I just got home and I'm exhausted. It was a weird shift, but it turned out okay. My second fare of the day was the guy pictured above, named Teddy Geiger, who is some up-and-coming 17-year-old musician, and who also was on that new tv show called "Love Monkey" recently. He's opening for Brandi Carlile at Mercury Lounge next month.
After dropping him off, I ended up back uptown on Central Park West when I got stuck behind some Nissan that was driving like a zombie. They kept stopping at green lights and swerving into the other traffic lanes and just generally driving like fucking idiots. When I finally pulled up next to them, I saw what the problem was. The occupants of the car were leisurely smoking a joint. I tried to get a picture, but when the light turned green, they were actually paying attention and started driving again.
Later on, one of my passengers got in, took a second look at me, and said, "Wait, weren't you on tv tonight?" I said, "I believe so, though I haven't seen it yet." So he proceeded to describe the entire ABC News segment for me in detail. It was so weird having a passenger tell me stuff about myself, but I have to admit, I kind of liked it. It was certainly better than having to answer the same tired old questions over and over again.
55 comments:
good stuff--I like your style, keep it up
does a cabbie get a big but from sitting all the time like secretaty spread or bus driver butt. i guess you would get hack ass
hey, a friend of mine told me about your blog on maybe monday, or this past friday. I was like wow, its interesting and all the links are great.
P.S. I drove the day shift in august, and the first 3 weeks of january, and i should be coming back to the city everyweekend now, but honestly i think there may be a better garrage out there. i think im at the same garrage as you. weird
Stan thought i was lying when i had to go to a funeral, what should that fucker care! i hear there are garrages that don't need appointments and are just happy to see drivers.
oh and i go to school in boston, so i must add that, it doesn't compare in any way, shape, or form, to new york and its new jersey drivers.
You're my best blog 'discovery' since I started blogging and surfing blogs. Your stories are wonderful. Keep up the good work.
Patrick from Malaysia, 12,000 miles away from the Big Apple.
good stuff
i miss NY
I'm in Seattle, and I found your Blog reading Yahoo News. I think it's great. You have a smoothe style, and lots of "regular folks" energy about you.
Even though I never drove a cab, I've worked with the general public for years, in various capacities. We humans can be quite a trip!
Paul Simon once wrote: "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls." Now we have a new place to look for modern wisdom. A laptap in a NY City Cab.
You go, girl.
Daniel.
Too bad you didn't get that picture.
Hey, i know you get tired of hearing, "i love your blog"...but its cool to read...I am a 'poker" blogger if you will, I have my own and read many others on a dialy basis and about 2 months ago, I saw a link for yours..
Its cool to read...I have been to NYC twice, and loved it both times, I went just for kicks both times. I'm from the South, from a small town outside Little Rock, Arkansas to be precise...needless to say, not many cabs down here, you can get one if your like really hammered at a bar and want to drive home, or maybe to the airport...
Anywayz, just wanted to tell you to
keep it up..
Go Razorbacks!
Stop by a drop me a comment on my blog, even though you probably wont give a shit what its about, i undederstand....Late
M.P, (yes even though I know your name now, you're still M.P to me)
As you can see from all your comments, most people now think you are AWESOME and incredible now that you have your 15 minutes of fame. I won't argue that point coz personally I think it takes moxy to be a female cab driver in a city like NYC anyhow but I had a question or two for you..
1) In your own opinion, do you think this "fame" is a good thing to your business? By that I mean, do you think that people will tip more money just coz they seen you on the TELLY?
2)For me personally, I would be a little scared that now that people think my writing is great that I have to ALWAYS keep up that level of humor? Do you feel that small edge of discomfort that you have to now PERFORM at that level in all your enteries?
3)Are you more apprehensive now that you are no longer ANONYMOUS and that people that are not so nice might somehow coz you more distress?
4) What do the other cabbies in your garage feel about your new found fame?
That's all the questions. I only ask them coz they're on my mind but I can easily slip into the "celebrity" star struck mode if you want me to... LIKE golly, you are so awesome and beautiful and cute and gee, if I get to NYC i hope you are my cabbie!! OMG.. LOL, I'm a normal woman that does love your style of writing in the blog and I admire your guts in getting down in your blog all the fun and dullness that your job brings on a daily basis. Keep it up girl and don't let the fame's bad side get to you too much. Andy Warhol knew what he was talking about .. those 15 minutes are cool, it's just some really get too big headed about it and then crash and burn when it's over. I'm sure you'll keep your head over all this. Take care.
You, thus your blog, have an interesting perspective, which is refreshing. But, don't sell out, and start pluggin up and coming musicians. Keep it real.
Want to switch jobs for a day? I'm a neuroimager here in Manhattan - I watch brains as they modify during thought. I always wanted to know what it was like being a cabbie. I opted for bartending when I was in graduate school because driving a cab was considered too dangerous. Reading your blog, should have been a cabbie.
love your link to NYC traffic cams. don't know why, but they are addictive. 8th ave @ colombus--do people not see the lane lines?
Welldone!!
The six best words I can hope for and I have to speak them myself: I think I'll get take out.
I wanted to wait until the comments calmed down from yesterday. 178?? Wow. So, congrats on the interview. Enjoy enjoy enjoy. And get yourself something nice with that fiddy.
Keep up the great work :)
Well at least he didn't get lucky in your cab...that would have been a bigger tip!! Are people allowed to sit upfront? Well back to my boring a$$ job...take care and stay safe out there chickie!
Stephanie
I can't believe you picked up Teddy Geiger! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! That's so cool. And he lets you take his pic. He is so hot! And he's a really good singer. I'm so glad that he's not just a character on tv - I can't wait for his cd to come out!! Take care! -Nataly
I found your blog the other day and I got got around to reading some of them. I love it I can't wait to read the rest. I have put a direct link to your page from my blog. Mine is not quite as interesting as yours but feel free to check it out.
http://360.yahoo.com/sjkeenan99
hey - I live in Florida and just found your blog. It's really a good read so I bookmarked it. Keep up the great writing and THANKS for sharing your interesting life with us!
small world! i found your blog a few days ago...a friend of mine saw it on some news website. i love what you're doing...amazing. anyway, i was laughing cuz teddy geiger was actually at my office not long ago to promote his music, and i'm writing a review on him this month for the magazine i write for. he is absolutely precious and i'm glad you had the opportunity to meet him!
keep up the great blogs,
jess
Great stuff as always.. time for the talk show cicuit!
Nice blog check my Taxi blog out from the UK http://taxistorys.blogspot.com/
Lucky you! I think we DO have one of the best jobs ever.
I drive a San Francisco Yellow Cab and am jealous of your blog. I don't have the patience to put the stories of the day together hence I read and enjoy yours. I'm glad to see you getting so much great attention... Keep it up...
You're a diamond in the rough. Never been to NY..now I'd love to visit. Stay safe..
all i have to say is go rockin rockland! I'm 30 mself and moved to NYC after growin up in Spring Valley. Yahoo spilled you were from Pomona. Hey, we could have even visited some of the same haunts as kids. Hope I get to catch a cab with you some day. Your stories are funny reads for me and my old school suburbia-turned-city friends. Keep it real chica!
Can it get any better than this people!? Damn this is good stuff! You never know what the next post will be about! Whatever you're doing hun, please dont stop! This is the everyday hard working american at work here, seen from the many diverse people she comes into contact with, or her! I LOVE IT! YOU GOT MY VOTE GIRL!
anonymous at 4:39 am is a LOSER for typing that
I also found your blog through Yahoo news. Absolutely fascinating. I drove cab in NJ for a year and hated it. I have no idea how you put up with it. Two comments, because I as well spent HOURS reading all the current and archived entries the first time I came in...
1) You may hate NJ drivers but they are absolute gems when held up against any PA driver, particularly the ones in the Poconos area. Not even the out of towners--people who live in that area just have no clue and should not be allowed anywhere near any large machine that they can steer around and move. Side note unrelated to bad driving: these are also the most notoriously rude people you could ever have to deal with. And....
2) You had several posts about being sick. For the past 15 years, I have gotten the flu and had it go into bronchitus twice every year. Last October I tried something--all the damn cold medicines out there using Zinc. By November, I always get my worst case--ending up in the hospital and it lasts upwards of 6 weeks. Nebulizer treatments, prednisone, and Albuterol inhalers and it's gone into pneumonia three times. Starting last October, I began taking one Zinc, one Vitamin C, and one iron pill--all three at the same time once every day after a meal. It is now going on February and I have not gotten so much as a cold all winter long. If you knew me and how sick I get--it passed miraculous and went straight to phenomenal. Start BEFORE the seasons are about to change--fall into winter and winter into spring are big flu months for me. 1 Zinc, 1 vitamin C, and 1 iron pill, once a day following a meal.
I have no idea how well it works if you start it when a cold or flu has already set in but if you start before the seasons are going to change or before any time of the year that you usually get sick, I'm pretty confident you won't get whatever starts going around. If you do, I'll eat my hat.
Keep up the good work and keep your head up.
Whenever I visit NYC, I am going to look for you; honest.
You know I was looking for some news when I looked up my favorite canadian newspaper online since I wanted a bit of home, and am now recently living and married in Germany. When it featured a story link to this site, I thought, "how could someone possibly make major, international news from blogging?" How insane but funny is that? Well it's interesting to read about your experiences, that you don't write it in an offensive way, but more or less your experiences in the Big Apple.
I visted there once with some friends. Perhaps my husband and I will go in the future and try a cab.
I'm checked in as anonominous, but you can call me Vernon. I live in rhe middle of the country, Kansas City, Kansas. In KCMO, they have cab drivers, but they are sort of wild and wooley in that they have not made them as they have you, by that I mean, City Stickers, and strict licencing and all.
I used to own a delivery service, and being the sole owner of a small business, I know the ups and downs of driving. I had vehicals with over 100,000 miles on them, and they had not been anywhere except in the metro area. I wonder, do you get to keep the same cab? Or, do they rotate the cabs? Are you radio controlled, that is, are you told where to go by a dispatcher?
I've not been any further East than New York State, and I was just passing through then. I don't know if I could do what you do, hell, I know I couldn't.
Love your blog, who hasn't said that? I was notified by a friend who read your blog, he is in California, so dear heart, you are known world over.
That's funny you had Teddy Geiger as a passenger. I just heard of him the other day and the best part is he's from Pittsford, NY and suburb of Rochester, NY and also my hometown! Love the blog...you answer all the questions I usually have a about cabbies, please keep up the great work.
I must visit NY. What an exciting place.
are you sure that's a guy in the picture?
Hey, I love your blog. It is strangely interesting and in my bookmarks now. I never thought the life of a cab driver could be so interesting. Not that I have ever been in a cab, but. . .
you are the funniest person.
i love the way you perceive people, not only is it true, but it is humorous. keep blogging!
LOL, the only place PA drivers are okay is in their own driveways. They will turn any direction from any lane because they can't comprehend "right turn only" lanes, notoriously go the wrong way down one-way streets, tailgaters like it's a sport, and if you see a car going down the street in the dark with no headlights on, check the plate. Rofl. I've lived in both states. As bad as they are, NJ drivers win hands down in my opinion.
Brilliant site. I am a computer geek by trade in temporary exile to a retail enviroment in Philly. I enjoy reading your blog. Thanks for keeping it real...
"Does a cabbie get a big but" Anonomous 1/27/2006 4:39 AM
That's a typical jerk's comment that really makes a taxi drivers day.
99% of passengers are fantastic. 1% makes the glass half empty.
You don't need to drive 12 hour shifts to get a big butt. Even pro tennis players have them.
Kind regards to you all
Den
Hey, I really like the style of your blog. My blog is written by traditional Chinese as I am a Taiwanese and I live in Taiwan now. So I think your fans must exist around the world just like me. Well done. Please keep up the good work.
Eric from Taiwan
MY dad was a taxi driver for a small town and you tell the hole story about what they go through in the daily life with the odd hours and all the crap they have to dill with on a day to day basis. Keep the good work up.
I, too, stayed up all night to read every entry on your blog. I'm hooked!
Ha, I saw that photo and immediately said, "That's the kid from 'Love Monkey'!"
Enjoy reading your blog. Take it easy.
Heh, sounds like an exciting night...Especially with that tip...
Good stuff, indeed...
Love your blog. I am a misplaced NYer living in Chicago. Keep up the good work.
Great reading, I have never been to NY, but when I think of it, there is always a mental picture of a NY cabbie. Finally, they speak and have personalities. Keep up the great work.
I'm from Australia and always ride in the front seat of a cab. Can't understand why people think having somebody sit next to you is more dangerous than having someone sit behind you.
G'Day to all NY Cabbies.
Greetings from the Low Country of South Carolina! I recently found and bookmarked your blog. Tonight I stopped by to see what sorta new stuff was going on with you and I see this Teddy kid! I'd read about him not too long ago in the newspaper back home in Rochester, NY. Funny how such a large world can be so dang small sometimes! Thank you for sharing your world with the rest of us! Stay safe!
Semper Fi.......
mrs cappie
the neuroimager from manhattan wanted to switch jobs.....seems to me a cabbie, bartender, and an official neuroimager ALL watch brains modify in some way. loving the blog all the way up and over here in seattle. thanks for the pictures and rainy day entertainment. be safe :)
jane
Yo M to the P.. I saw that pic and I was like oh look M got lucky picking up a dyke and then I looked closer and was like ahh no, thats a boy, a very young boy.. Go M.. GO GO!
With love, Bethflatley
what happened to you friday?
Loved your blog so much I rolled it up and smoked it.
First time writing you; enjoy your stories immensely -- makes this southern girl want to see New York in person. Anyway, the guy on Love Monkey -- is that the Wayne character? I'm usually into jazz, but I like his voice and his tunes played in the show. And, he's not bad to look at, either.
I drove cabs in Australia for a while and have been a passenger many times, it's quite normal for the passenger to sit in the front with the driver in this country, it's also quite normal for people who have a truckload of money to be the worst tippers...
Post a Comment