around California for eight days in it."

Male: "I work for Public Works in a small town. Right now, there are six of us putting up all the decorations in our town and it takes two weeks.  I used to think that elves did it, but it's really us."

32 year old male: "My dream is to live in Japan. I'm fascinated with their culture

The older man was really into a game on his phone called Trivia Crack. "I've submitted over 700 questions to them."

Male: "I literally grew up in Mohave Desert in California and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona." Me: "So, you just move from one hot place to another?"

Me: "I'm from New Jersey." Her: "You're so lucky."

The male freshman from the Citadel said, "this is one of the toughest military schools in the country."

Young male rider said to me, "short trip, big tip." I'm adding now, "got zip, no shit, still a trip."

After telling the Red Sox fan my great story of the Red Sox fan who put the newspaper saying, "Red Sox are World Champs" under his grandfather's arm in the casket, my rider said, "I would have paid to be at that funeral."

Young male: "I don't ever talk that much." (he talked almost the whole trip while Iistened)

The young woman said to me as she got out, "thanks for making the ride better."

Male: "I worked on a cruise ship for 11 years.  We had 6,000 passengers and 2,500 staff."

The GM at a local sub place, "I gave everyone raises recently, they deserved it."

"My friend's husband is a jeweler and he's worked on Tom Brady's rings."

"I hate all the food down here in the south, I mainly eat sushi and salad."

"A friend of mine lost $7,000 when the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl."

After telling the woman that I'm headed home to eat my favorite meal, a big roaster chicken, she said, "I'm excited you're going to eat that chicken."

Young woman from New York, "I miss home, other than the weather just about everything-my family, friends and boyfriend." Me: "I'm sure your boyfriend would like to have heard where he ranked."

"My colleague in San Francisco pays $3,400 a month for a tiny apartment. It's really a dirty city."

Female cement truck driver: "I got tired of being inside four walls.  I love to drive."

She said, "New York is fantastic-every block is vibrant."

"I'm a sports tourism guy. I help out with events in the area."

The manager said, "In this day and age there are no real positions at work, you just do everything."

"You were awesome-best Uber ride I've ever had."

"I've never gotten into a car like this before."

December Rider Stories

THE READER: I love to read, especially books.  When my passenger started talking about reading books I was pretty amazed. "I think I've read a few thousand books in my life," he said.  It's impressive, but it's a little more that when you're only 21 years old. When he was in Junior High School, he was given detention and his aunt gave him the punishment that he had to read several novels.  As he read them, it didn't become a punishment, but something he really enjoyed. "In high school, I read 200 hundred books in one year and they put my picture up on the wall for reading the most books in a year." He majored in physics and he's working in a scientific position, but his real passion is reading.  He enjoys romance novels and horror stories, which he says helps him be creative.  He's read a number of biographies in the scientific fields and gave me a five minute lecture on Einstein.  Einstein never graduated from high school because he was expelled after an explosion with a chemistry experiment.  Obviously, a very bright guy.  It's a good thing he was given detention when he was younger.

THE LOADMASTER: I picked up a delightful woman who has been in the Air Force Reserves for the years. In her career she has visited 45 countries and recently had a training in Hawaii during the festivities of the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. You could tell that it meant a lot to her to be there and she told me, "there was a 102 year old woman who was being recognized who was spry and very active." Her job today is a loadmaster and she is responsible for getting everything to fit in the basement of the large planes.  She's been doing it along time and she does enjoy it. Just before she got out of the car she told me she sometimes is an Uber driver, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her about her driving experiences.  I hope I get to drive her again, it was a very interesting ride.

THE BUS RIDE: There are many ways to see the country, but what if you got on a Greyhound bus and traveled from Los Angeles to Charleston, South Carolina? The young man had a wonderful time on the trip and could not wait to get back on the bus.  "I was a little mad when it got dark and I couldn't see the sites," he said. I asked him if he slept well on the bus and he said, "Yeah, no-not really." The round trip ticket cost under $500 and he enjoyed stopping at a number of places for a couple hours so he could look around the city.  The trip took two full days.  He works in Los Angeles doing Uber Eats on an electric bicycle.  He said that the money was good and the electric bike is great going in and out of traffic.  He was visiting family in Charleston and had only a couple more days before he got back on the bus.

THE RETIRED COP: Sometimes I wait all day for the one ride that makes the day. On my way home I picked up a couple for a short ride and I immediately knew this was the ride of the day. Getting in my car, I said to them, " "how are you tonight?" The man, who turned out to be a retired cop from New York, said, "good, I haven't had the urge or desire to kill anyone today?"(joking) Laughing, I said, "is it urge or desire?" Him: "That's open to interpretation." He's a retired cop from New York living here and he said, "loving life." He had a very good sense of humor and we hit it off immediately.  He even invited me to join them for a drink which would have been fun to do.  He explained to me his opening comment: "yesterday I was putting up decorations on the front of my house and I had my music playing in my garage.  Out of nowhere, a woman appeared and asked me to turn down my music.  I told her it was 3 pm and asked who she was.  She was house sitting across the street and said the music was bothering her.  She walked away and I continued working because it wasn't loud. Fifteen minutes later she came back and said, "I asked you nicely to turn down your music." I told her that it was 3 pm and she called me obnoxious and told me to, "go back to the North." I cursed at her in Italian which I'm sure she didn't understand and told her to call the police." He then told me he thought of it later that he should have said to her, "bless your heart," which in the South frequently does not mean what it sounds like. I don't think that woman enjoyed meeting him as much as I did, but I hope to drive him again.