After sitting around waiting and driving around trying to get a passenger I decided to ring uber to see if I was online and working. Just as the person on the other end went to check ping. Maddy. Okay here I come. As I progressed closer to her. Traffic light after traffic light a cyclist was in my way. I overtook her. So I could be ready go take my free right turn. Then knock knock. The cyclist was yelling at me. I’m not obliged to open my window. She had a nose ring. Could be a hooligan. Better not put my window down. After stopping I turned immediately to get away from her irate persona.
Then I went to locate my customer at the University. Nowhere to be found. Rang her. She tried to tell me but to no avail. I changed my position to help her. Nope. Eventually I told her to change her current position on the app so it was more convenient. The app was charging her wait time. Oh yeah I was still on the phone to uber because I was ranting about glitches and wondering if I can drive in another city. No I couldn’t. Only deliveries. Really? That sucks. Looks like Bellingham will be my bread and butter for a while. Meanwhile Maddy has changed her position. Finally! She apologised it’s her first time ubering. Oh OK understandable. She wanted to go the Amtrak station at Fairdinkumhaven. OK sure thing. She was registering for university. Nice she was studying theatre and teaching. Reminded me of my Uncle Dave who does that in Australia. I said drama teaching? She said yes. Any ancient history at all? No just English and drama. That sounds fun and dramatic.
Next customer was Paul. He sounded like he was from Boston. A retired FDA chap going to pick up his Audi 2003 model. Great year that’s when Penrith won their last Grand Final. I told him my grandfather is a retired pharmacist. He said he used to do that for a living. Wonderful. As dad used to say drug dealer.
Then ping another person from the University. Just be a few in town for O week. Greg. He was there with his daughter from Vegas. He works as a gambling official for the horse racing contraptions in the casinos. I guess it likes the TAB in Australia except automated. He doesn’t gamble personally, but is happy to to take people’s money. I said like s drug dealer, but doesn’t use. He said exactly. Ah yes economics. The daughter was going to be studying marketing. I said my mum used to be a marketing manager. She said that was cool and then I dropped them off at the Chrysallis in Fairdinkumhaven. Lovely resort overlooking the water. The man tipped me handsomely. Thanks cobber.
Sean! In Fairdinkumhaven. I picked him and his mates up from the Amtrak station. They just came from Portland via Seattle. First it was a train and then it was a bus. They really liked the train ride. Said I must do it one day. The fellows were in town to pick up a boat and charter it back to Portland. Holy cow. That’s a long bloody way. Hope the boat is seaworthy. One chap used to build railway carts the other two are firefighters. Oh by the way my app glitched and it told me their 4.9 mile destination was over 4962 minutes away. Screenshot attached. Crazy uber app. If only it had paid me that rate. When we got close to the destination Sean said hang a Roscoe here. What? Jeff are you channeling Sean? Jeff was a gent I worked with over at my previous employee. He would say hang a Louie or hang a Roscoe instead of left or right. Then at that moment Sean said now hang a Louie here. OK! Jeff stop it! I dropped them off and wished them all the best with their maritime adventure.
Finally Mavis a lovely lady from the bay area, who owns an IT company that deals with furniture. She was visiting her father. She asked me about my life as an immigrant. Oh boy opened up a can of worms there. She couldn’t believe the stories from my experiences. Yep and I’m a white fella from Down Under. She donates to charities who give to immigrants. Specifically church charities. Still better than nothing.
That’s all he wrote, until my fruitful Fridays. I’ll write that one soon there’s at least 14 trips and a VIP amongst them.
