Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Herring Days

          Slow load passing the rank
               All this for €5
                 SPORTS HALL AT BELFIELD
          Trinity College at night

            

     The Luas line at Dundrum.

Here we are in the middle of January. Its dead quiet on the streets, the London cabby calls this time "Herring days"because the income drops so low that you can't afford meat, you eat only fish.

Looking at my HailO statement I took €110 through the Hailo system this week,every penny is money which would not have come my way 6 months ago.
There is a great interest for it in Cork now andin DUBLIN  110,000 people have downloaded the App, 2,800 drivers are on board it is so good, all praises for the mighty App.

Well its really no harm because the work has dried up anyhow.

No more big nights out until 14th Feb (St Valentines night)It is not widely known that the relics of St.Valentine are in the Carmalite Friary on Auinger St (so you can go for a "Rub of the auld relic")
That's the night the restaurant will give you 40 minutes to eat up and get out.
Take her out the week after the big day for a bit of peace and quiet.
Then we have Paddy's day on the 17th of March. The festival gets bigger and better every year.
Loads of Irish from all over the world come to visit "the old sod".

Its only Mighty.

So as the saying goes "Live horse and you'll get grass".  Perhaps.

Ireland is kicking off for our year of the EU presidency, expect flashy cars with blacked out windows and with motorcycle escorts. They will bring our fair city to a standstill.
They zip around all 5 star, did they never hear of Skype?
If its good enough for us than its good for them too. Conference calling is secure and affordable, why not do ti that way?
Though in fairness the last time the Troika were in town they walked to a few of their meetings leaving the limos blocking the taxi ranks.


Think of this, keep a note book and write down some of the interesting things that happened over the days and weeks and pretty soon you will have a book !
Gene Salomon who writes the blog "Cabs are for kissing" has just published his first book 390 pages
"Confessions of a Taxi driver"
My copy arrived in the post today and I just checked and the best taxi story I ever read is in it The wrong Guy.
I put this story on my blog a few years ago as it is so incredible  and well told.

Genes book sitting on the hood of my taxi


Yet things like this do happen in real life.
Other taxi books I have read are Hack by Malissan Plaut and the Gabby Cabby Perer Franklin of New York There was another few written by London Cabbys, all good stuff
Then there was our very own Doal Ruanes book Tales in a rear view mirror.
A very funny book

So its Go Eugene Go Confessions of A taxi driver

Today a very large woman with a squad of kids stopped me. She didn't know where she was going but after a bit of quick thinking I took directions to Moore St. On the way she told me that she was due in court, She went to Swords courthouse and it was closed then she went to all the different courts in town until someone rang her asking her why she as not in the court in Blanchardstown.
She hardly knew  where Blanchardstown was never mind where the courthouse was.
All of her kids had different fathers, totally different they were. Perhaps they were all orphans.

The first thing you should do is find out where you are supposed to be on the day of judgment.

I pulled up outside the bus station 2 cars there, the first car drove away, 5 minutes later I was the only car there when a girl with a red bag walked past.Then a Philippineo man got in, the British embassy please, then the the girl came back to the car, "could you call another taxi up for me?"
I told her to walk to the corner as there were plenty of empty taxis going past.
Then after checking with my passenger if he would share, I asked where she was going so she might share the ride, even part of the way.
But she didn't answer, she stood at the corner as empty taxis drove past with their roof lights turned on, I shouted over, "Lift up your hand" she didn't move. I think there may have been something wrong with her, deaf perhaps?
You never know with people.
My fare was living in Donegall and just loves Ireland, "A bit less rain would be a bonus"
You couldn't argue with that.
He was a very nice guy and allowed me to sing the praises of the nurses from his native land.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the shout-out, John. Do let me know if "The Wrong Guy" is still your favorite after you've read the whole book. If you see this on time, I'm supposed to be pitching the book on Talk Radio Europe today (Thursday, Jan. 24) at 10.25 a.m. my time (Eastern US) which I think is 3.25 p.m. your time. Hope you can catch it.

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