Nov 27 2007
Fuzzy Dice, a Blue Dolphin and a Yellow Turban
- Four trips to Seattle.
- Four different taxi rides into town.
- Four different accents.
- All men.
One driver didn’t speak much.
One driver hung a pair of fuzzy dice from the meter.
One driver had a blue glass dolphin suspended from the rearview mirror.
One driver wore a turban. The turban was yellow and neatly wrapped around a stoic head.
The turban was folded and tucked so perfectly I wondered if there were such a thing as pre-wrapped turbans as in the manner of pre-knotted neckties.
I didn’t ask the driver, figuring it might be a personal question, right along the lines of “Boxers…or…briefs?”
I got in the cab.
The driver asked, “What is your destination?”
I told him the name of the hotel and asked, “Do you need the address?”
He pulled into traffic. He was facing forward but his eyes slid to the right. I was within peripheral range.
He said, “I am a taxi driver.”
I sat back into the seat and enjoyed looking at the weather, which we didn’t talk about.
………………………………………….
I LIKE this man! Professional dude.
Also, mildly snarky. Can’t go wrong with that.
OK, I can’t take it anymore! Ms Q, please wrap your images inside of a div so that the text wraps around them!
I know you can do this because your Adsense is inside of a div and the text wraps around it. Please!!!
You are the taxi driver on this site but sometimes even the driver needs some directions on how to insure her passengers have an enjoyable ride
Christine: Yeah, I found him funny. He was totally deadpan!
Steve D: Sorry on the wrapping - I have some issues with italics and this theme and wrapping around images and I have the adsense stuff tweaked (cut and paste) but…anyway…excuses…excuses!
Update: hacked it best I could - happy??!!
Well, I guess he told you.
He’s a taxi driver. Enough said.
That taxi driver is a classic and rare.
Back in the day you would tell someone a name of a destination (museum, hotel, attraction) and they would take you there. Now, none of them know where anything is. You spend more time giving them directions that you realize maybe they should tip you at the end of the ride.
No, you need to wrap it with a style: style=”float:right; margin:5px;”. Put that inside the DIV tag preceeding the image. Look at your Adsense big box, use the same DIV code as there.
Using align=left/right is old pre-CSS school, you are better than that Ms Q, I know it!
the frogster: I definitely think he was having me on, especially with that sideways glance!
UT: Yes, that driver WAS classic! I hadn’t thought of him that way. I have had to give directions or specify which hotel (some cities have more than one hotel with the same name - different parts of the city) and in fact this week, the driver said, “Which one? The one on..”
Steve D: Thanks! And thanks for the code, too.
Nice to have your vote of confidence but these days, Ms. Q has not had time to play with CSS and actually, no big interest in it right now. I’m telling ya, it’s enough to keep posting the way my schedule has been.
Finding good taxi drivers can literally change the mood for your day, huh?
Gary Lee: While I may have difficulty in putting it into practice, I believe we choose our response or the mood we’ll be in. I was first put off by the Turbaned Taxi Driver’s response but then I saw a slight glint in his eye and interpreted it to mean he was pulling my leg.
Someone else may have thought he was rude, yet another may have laughed out loud…who knows! And who knows what his actual intention was.
There’s this really happy enthusiastic cheerful guy that checks me in at the hotel and I told him how it’s great to be greeted so happily by him everytime. He told me, “You choose how you’ll feel so I choose to be cheerful! That’s what my mama told me.’
Yes a taxi driver should know the city like the back of their hand. The turbans do seem very elaborate ant easy to put on. I’d be curious if they do have pre-made ones like clip on ties. There’s a market for it I bet.
Ricardo: Most taxi drivers DO know the roads and the tricks of getting around traffic jams. The only time they may not know is when I’ve had to take a taxi to a hotel that was not in the major city.
I am guessing that there are “prewrapped” turbans but haven’t bothered to google and I don’t know anyone to ask.
I used to work in theater. I know they have prewrapped turbans available. But traditional folks (not sure what region they may come from) wrap their hair each time they put it on. When you have so much on your head it is best to do it yourself. This is what I was told.
I watched one dude take his off. His hair came down to his knee. It wasn’t tangled or anything. Crazy it looked better than horse hair.
I told him he should sell it. He’d make a lot of money.
Maybe you could have asked him something to get at the answer without asking about boxers or briefs…something like, “Does it take you a long time to put that on?” Seems like mostly people do like to talk about themselves, but then again if he *were* offended, there you’d be at his mercy stuck in his cab!
UT - I didn’t know that the hair was wrapped up in there!
hmm . . . . interesting . . . choosing my mood would depend on my mood, no? i’m gonna wait until I’m ridiculously happy to choose my mood then
You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the h*ll else you talkin’ to?
That’s my DeNiro. From, well, Taxi Driver. It’s not the best, but I’ve got a bit of a cold.
(Thank you. I’ll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitresses and bartenders …)
UT: When you say “used to work in theater” you mean you were acting and the turbans were a prop?
Like Jill, I had NO IDEA that what was under those turbans was all this hair. Now you got me wondering if this is a religious requirement - like they have to grow it out in the manner that Hasidic Jews grow their sideburns. At least, I think that the sideburns are a requirement.
Jill: I’ve always wanted to ask the same question but also figure that they might be tired of answering it! I mean, doesn’t it get tiring when someone asks you, “Are you sure you want another beer?” hahahaha!!!
Gary Lee: Well, have you ever watched “The Secret”? There’s this scene where a woman is waking up and she knocks over the clock and then she becomes grumpier and grumpier and sends out negative waves which attracts all this negativity and her day ends up Not Good. Even if you didn’t watch “The Secret” I think that the idea that allowing things to bother you can snowball into a bad day. But if you set the intention to enjoy the day, you are in a positive state which is more resourceful and you end up creating a much better day.
When you’re in a positive state, you’re much more open, creative and of course, being open and creative enhances your problem-solving skills and if you see solutions instead of problems, your day snowballs into a nice one.
Sometimes it’s difficult to feel good but if you usually look for the positive, you get in the habit and then maybe when things get bad, you won’t wallow in it.
delmer: Hmm…I’d be interested in hearing your DeNiro when you’re not sick.
I dunno. I’m always a little torn about asking people stuff. Growing up, I used to feel like my mom grilled my friends. But it really does seem like people enjoy talking about themselves.
Jill: I would think you’re response might be, “Why do you keep asking me this question??? The answer is always YES!!”
Yes, people do enjoy talking about themselves some people don’t even care if you’re actually interested!
I think that most people do like to share who they are with others - even the most private people. But some people don’t because they are afraid to be hurt or judged or criticized.
Delmer… for a NY accent, take the L out and insert a W “Yew Tawkin’ to me?’. hehehe.
Sue: Great tip on the Noo Yawk accent! hahaha!
But my guess is that Urban Thought might have more personal experience with the New York accent?
This guy would have loved me!
I could not have stopped myself from questioning the hat. “Is that made of cotton? Rayon?? Does your wife wrap your head?
As you know, I love wearing hats myself. My hair is sideways because I woke up like that… LOL!!! Sure, a lazy Sunday is wonderful thing. This week was a whirlwind, and made me feel old. Today? - like a spring chicken again.
Life = GOOD
Long time / no see MsQ. How is everything? You are getting enough to eat?
Your friend “The Cat”
Speedy! Oh, so I guess you sleep on your RIGHT side and you use hair products which would cement it um, HARD TO STARBOARD.
I noticed I wasn’t the only one to notice your hair.
Yeah, I do know you like to wear hats and I think if you had entered that cab wearing a red mug with white dots … the turban-wearing driver would have been asking YOU the questions. Or speaking even less.
Glad that life is GOOD. Yeah, was busy last week - Seattle and all. Getting too much to eat but now that I’m home, back to getting better things to eat!