8/30/18
I was heading home from coffee with friends around . We've been meeting every Thursday night 10:30pm.since...forever. It's the place where nerdom, fandom, and chicanery collide. I had had a ton of decaf and infantile conversation, so I was wired and figured I would catch a Lyft on the way home if I could. Just when I thought I wasn't going to get anyone, a request came in that was blocks from home.
I pulled up to the stop and clicked "Arrive" and I didn't have to wait long. A man exploded out of the front door of one of the row homes angrily swinging a couple plastic shopping bags. I verified his identity, and as he got in he said "Yeah, she threw me out and I ain't going to jail for no woman."
Well.
Okay.
That's a little tense. Apparently she had also put in the wrong address, so he was a little miffed that he would have to guide me once the navigation got closer. So to ease the tension, I made sure he was comfortable and turned up the AC and offered him a bottle of water. After a few minutes, he had calmed down a bit. We chatted, and he told me he worked at a local college. He was amazed at my lack of knowledge of the city. He had been living there for fifty years, his whole life, and knew everything there was to know about it.
"Yeah, she threw me out. She mean when she been drinkin'," he said ruefully from the back seat. "We was supposed to go out, too."
"What was the argument about, if you don't mind my asking?" I asked carefully. Never can be too sure with riders as to how personal a conversation can go.
"She wanted me to make a call on my cell phone," he began,"and I said 'You got a cell phone. Why don't you make the call?' And she didn't like that."
"That was all?" I cocked my head a bit in incredulity. I probably looked like one of those dog memes. Thank god it was dark.
"Yeah, I was going to walk back, 'cause I ain't dealin' with all that," he laughed.
I checked the app. He was going fourteen minutes into the city.
"I'm glad you are not," I said. "It's too far in the dark at this time of night. You might get mugged or something."
"I ain't afraid of nothin' in this town," he shook his head. "Been living here fifty years, I know everything there is to know. I got nothin' to be 'fraid of."
"Yep,"he continued after taking a drink from his water bottle. "She got all mad, screamin' and stuff. It was almost like she wanted me to hit her. But I been raised not to hit no woman. And I ain't goin' in the hole. No sir."
I checked the rearview mirror and could see he was staring out the window.
"No sir," he said again quietly. "I ain't goin' in the hole again."
I assumed he was referencing jail time, as "the hole" is a euphemism for jail at least in our area of the world. He seemed like a nice man to me, and I could not imagine him in jail. But hey, a lot can happen in the city in fifty years.
He was quiet for awhile. I tried to think of something positive to say, though I am no expert on relationships. Actually, I'm pretty sure I am relationship challenged. Still, I like to think of myself as a positive person and I did not want him to go home looking so defeated.
"Well," I ventured. "She cared enough to call you a ride."
I could tell he was thinking about it.
"Yeah," he said after a minute. "Yeah, she did."
He directed me to his drop off, we said goodnight, and I wished him luck.
A Delicate Desert Flower
Friday, August 31, 2018
Saturday, August 18, 2018
The Late Night Lyft of Peter Sellers
I picked up a very nice couple from a concert down at the Sands SteelStacks around 11pm. They were happily drunk and had had a very good time. They spotted me first, walked up, and began to get in the car before I saw them. There were people coming from everywhere, cars pulling out in all directions after this concert, and then my car door opens and people start getting in. Very disconcerting, but after I confirmed the riders' names it was cool.
Neither were from the area. The gentleman was Australian, and his wife was from NJ. They lived in Cherry Hill. They chatted about the concert as I weaved us through heavy traffic toward the 2nd Street Bridge. Somehow, we got on the conversation of Peter Sellers. I don't know how these things happen, they just do. As we crossed the bridge, we talked about how awesome he was as Inspector Clusoe in the Pink Panther films. The gentleman talked about other films I hadn't seen. It was generally agreed that he was an amazing, though unorthodox actor. I told them my absolute favorite Peter Sellers' performance was actually on the Muppet Show. He never left character. This Australian guy and his wife were just enchanted with this idea and he started looking for it on YouTube. I dropped them off at the Hotel Bethlehem after recommending a bar or two (I can do that now!) and wished them a good night.
And now...
Peter Sellers.
Neither were from the area. The gentleman was Australian, and his wife was from NJ. They lived in Cherry Hill. They chatted about the concert as I weaved us through heavy traffic toward the 2nd Street Bridge. Somehow, we got on the conversation of Peter Sellers. I don't know how these things happen, they just do. As we crossed the bridge, we talked about how awesome he was as Inspector Clusoe in the Pink Panther films. The gentleman talked about other films I hadn't seen. It was generally agreed that he was an amazing, though unorthodox actor. I told them my absolute favorite Peter Sellers' performance was actually on the Muppet Show. He never left character. This Australian guy and his wife were just enchanted with this idea and he started looking for it on YouTube. I dropped them off at the Hotel Bethlehem after recommending a bar or two (I can do that now!) and wished them a good night.
And now...
Peter Sellers.
Friday, August 17, 2018
ER...Wait...What?!
8/16/18
Picked up a quick Lyft on my way home from coffee. A whole bunch of nerds meet for coffee every Thursday night, and have done so for years. Tonight was no different. On the way home, I quick flipped open the app and figured I would do a turn through downtown to see if I could catch a quick Lyft rider before I crawled into bed for the night. It was 11:30pm, and as I'm a Cinderella driver by choice on weeknights I had a good half hour to get a ride. It had been slow all week since Musik Fest ended, so it was a shot in the dark.
I was driving downtown for maybe a few blocks when the request came in. I was elated so I quick veered off and followed the navigation. She was only a few minutes way. I pulled up outside the address and as is my habit gave the rider a call. The street was dark, the neighborbood a bit sketchy so I wanted to get her in the car ASAP.
It was a middle aged woman who stepped out of the house. She was dressed like she was going to work or something. Didn't think too much of it. As she approached the car, I opened the window, verified her name, and unlocked the doors. She was on the phone when she got in the car. and I heard her say "I'm going to the ER."
My eyebrows flew up to the sky. Eyes widened. Checked the destination and sure enough yeah, headed to St. Luke's! I got a bit anxious, wondering if she was hurt, having a heart attack...are we having a baby?! I had to wait until she was off the phone. That was a very long two minutes.
"So, you're going to the ER. Are you okay? (Dumb question!) Can I make you more comfortable?" I asked tentatively.
Are you bleeding all over my back seat? I kept that thought to myself.
Nah. Turns out she cut her finger and it was swelling so she wanted to get it checked out. She had been using a knife to pry something and it had slipped. It had stopped bleeding, but it had begun to swell. She had asked her teenage daughter and some other family member to go with her, but they bailed. Crappy thing to do, honestly. She even questioned whether it was necessary herself, but I told her that if it's swelling now imagine what it will look like in a few hours. I asked her if she had cleaned the wound, and she said she had not done so right away. There might be something in the cut I told her so it is really best to get it checked out. Septicemia is nothing to be sneered at. A friend of mine had nearly died from it. She agreed it was a good precaution to get checked out.
Then I started to wonder if she had thought if her insurance was accepted at this particular hospital, and offered to drive her to another emergency room if this one did not. She thanked me and affirmed that this was her hospital, though they would probably charge her out the nose just to wash the cut. I dropped her at the ER door and wished her good luck.
A fellow driver shared with me later that it's cheaper to take a Lyft or Uber than to take an ambulance. Maybe I should start carrying a med kit. #uplyfted
Picked up a quick Lyft on my way home from coffee. A whole bunch of nerds meet for coffee every Thursday night, and have done so for years. Tonight was no different. On the way home, I quick flipped open the app and figured I would do a turn through downtown to see if I could catch a quick Lyft rider before I crawled into bed for the night. It was 11:30pm, and as I'm a Cinderella driver by choice on weeknights I had a good half hour to get a ride. It had been slow all week since Musik Fest ended, so it was a shot in the dark.
I was driving downtown for maybe a few blocks when the request came in. I was elated so I quick veered off and followed the navigation. She was only a few minutes way. I pulled up outside the address and as is my habit gave the rider a call. The street was dark, the neighborbood a bit sketchy so I wanted to get her in the car ASAP.
It was a middle aged woman who stepped out of the house. She was dressed like she was going to work or something. Didn't think too much of it. As she approached the car, I opened the window, verified her name, and unlocked the doors. She was on the phone when she got in the car. and I heard her say "I'm going to the ER."
My eyebrows flew up to the sky. Eyes widened. Checked the destination and sure enough yeah, headed to St. Luke's! I got a bit anxious, wondering if she was hurt, having a heart attack...are we having a baby?! I had to wait until she was off the phone. That was a very long two minutes.
"So, you're going to the ER. Are you okay? (Dumb question!) Can I make you more comfortable?" I asked tentatively.
Are you bleeding all over my back seat? I kept that thought to myself.
Nah. Turns out she cut her finger and it was swelling so she wanted to get it checked out. She had been using a knife to pry something and it had slipped. It had stopped bleeding, but it had begun to swell. She had asked her teenage daughter and some other family member to go with her, but they bailed. Crappy thing to do, honestly. She even questioned whether it was necessary herself, but I told her that if it's swelling now imagine what it will look like in a few hours. I asked her if she had cleaned the wound, and she said she had not done so right away. There might be something in the cut I told her so it is really best to get it checked out. Septicemia is nothing to be sneered at. A friend of mine had nearly died from it. She agreed it was a good precaution to get checked out.
Then I started to wonder if she had thought if her insurance was accepted at this particular hospital, and offered to drive her to another emergency room if this one did not. She thanked me and affirmed that this was her hospital, though they would probably charge her out the nose just to wash the cut. I dropped her at the ER door and wished her good luck.
A fellow driver shared with me later that it's cheaper to take a Lyft or Uber than to take an ambulance. Maybe I should start carrying a med kit. #uplyfted
Playing Catch Up
8/15/18
On the way home from gaming, I figured it is quarter to midnight so let's see if we can snag a quick Lyft or two before going home. Now, my rule is to usually be in by midnight or close to. But the ride that came in as soon as I crossed into downtown Bethlehem was from 19 ish looking kid who was 18 minutes away in Nazareth. As a Lyft driver, you have 15 seconds to decide whether or not you're going to accept a ride request. So in 15 seconds, I decided that if I was the closest driver at 18 minutes away at close to midnight if I refused this kid could be waiting by a dark Walmart in the rain for God knows how long. So I accepted the ride request and headed over to Nazareth to pick up this nice young man who is starting his second semester at Northampton Community College next week. He hopes to move to Tennessee to continue at the University of Tennessee for engineering. I didn't think I'd get another ride on the way back from dropping him off at Easton but sure enough a few minutes later another request came in. Looking at the clock it was well after midnight but figuring I was out already and not tired I might as well. It turned out he was just a nice man who wanted a lift down to the bar to pick up a six pack and then drive him back home. It's a heck of a thing to be sitting outside of a gentlemen's club at 1 a.m. I locked the car doors until he came back. On the 2 minute ride back to his place he told me how he worked at the airport and his wife, a phlebotomist, wanted to continue her education so that she could make more money but was freaking out financially because of the cost of more education. I told him the midterm elections are going to be the most important election yet because the people we elect will directly impact the future for people like she and I (me as a teacher with 10 years teaching experience and a master's but with wages stagnated). I dropped him off at home with his six pack and bless his heart he gave me a $5 tip for a $5 ride. #uplyfted
8/11/18
Lyft! Where you meet interesting people! A lovelorn young man who misses his Pakistani boyfriend, and a lovely lady who gave me a $10 tip for a $4 ride because she was afraid to walk the 3 blocks home and got all panicky because she had some trouble finding me in the mess of people outside the bars. I promised her I wouldn't leave until I found her.
The young man of about 24 shared a particularly sad story. He had had a lover, a man he misses very much. The lover was Pakistani. This reference is made due to the cultural implications later on. The rider said that his lover's father thought they were just friends. He had no idea his son was gay. Now, I'm not up to snuff on my Apple knowledge, but apparently an Apple user's devices are linked and share information. Well, the father of his lover decided to go through his son's IPad and found pictures from his son's phone that apparently appeared there because the devices are linked. Yes, they were those kind of pictures. The young man went on to describe how his lover's father lost his mind. Being apparently conservative and religious, he packed his son back off to Pakistan where he forced him into an arranged marriage.
Poor boy. He loses his lover, and his lover loses his life to a woman he has never met until their wedding day and is expected to have a life with her that conceivably he does not want. And he's expected to do it out of respect for his family.
I currently choose to live the rockin' single life where I walk around my house in my underwear, drink wine whenever I want, and binge Twin Peaks or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I cannot imagine losing the freedom to choose my own life, let alone my own love. Count your blessings, children.
8/9/18
What I've learned so far now that I'm over ten rides in:
1. Water is much appreciated by riders during the summer and after a night of drinking. I keep small bottles in the pockets of the organizers on the back of the driver and passenger seats.
2. Sanitizer and tissues are godsends. If you want to keep your car clean, keep your passengers clean.
3. Don't be shy about telling them you're a new driver. That way, if you make a mistake they're more likely to be forgiving.
4. Some people just can't be pleased. A young lady who was in a strop with her man (who was higher than a kite if I care to hazard a guess) gave me a 3 star rating because I went up and around a block so I could pick her up on the right side of the street and she didn't have to cross. I believe she was angry with her boyfriend and just wanted to punish someone. It just happened to be me.
5. If you are a female driver, carry pepper spray. Rather, carry gel because as another driver/ blogger says, it won't go all over you and your car if you ever have to use it.
6. Let me qualify number 5. Ladies, the crowd changes after midnight. If someone is there until the bar closes, they are hardcore. Possibly skunk drunk and prone to stupidity. Can we handle it? Yes. Do you want to? Answer that for yourself. My answer most nights is hell no.
7. Sick bags. Haven't had to use them, but they're necessary. You won't always get the chance to get over to the curb for the rider to get sick outside the car. Be proactive. Sick Bags for a Good Price
8. Don't drive around forever looking for a ride. It's not worth the miles. Do the research. Look for venues with events. Find the bar district in your area. Locate the closest airport, bus terminal, and train stations. Travel hubs. If you want this to be effective, you can't be wasting gas driving around all over town looking for rides. Didn't get much? It happens. Go home and give it another shot on another day.
9. Don't cancel the ride after you've arrived. Make them do it. They will try to get you to so they don't have to pay a fee. A rider called after I arrived and told me she had a child, but no car seat. She said the child was two years old. In PA, that's illegal. If you can't leave a PA hospital with a newborn without a car seat, you can't take a child who requires a car seat if the rider doesn't have one.
"I work long hours, I can't be carrying no car seat with me!" Well, you're the parent. If you want to take a chance with your kid's life, that's your prerogative. I won't be a party to it. But being inexperienced, she asked me to cancel the ride and I did. Rookie mistake, but small compared to the one I could've made by taking a child in my car without a legally required car seat.
10. Don't be too hard on yourself. Mistakes will be made. Life is nothing if not a learning experience.
8/8/18
Kesha sang at Musikfest. Downtown was wall to wall people! They were walking in big groups down the sideswalks, walking out between cars, and gods help me they were walking into traffic from all directions to get to where they parked. My rider was young. From her profile pic, I could tell that she was maybe 20 if she was a day. I go around the back of the SteelStacks to the Lyft/ Uber pick up area, and it was packed. There were police, guys directing traffic yelling at cars, and at least 10 rideshare drivers in the traffic circle trying to pick their riders out of the crowds leaving the concert. I am not a Kesha fan, but damn does she draw a crowd! I had my rider on the phone. I've gotten into the habit of just automatically calling them as soon as I arrive. I was trying to describe my car, I had my four way lights flashing, but there were so many people crowded into the drop zone that we just couldn't see each other.
"What if I can't find you?" she asked in frustration after a few minutes.
"Don't worry," I assured her. "I am not leaving until I find you. I might get arrested, but I will find you!"
"Ok, I'm walking toward the edge of the curb now. I have a big glowstick. I'm waving it!"
"Is that you jumping up and down with the pink glowstick?" I shouted over the crowd as I saw this tiny glowing figure bouncing up and down from across the traffic circle.
"YES!"
I opened the door, got up on Eve's running board, and waved like a lunatic.
"Back in your car!" a man with an orange vest and even louder voice boomed.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted my rider to see me!" I apologized.
Here comes this very young lady all by herself with this huge glowstick wearing skinny jeans, a rain jacket, and a relieved looking smile. She had not found any friends to go to see Kesha, so she had gone by herself. She starts her next semester at college in a few weeks.
Not a Kesha fan, but I love this song!
8/4/18
If I learn nothing else from Lyft driving, at least I have a growing mind map of Bethlehem and Allentown! And that trying to find your riders during Bethlehem MusiK Fest is challenging to say the least! That is an ocean of people, holy cow! I felt like I was back in Beijing. The biggest challenge is that the app doesn't always put the pin in the right place. It dropped the pin back on Founder's Way by the entrance to the SteelStacks, but the rider was up on 3rd St. at the corner. Musik Fest is pretty strict on where Uber and Lyft can pick up and drop off, so I was in the designated drop zone which is a traffic circle at the SteelStacks entrance. I called my rider, a young 20-something lady whom I could tell had had a good night. She was getting agitated because she couldn't see me. I assured her that I would not leave until I found her. I kept describing the car, and finally I opened my door and stood up on Eve's (my Subaru Crosstrek purchased on All Hallow's Eve ;) running board phone in hand looking around for this person. Then I see her. A lovely, 20 something young lady pelting down the sidewalk toward the car phone to her ear.
"Oh my god, is that you running toward me?" I laugh it looks so ridiculous.
"YES! Thank God, I see you!"
I see a man about ten feet running behind her.
"Is that your boyfriend that you're outrunning?"
"Yeah, he's not important," she giggles breathlessly.
"Aw, we might want to take him along," I cajole.
They were a very nice, happily inebriated couple. We had fun conversation, and they left a generous tip. #uplyfted
8/1/18
Started Lyft driving tonight! Only had 4 rides, but I'm just learning. It was fun! Met a builder in town for a project at the mall, a mom and her daughter on the way home from Chuck-E-Cheese, warehouse worker who overslept and needed a ride to work for the night shift, and a very nice young lady working at a local strip club. That was three hours that were very interesting! My first ride was the builder, and I truly thought I was going to have a panic attack until I found him. Note to self: Lehigh Valley Mall is a big place, but not really. Second note: It's okay for a kid to eat their cotton candy in the car, but have sanitizer on hand. Third note: Strippers work hard for the money.
On the way home from gaming, I figured it is quarter to midnight so let's see if we can snag a quick Lyft or two before going home. Now, my rule is to usually be in by midnight or close to. But the ride that came in as soon as I crossed into downtown Bethlehem was from 19 ish looking kid who was 18 minutes away in Nazareth. As a Lyft driver, you have 15 seconds to decide whether or not you're going to accept a ride request. So in 15 seconds, I decided that if I was the closest driver at 18 minutes away at close to midnight if I refused this kid could be waiting by a dark Walmart in the rain for God knows how long. So I accepted the ride request and headed over to Nazareth to pick up this nice young man who is starting his second semester at Northampton Community College next week. He hopes to move to Tennessee to continue at the University of Tennessee for engineering. I didn't think I'd get another ride on the way back from dropping him off at Easton but sure enough a few minutes later another request came in. Looking at the clock it was well after midnight but figuring I was out already and not tired I might as well. It turned out he was just a nice man who wanted a lift down to the bar to pick up a six pack and then drive him back home. It's a heck of a thing to be sitting outside of a gentlemen's club at 1 a.m. I locked the car doors until he came back. On the 2 minute ride back to his place he told me how he worked at the airport and his wife, a phlebotomist, wanted to continue her education so that she could make more money but was freaking out financially because of the cost of more education. I told him the midterm elections are going to be the most important election yet because the people we elect will directly impact the future for people like she and I (me as a teacher with 10 years teaching experience and a master's but with wages stagnated). I dropped him off at home with his six pack and bless his heart he gave me a $5 tip for a $5 ride. #uplyfted
8/11/18
Lyft! Where you meet interesting people! A lovelorn young man who misses his Pakistani boyfriend, and a lovely lady who gave me a $10 tip for a $4 ride because she was afraid to walk the 3 blocks home and got all panicky because she had some trouble finding me in the mess of people outside the bars. I promised her I wouldn't leave until I found her.
The young man of about 24 shared a particularly sad story. He had had a lover, a man he misses very much. The lover was Pakistani. This reference is made due to the cultural implications later on. The rider said that his lover's father thought they were just friends. He had no idea his son was gay. Now, I'm not up to snuff on my Apple knowledge, but apparently an Apple user's devices are linked and share information. Well, the father of his lover decided to go through his son's IPad and found pictures from his son's phone that apparently appeared there because the devices are linked. Yes, they were those kind of pictures. The young man went on to describe how his lover's father lost his mind. Being apparently conservative and religious, he packed his son back off to Pakistan where he forced him into an arranged marriage.
Poor boy. He loses his lover, and his lover loses his life to a woman he has never met until their wedding day and is expected to have a life with her that conceivably he does not want. And he's expected to do it out of respect for his family.
I currently choose to live the rockin' single life where I walk around my house in my underwear, drink wine whenever I want, and binge Twin Peaks or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I cannot imagine losing the freedom to choose my own life, let alone my own love. Count your blessings, children.
8/9/18
What I've learned so far now that I'm over ten rides in:
1. Water is much appreciated by riders during the summer and after a night of drinking. I keep small bottles in the pockets of the organizers on the back of the driver and passenger seats.
2. Sanitizer and tissues are godsends. If you want to keep your car clean, keep your passengers clean.
3. Don't be shy about telling them you're a new driver. That way, if you make a mistake they're more likely to be forgiving.
4. Some people just can't be pleased. A young lady who was in a strop with her man (who was higher than a kite if I care to hazard a guess) gave me a 3 star rating because I went up and around a block so I could pick her up on the right side of the street and she didn't have to cross. I believe she was angry with her boyfriend and just wanted to punish someone. It just happened to be me.
5. If you are a female driver, carry pepper spray. Rather, carry gel because as another driver/ blogger says, it won't go all over you and your car if you ever have to use it.
6. Let me qualify number 5. Ladies, the crowd changes after midnight. If someone is there until the bar closes, they are hardcore. Possibly skunk drunk and prone to stupidity. Can we handle it? Yes. Do you want to? Answer that for yourself. My answer most nights is hell no.
7. Sick bags. Haven't had to use them, but they're necessary. You won't always get the chance to get over to the curb for the rider to get sick outside the car. Be proactive. Sick Bags for a Good Price
8. Don't drive around forever looking for a ride. It's not worth the miles. Do the research. Look for venues with events. Find the bar district in your area. Locate the closest airport, bus terminal, and train stations. Travel hubs. If you want this to be effective, you can't be wasting gas driving around all over town looking for rides. Didn't get much? It happens. Go home and give it another shot on another day.
9. Don't cancel the ride after you've arrived. Make them do it. They will try to get you to so they don't have to pay a fee. A rider called after I arrived and told me she had a child, but no car seat. She said the child was two years old. In PA, that's illegal. If you can't leave a PA hospital with a newborn without a car seat, you can't take a child who requires a car seat if the rider doesn't have one.
"I work long hours, I can't be carrying no car seat with me!" Well, you're the parent. If you want to take a chance with your kid's life, that's your prerogative. I won't be a party to it. But being inexperienced, she asked me to cancel the ride and I did. Rookie mistake, but small compared to the one I could've made by taking a child in my car without a legally required car seat.
10. Don't be too hard on yourself. Mistakes will be made. Life is nothing if not a learning experience.
8/8/18
Kesha sang at Musikfest. Downtown was wall to wall people! They were walking in big groups down the sideswalks, walking out between cars, and gods help me they were walking into traffic from all directions to get to where they parked. My rider was young. From her profile pic, I could tell that she was maybe 20 if she was a day. I go around the back of the SteelStacks to the Lyft/ Uber pick up area, and it was packed. There were police, guys directing traffic yelling at cars, and at least 10 rideshare drivers in the traffic circle trying to pick their riders out of the crowds leaving the concert. I am not a Kesha fan, but damn does she draw a crowd! I had my rider on the phone. I've gotten into the habit of just automatically calling them as soon as I arrive. I was trying to describe my car, I had my four way lights flashing, but there were so many people crowded into the drop zone that we just couldn't see each other.
"What if I can't find you?" she asked in frustration after a few minutes.
"Don't worry," I assured her. "I am not leaving until I find you. I might get arrested, but I will find you!"
"Ok, I'm walking toward the edge of the curb now. I have a big glowstick. I'm waving it!"
"Is that you jumping up and down with the pink glowstick?" I shouted over the crowd as I saw this tiny glowing figure bouncing up and down from across the traffic circle.
"YES!"
I opened the door, got up on Eve's running board, and waved like a lunatic.
"Back in your car!" a man with an orange vest and even louder voice boomed.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted my rider to see me!" I apologized.
Here comes this very young lady all by herself with this huge glowstick wearing skinny jeans, a rain jacket, and a relieved looking smile. She had not found any friends to go to see Kesha, so she had gone by herself. She starts her next semester at college in a few weeks.
Not a Kesha fan, but I love this song!
8/4/18
If I learn nothing else from Lyft driving, at least I have a growing mind map of Bethlehem and Allentown! And that trying to find your riders during Bethlehem MusiK Fest is challenging to say the least! That is an ocean of people, holy cow! I felt like I was back in Beijing. The biggest challenge is that the app doesn't always put the pin in the right place. It dropped the pin back on Founder's Way by the entrance to the SteelStacks, but the rider was up on 3rd St. at the corner. Musik Fest is pretty strict on where Uber and Lyft can pick up and drop off, so I was in the designated drop zone which is a traffic circle at the SteelStacks entrance. I called my rider, a young 20-something lady whom I could tell had had a good night. She was getting agitated because she couldn't see me. I assured her that I would not leave until I found her. I kept describing the car, and finally I opened my door and stood up on Eve's (my Subaru Crosstrek purchased on All Hallow's Eve ;) running board phone in hand looking around for this person. Then I see her. A lovely, 20 something young lady pelting down the sidewalk toward the car phone to her ear.
"Oh my god, is that you running toward me?" I laugh it looks so ridiculous.
"YES! Thank God, I see you!"
I see a man about ten feet running behind her.
"Is that your boyfriend that you're outrunning?"
"Yeah, he's not important," she giggles breathlessly.
"Aw, we might want to take him along," I cajole.
They were a very nice, happily inebriated couple. We had fun conversation, and they left a generous tip. #uplyfted
8/1/18
Started Lyft driving tonight! Only had 4 rides, but I'm just learning. It was fun! Met a builder in town for a project at the mall, a mom and her daughter on the way home from Chuck-E-Cheese, warehouse worker who overslept and needed a ride to work for the night shift, and a very nice young lady working at a local strip club. That was three hours that were very interesting! My first ride was the builder, and I truly thought I was going to have a panic attack until I found him. Note to self: Lehigh Valley Mall is a big place, but not really. Second note: It's okay for a kid to eat their cotton candy in the car, but have sanitizer on hand. Third note: Strippers work hard for the money.
Driven To This Point
Here is the irony.
Irony is the spice of life, kids!
With ten years teaching experience, a Master's degree, and five years in at a public school district, I am still struggling to make ends meet. Bernie Sanders, I am your poster girl for someone with a good job, excellent education, and stagnated wages! So, I had to find a job that would be flexible enough that I could teach, work on my art, not lose my social life to a second job: enter Lyft.
Trust me, I agonized. I read blog posts. I checked reviews on Indeed. I'm a teacher. I researched the hell out of it. That's what we do. We overthink things until we drive ourselves nuts, plan for all contingencies, and only then do we move forward cautiously. I finally got up the courage to apply, and off I drove.
The jury is still out on whether or not this is financially worth it. We'll figure that out as we go. Until then...I am Uplyfted.
Come along for the ride.
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