Here we are, back on a Monday. Since I started doing the rideshare, I have not had much drama. Yes, I had the person who accused me of being in an accident and the accusation of inappropriate communication with a minor, both of which cleared up quickly. But I did not have much of the day-to-day drama I had previously. I have always considered that interesting, considering I am dealing with the public now instead of a close circle of peers. But today was different. A rider asked me to pick him up on I-240 in the center lane because he had run out of gas. A ride that should have taken 15 minutes took more than an hour, but I took care of him. I got a little excitement from one of the girls I carry, and by girls, I mean the professional ladies that service the Memphis demographic. She came running out of the house screaming go go go! She had some trouble with the client. I picked up a young lady who was headed up for practice at the haunted house, and she called ahead and let them know I was coming. I had some old friends invade my personal space, which greatly annoyed me. And finally, on the way home, there was an accident on Jackson Ave. With a motorcycle versus a car, the rider was down and gone. I passed by before they even covered the body. That is enough drama to last the month of October. But I did come close to meeting my goal for the day, so I'm starting the week with only $11.00 short.
Try
I got home and forgot that Laura was not working this evening, but she also had a rough day. I pushed into the evening and just tried to relax. This overwhelming mood is having very adverse effects on me, and today, it works into day 8. I am in uncharted territory because the longest one of these negative moods has ever lasted was seven days. I am beginning to think this has something to do with getting older. And if that is the case, then I can do nothing about it. So I sat down and played catch up on my list, and I was able to knock out quite a few things. I have somebody potentially coming tomorrow to get rid of the elliptical machine, and then I can work on the final stages of setting up the garage. Maybe that will help.
October 08, 2024
It looks as though the theme for the week will be gas prices. They have jumped by $0.30 a gallon in the past couple of days. This does not bode well for the rideshare workers. We already have to maximize our abilities to do better than break even, but this additional expense may become more complex. The day was OK, but I am still behind on the week in meeting my goal. I realize that I set my goals a bit on the high side, but I would like to meet the goal just once.
Nope, not doing it.
The week is droning on. My mood continues to stay on the downward swing of the pendulum, and there is nothing that I can do about it. I have attempted exercise, meditation, and additional yoga, but this pendulum swing has a mind of its own, and I'm beginning to think that I will have to work through it. The nightly negative dreams are a bit of a problem. They follow a pattern, and they always come in the same order. Since I cannot take them lucidly and do not want to try to interpret them, I have to live with them. I have been trying to figure out if these are microcosms that happen briefly each night or if they develop throughout the entire sleep cycle. Thus far, I have not had any luck.
The fall into...
..the mundane world.
October 09, 2024
I believe that things have finally settled into a rhythm, and even though I am not meeting my goals, I am getting close. If I can tighten things up just a bit, things should be golden, if not mundane.
Working the average life.
Sometimes, the things are just ordinary. There was no drama, no problems, and it was just a typical day. When I got home, I sat and relaxed and finished watching the Game of Thrones, ate dinner, and then it was time for bed. There is something to be said for a lack of drama. Even though I will admit that the end of Game of Thrones was highly predictable. There were no surprises at all.
Rumble strips...
..in the road of life.
October 10, 2024
Yesterday was mundane, and today was annoying. Right from the start of the day, I could not get traction, and everything was running very slowly. The riders were all low fare, and they were long distances to get to short runs. I made the conscious choice to head home for lunch and take a nap for two hours. It picked up a little after my rest, but not enough to catch up. I ended the day with $30 down for the day and $70.00 down for the week. I know that I set high goals, but I would like to meet them just once.
Pushing tired.
Even with a nap in the middle of the day, I was exhausted when I got home. There is nothing heavy pressing against me right now, so I stared off into space before I slipped into a restless sleep. I continue to ride an extremely negative mood, and the muscles of my body are rebelling. I am not counting this as a good week right now. I hope it improves. The week is almost over, and I really don't want to go through the weekend this way.
October 11, 2024
The end of the week has come, and it could not come fast enough. I finalized the week with about $100 down, and this has to stop. I have analyzed the areas and the times, and there does not seem to be a way to do a solid block run. It looks like my best Ave. of attack would be to start out at 5:00 in the morning and then take a break between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, and then continue into the evening to catch the late rush. This would create a 14-hour workday. I am unsure how my old bones would adjust to that. Even if I arrange for a siesta for that 2-hour break, I could work a 14-hour day and use those two hours in the afternoon to switch rideshare services. If I could do it, that would give me ten extra hours for the week and additional funds in the slush fund. But I do not think I can handle that kind of hourly basis anymore. I am not a young chicken.
Enhance you calm.
Because it was the end of the week, I did not have to go right to bed after work, and I did a little more work on the garage. It is slowly getting there. I know what I need to finish up the computer, and I am working on getting that in the Amazon cart. Tomorrow, my wife and I are going to go to yard sales and possibly to brunch. So, the end of today was just relaxation, and I can use it.
Typical...
..for a weekend.
October 12, 2024
When I work on Saturday, it is very easy. It is a little time consuming, but still it is simple. The only thing that I have to do on Saturday is bookkeeping. So I gathered my receipts and my little notebook and I put everything into the spreadsheets and finalized the week. I still have to get gas tomorrow morning and add that receipt, but everything else is done.
Victory
When the battle is won it is time to celebrate. Grab your favorite person and dance under a colorful sky.
A good day.
The day went off as planned. Before everybody was up and in motion, I was able to finish up my morning stuff, and I even updated my 3D software and Photoshop. Before Laura and I headed out on our adventure, I was able to get the tablet working with the bad processor and create the image above. The estimated render time for the image was close to five hours. So I set it off before we began our adventure, and when I got home, it was completed. I should take note that these used to take about 45 seconds. I really need to step up my game and get the new computer up and running.
We went on our yard sale journey and it was a bust. We even went out to Cordova for what was advertised as a gigantic yard sale. I'm tempted to return to that yard sale and give them a dictionary. It was not large. But we were able to find a few things, including chalk for Willow and a new cooker for the campfire for me. Before we continued to lunch, we stopped by Goodwill. There was nothing really exciting until I hit the shoes. I found an excellent pair of boots. I do not have my camera set up yet, but there will be pictures when I do. They have a three-inch heel and come almost up to my knees.
Once we returned to the house, I took a nap, spent some time with my wife, and then I was back at work in the garage. I was able to finalize my artwork, and I tried mounting my television, which ended in failure. At first, I thought there was a significant amount of drier lint in the wall. I was getting ready to cut a gigantic hole in the wall when I thought about it. Instead, I cut a small hole and took a look. I am very glad that I did because insulation was what I had actually drilled into. So, I changed my tactic, and they prepared the wall to be painted. Either Willow or Lara came up with the excellent idea of painting the screen green. I looked up those colors, and I can get them from Lowe's Home Improvement - another project, but not one for today.
October 13, 2024
Because it is Sunday, today is a Lyft day. I ran for about 8 hours and hit my goal for the day, which should put me a little bit closer to completing the computer.
Time to prep.
Cause I did about 8 hours at work, I got a bit tired. I relaxed and listened to a little music when I returned to the house. After I finished sanding the wall, I started cleaning up the garage. I did an excellent wash job on the car, and then I settled in and watched a movie to end the week. I made it to bed nice and early so I can get an early start tomorrow and hopefully be in an excellent mood. We shall see. The highly negative mood that I have been riding has broken, and the ongoing cramps have even subsided for now. Maybe next week will be a good week. That would be nice.
October 14, 2024
I was highly driven today. I started right on time, which was 5:00 in the morning, and through a series of events, I did not get home until about 7:00 in the evening. Yes, that is a 14-hour work day, but I took a 90-minute break in the middle of the day and took a nap. It worked out well, and I hit my goal for the day. Now, I just have to do it four more times to make for a good week. It was a decent day, and I did almost 20 rides, but I still have to travel a long distance to do a short run. We shall see how the rest of the week goes.
Tired but okay.
While I was pushing the limits at work, my personal life and goals attached to that life decided to take a left turn. My writing computer, which I have been struggling with for quite a while, finally went to that great computer repository in the sky. When I got home and sat down, it unleashed a blood-curdling wail. It was a critical failure, and there is no coming back From this one. So that is that. The great irony is that I heard back from Indigo Publishing today about my latest novel. They have completed their review and requested a meeting. I am too goal-oriented to do it this week, so it's going to have to be early next week. I cannot let anything distract me. So when I got home, I ate dinner and watched the first episode of Falling Skies, and then I was off to bed. Unfortunately, I was unable to go right to sleep even though I was exhausted because I was freezing my tushy off. I handled that quickly by turning on the heating blanket. And that fixed that. I do not know what the rest of the week will bring, but I will do my best.
Slow your roll...
..Superman.
October 15, 2024
For today, we are going to service a very frustrating day. This week, I am attempting to take 90 minutes off in the middle of the day during the low service period. However, right after I came off of a break, I got stuck downtown, running patients to and from the various clinics for different types of service. These are extremely low-fare runs, and they are very time-consuming. As a result, it put me about $17.00 behind for the week. At the end of the day, I remembered that I could select my area and chose Bartlett. It worked out pretty well and I will try and remember to do it each day because it gets me close to home when I do my final run. Lately, I have been landing in West Memphis, AR, or Southaven Ms. At the end of the day. And that wastes a lot of time and gas. It worked out very well today, and I will try it again tomorrow.
Sometimes, I am not smart.
There are times when I ignore the world around me. I overlook certain aspects of situations, and I do not see the forest for the trees. I have that going on right now. Yesterday, the computer that I use for my writing went to that great computer repository in the sky. I was ready to part out the laptop and be done with it when I remembered that it was the same computer that I put the warranty on last year. I checked on that warranty, and it is still active. So when I got home, I played a little Dune, took the computer off the breakdown bench, set up my art area, and watched the next episode of Falling Skies while I ate dinner. Then, it was time to go to bed. I have a lot on my plate for this weekend and another meeting with Simon and Schuster next week, so things are about to get hectic.
October 16, 2024
It has taken a while, but I think that I may have found the rhythm that is necessary to meet the goals that I have set. The problem has been that there are two surge markers in the Memphis demographic. One is in the morning, starting at 6:00 AM, and the other is in the evening, beginning at 5:00 PM. I think the most significant one is in the evening. The entire map will go red for about an hour, indicating insufficient drivers to handle the demand. The morning gives me a chance to jump-start the day, and the evening gives me a chance to play catch up. However, the most significant problem is a lull in operations around lunchtime. Most of the riders during that period are going very short distances. But don't get me wrong; short runs can add up quickly. However, because of the way that these are dispersed, I have to drive 10 miles to take somebody 2 miles and then do it again. It only allows for about 3 or 4 of these runs an hour. It is quite lucrative when they are right next to each other, but during this lunch rush, it tends to be spread out. I think I have the pattern now, and if I can put it into play, I can get a rhythm going.
Still rolling
I have adjusted my work schedule, which does not leave much extra time. I have to sleep a little later, so I do not have much time in the morning. When I get home, I am exhausted and just want to eat and go to bed.
That said, I got up late this morning, but I managed to fit most of my morning routine in before leaving for work. I was a little short on my yoga and meditation, but I was able to update my e-mail and this blog. I cleaned my work area a little more, and once I get the wall painted, everything should be good to go. I've chosen the next parts for the supercomputer, and I verified that they are on my list. I meant to add them to the Amazon cart, but I forgot. I made one minor mistake: I forgot to add a graphics card, which is going to be quite expensive. But I can run the graphics off the system board for now and add the graphics card later. The system board and processor will be much better than anything I have now, especially with the degradation of one system and the loss of another. I discovered that the mini-computer I use for my writing is still under warranty. I will deal with that this weekend.
Speaking of updates, I heard back from Indigo Publishing about my current novel, and I have a meeting next Tuesday afternoon to discuss it. I anticipate that they will say that the novel is not valid for traditional publishing, but they will, of course, have an alternate solution. The good thing about that is once you have a novel published if you can sell enough copies of it, even though nontraditional publishing, you are then considered a known artist or author. If the reaction to the first novel is significant enough, the parent company of Indigo Publishing may take the next novel in faith. Incense, the next novel is already set to go; it might make next year very interesting. But we shall see what next week brings.
October 17, 2024
The day went by quite well, and I even took about a 30-minute break in the middle of the day. The new schedule worked to perfection, and I was caught up for the week even with two hours left on my clock. This may be just a fluke, but I will roll with it again tomorrow and see how it does. If this is how it has to be, then I think I can handle it if I can meet my goals. We shall see.
Tired but...
There is little to say about the personal side of life today other than a few general updates. The wife and daughter went shopping today, and they got me a carpet for my work area in the garage. I think I will get my paint for the wall this weekend and get that taken care of. After that, all that I will have to do is add the curtain, and that area will be set up and ready for the new machine. I assessed the new machine and should be able to operate it without a graphics card for the time being. I double-checked, and I should be able to do my meeting with Indigo Publishing next week and even sneak in a doctor's visit without affecting my time at work. Running a split shift may work out well, after all. Tomorrow is Friday, so I am getting ready for the weekend when I got off work, I had two bowls of spaghetti and headed to bed.
Victory...
..sweet victory.
October 18, 2024
It was very rough, but I pulled it off. I worked a 15-hour day today and met some fascinating people, and as my timer ran out, I did my final run for the day and just passed my financial goal for the week. It was touch and go there for a while, but I pushed through. I kept getting stuck in the $4.00 zone, and it was starting to get on my nerves. I could never be in the correct zone at the right time to get the good runs, but the little runs added up, and I succeeded for the week. Now, with some luck, I can repeat this now that I know how to do it. The new method is that I start at 6:00 AM and I end around 6:00 PM with a long break in the middle of the day. By doing this, I can hit both hot zone times in the morning and the afternoon. It has been a long week.
Ready for the weekend...
I am ending this week positively, and I made my goal, so I feel pretty good about things. I worked a 15-hour day, finished out strong, and then headed to Home Depot to get the paint for my wall. With a bit of luck, by the end of the weekend, I will have the green screen in my area completely set up for now. I have the next set of parts for my computer in the Amazon cart, and they should be here shortly. After I get the power supply and hard drives, I am down to memory and software to get it operational.
I have a lot on my plate for the weekend, but I am starting to help from a positive perspective, so I hope I can maintain my drive. I have to get my retirement fund moved, something that i have been putting off, and I want to continue the garage project. I am very close to the end of that as well, and things are coming into line. I have to prepare for my meeting with Indigo Publishing, which will take place next week, and I have to get my information together for my doctor's visit. It is very difficult to change primary care physicians, but I think it will be OK. I also have to make an appointment to get the car's front end repaired, because the suspension needs work. Other than that, I want to get a little artwork done and see if I can install Emperor of Dune. I was able to track down the issue, which has something to do with the operating system and older games. There is a fix for the issue but it is quite intricate.
I was going to take a day off this weekend, but I won't because I want to finish the computer and do a few other things before I take any relaxation time. The wife ordered me a new tent, and she even set it up for me to ensure the air mattress would fit in it. With a little bit of luck, I will be able to plan a camping trip shortly. I just have to make sure that I watch the weather because it is getting chilly out in the mornings.
I'm not sure what else I'm going to get done this weekend, but I have some very lofty goals, and we shall see what I can get done. Once I am finished with the garage project, I will take pictures, and they will be available here. I think that I have a good mental image of how I would like things to work, and I am hoping that I can bring them to life.
Status quo...
..The way of things.
October 19, 2024
Because it is Saturday, and we are now in the weekend, I get to take a day off. The only work that I had to do today was bookkeeping, and that was over quickly. I did take care of all the cars today, including the Kia, and now that I think of it, I have done that every week since I started driving for Uber. That might be a billable service—something to think about.
Killin' it...
I was in the zone today, and I kicked ass. I was able to get the wall in the garage painted with the green screen and get everything moved back into place. I double-checked everything for work, and everything is in line. I continued on the garage project, and it should be done tomorrow, and I will be back to productivity. I am ready for my appointment with Indigo Publishing and am prepared to schedule my appointment with the doctor to change my primary. It even took quite a bit of time, and God, emperor of dune, installed and running. I am counting today as a win. If things go well, I should be caught up on my significant projects by the end of the day tomorrow. And then, it will be time to take pictures.
October 20, 2024
I was not in the mood to work today, but I spent five hours out and made a little over $100. I need about $125 for my computer memory, but I miscalculated and ended early. Said that we'll have to wait another week. I was just not in the mood and couldn't figure it out. I may push through so much at home that I need that extra day off. It is also possible that I need to take a break and two full days down. But I will deal with that later. I do have $200 coming back from school, and when that hits, perhaps I will take a day during the week off of Uber and run Lyft. If I do that without impacting the expected income, I could take a Sunday off and give myself a whole weekend. That is way too much to think about right now.
Here we go..
Even though I put in a little work this morning, this is the second day of my weekend. I have done more this weekend than the past four weekends combined. I called Dell support services, and while waiting for them on hold, I went through the preliminary repairs for the mini-computer I use for my writing. by walking through the standard steps, I could fix it before I even got them on the phone. That is one severe win, and I will take it. I got the wall in the garage primed and painted, and everything is back in place. I mounted my television and made sure that it worked, and I installed Emperor of Dune, a 20-year-old game that I really used to enjoy but stopped working on modern machines. It took a little bit of force, but now it works. I unpacked my cameras, and each one was ready to be processed, which meant that I had to get the pictures off all of the cards. I don't even remember what is on them at this point. My entire production area is set up, and I am just waiting for curtains to have everything ready. But it is set up and usable. My mini workbench is set up, and the new computer parts are all on it and ready to be assembled. The art and music area is all set up and ready to go. It has been one hell of a weekend.
Two significant things are sitting in my queue to be finished: my passport and my 401K transfer. Those are now at the top of the list. I also have to take care of Ancient Pathway and Triumph Media. Those are dead sites because I moved them all to this site, but I never did the redirect, and I have to take care of that. I still get e-mails asking what happened to them, and it has been almost a year. Other than that, things are in order, and I am ready for the new week to start. We shall see what tomorrow brings because it will be one hell of a week.
October 21, 2024
The week has not started out well. I was stuck in the low-fare zone for most of the day. As I've stated before, this does not bother me when they are close to one another, but today, it was traveling 10 miles to take somebody 3 miles for $4. That is not a sustainable system. To add to the situation, the car's front end is acting up even more and I have to have that tie rod replaced very soon.
Feeling off..
I put in a full work day, and when I hit the house, I was exhausted. I ate dinner quickly and stared at a wall for the remainder of the day before I headed off to sleep. Tomorrow is another day, and things will get better. I did swing by the doctor's office and make an appointment for Wednesday, so at least that will be off my plate.
October 22, 2024
Even though today was a very hard running day, I did not seem to get anywhere. I was $50 short of my gold because I was running nothing but small runs with a long distance to get there. This happens in certain zones of the city and it seems that when you get tagged into one of those zones you stay there even if you move out of the area. I tried three times to reposition myself at different parts of the city, only to get dropped back into the same area again. I know it sounds like a conspiracy, but it might be related to the load balancing. It would not be a problem for anybody who rejects loads because they would get kicked out of the area. But if I want to retain my star rating, I can't do that. I think that they count on that with some drivers. Interestingly, the company has started releasing information about how payments are allocated. I think that it is fascinating that they break down three different parts of the payment that should be included. The money that Uber makes, the money that goes to commercial insurance, and the upgrading technology. They have broken these down so that they seem to be different parts of the payment that Uber receives. But if you have even a rudimentary understanding of business, you understand that these are all payments to the company that equals about 60% of each fare. They've broken it down, so to the casual driver, it looks fair. But it is still a 60 / 40 split. I would question whether or not a company like Uber is paying millions of dollars a day for insurance because that is what it is equal to. Additionally, since they are retaining a technology fee for upgrades and enhancements, from a bird's eye, every driver should be an investor and a partial company owner. I was just thinking out loud.
da Grump..
Because work was very frustrating, I got home and did the typical stare-at-the-wall thing. Since I woke up late, I did not get a lot done in the morning, and since I had a bad day, I got nothing done in the evening. I am beginning to think I am in a scenario where all work and no play….
The evils...
..of the day.
October 23, 2024
For personal reasons, I only worked about five hours today, and they did so in a split shift. Those personal reasons are that I had to get the car repaired and go to the doctor for a checkup. It took about half a day to get the car's front end fixed, but I am feeling much better about it now. I saw the old parts, which were about to give way. And that would not have been good for my safety rating. But it is taken care of now, and I will be back to the grind tomorrow, even if I am running a full day behind.
Down day, sort of..
Even though I was off for a significant amount of today, I did not have much personal time. I spent two hours at the doctor and found out that I have a minor blockage, but there is nothing that they are concerned about at this time. I will be heading over for an echocardiogram at a later date, but the physician's assistant who took care of me told me not to worry. So I am not going to bother. I repaired the tie rods on the car, and it took about five hours. During the downtime between dropping the car off and picking it up, I decided to try to sleep so I could run in the evening. That got thwarted when I received an early morning pick-up request, so I had to head home earlier than I intended. I am unsure if I can count this as a good day.
October 24, 2024
This is what qualifies as a rough day. My first ride of the day was the victim of a Memphis shootout who had their car confiscated by the Memphis Police Department as evidence. I had to take them all the way out to Moscow, TN, about 45 minutes out, and they had nothing to bring me back. Then my last ride of the day was a decent run from the airport to Oxford Ms. Once again, I was 45 minutes out with no way back. I did, however, run a couple of rides in Oxford. If I hadn't been getting tired and facing the end of the day, I probably would have run there for a while. However, these two runs created two hours of downtime and put me further behind on my goals for the week.
Here comes the mood..
I cannot catch up this week, and it doesn't look like I will be able to. It is creating a nasty mood, but not nearly as bad as it could be, so I am dealing with it well. The two long runs put me out of sorts, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. So it was a quick meal and off to bed.
Again...
..with the long runs.
October 25, 2024
This is now getting annoying. I had another day with two long runs that had no return. They were not nearly as long as the ones yesterday, but they still created more than 90 minutes of downtime. These would not have been so bad if they had dropped me in an area where I could run, but I kept my beacon on the whole way back and got nothing. It has just put me further behind for the week.
Pushing tired..
Today is another day like every other day this week. I pushed as hard as I could, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. I did a little work on the garage, but my heart was not in it, so I watched some music videos and headed off to bed. I am such a party animal. Of course, you realize that all sarcasm is intentional.
The Weekend ...
..cometh.
October 26, 2024
We have made it into the weekend, which means that today was nothing but paperwork. I caught up on the finances for the week and completed the spreadsheet, and the work day was done 30 minutes after I sat down.
Good day..
This was an extremely productive day. I started nice and early, and I got a lot of stuff done from my list before the ladies woke up. Once they were up and in motion, we headed out to the Agricenter for a vendor fair. Everybody found something they liked even though the prices were outrageous. We stopped for lunch at a Japanese, Mexican fusion restaurant when we finished. The food was excellent, and we enjoyed ourselves. We got home a little after noon, and the rest of the day, we went our separate ways, worked on our little projects, and had fun. For the most part, I have completed the new man cave, and I am ready to break into the next project, which is the computer. It is time to start putting that together, and I am slightly nervous. I am counting this as a good day.
It may be ...
..a time for change.
October 27, 2024
This morning was a Lyft day. Because of this, I only had to work about five hours instead of the regular 12. However, the situation did bring up an interesting point. In half the time I usually run during the week, I made well over half the money that I typically make, which seems to be a trend for my Sunday adventures. I may have to switch the ride-share services that I use. But that means I will have to run Lyft for a week to test the prospect. I seem to do much better than I do on Uber.
Time is an enemy
Time is an enemy that we must fight on a daily basis.
Away we go...
I got a significant amount of work done before I headed out to drive for the day and then I did the same when I got home. I also had a minor adventure as I was heading from the job. I was headed toward Jackson Ave. On and I-40, and I saw a very expensive vehicle with its flashers on and the breakdown lane. I almost drove past. But at the last minute I pulled over and backed up and I helped a stranded motorist change her shredded tire. She had blown a tire on the way to church. And she was having a lot of trouble finding assistance on a Sunday morning. She was quite grateful and was asking me about all kinds of different cash services and it reminded me that I have to find things like cash app. I gave her my last business card and told her just to pass it down the line and help the next person she sees in distress. Money would have been good, but it made me feel like a decent human being and i will take it.
When I got back to the house I spent the afternoon finishing up the garage project and I even took pictures of each of the work areas. Of course I still have to get the pictures off the camera so you don't get to see them just yet, but they are coming. But then I spent a couple of hours putting together the above artwork, and working on the new computer. By the end of this coming week I hope to have it up and running. It will not be complete but it will be viable. I have a few other things to take care of before I complete the computer but at least I will be able to get some things done.
A good start ...
..Do NOT get cocky.
October 28, 2024
The week has started well. I pushed through the day without too many problems, and by the time I was off, I was running over $20 ahead for the week. I will take it. I did have some grumpy riders, and I picked up one unexpected rider, an acquaintance from long ago. That is another story that is not fit for this blog. It is all behind me now. Hopefully, I can roll this week using today as an example.
Tired, but not too bad...
I had plenty of time in the morning to get things caught up before I got on the road. I went into the day with a positive attitude, and it appears to have paid off. I did have an uncomfortable encounter with a person from my past, but it is not significant enough to discuss. I ended the day right on time and could come home and relax. I probably could have done a few things, but I just wanted some downtime, so I took it. I was going to install the processor on the new computer, but if I make a mistake, that is where it will be. And I was drained and did not want to risk it. So I ate my dinner, worked on some artwork and writing, and then shuffled off to bed.
A good start ...
..for the second time.
October 29, 2024
This is the second time this week that I had a decent day. I missed my goal by only $0.65, but I ran my clock straight to the limits. I got stuck in the low-fare zone, but I ran with it instead of moving myself out like I usually do and wasting 30 minutes. It was OK because they were not far apart. They were within a couple of miles of each other, and that was what I was doing during the surge. Unfortunately, the pickups were not in this surge zone, so there was no bonus. There has to be a methodology behind this, but I have not had time to sit and figure it out.
Tempest, you dog...
Time is rolling by a lot faster than I realized. We have almost reached the end of October and with that, there are significant things afoot. We are only about a week away from the general election, and that is when America will show its true colors. I don't even want to think about it. We are also going into wintertime, and it is about to get cold. With the coming of November, the end of the year is right around the corner. I do not know if that will change significantly, but it is a new year.
In November, towards the end of the month, I have already set up to go to Carbondale, IL, to visit a hip-hop show by my friend Phillip and his wife Heather, as well as a few others with whom I am acquainted. Philip and Heather, we have decided that they will get married before the venue. Today, they asked me if I would officiate for them. I have known Heather for over a decade and Phillip for almost the same time. If I am there, I will do it. And right now, I plan to be there. But there is a long time between now and then.
And awesome continues ...
..don't get cocky.
October 30, 2024
It was another awesome day with excellent communication and decent runs. Today put me another $25 ahead of schedule, and I'm starting to get comfortable with the 12-hour days. I hope this trend will continue and become the new normal.
Hoppdoddy and beyond...
After an excellent day at work, I came home to food from a new restaurant named in the title. I had a Diablo hamburger and will not do that again. It had all kinds of things on it, but the main students were Jalapeno Peppers and Habanero Peppers. It was almost too much to eat, and I had to take some of the Peppers off. It was very spicy but an excellent end to the day. Just two more days and we will be in the weekend, my memory should be coming soon, and I continue assembling the new machine. I refuse to get too comfortable, but things are looking up.
A day in hell...
..and beyond.
October 31, 2024
By now, I should know better than to get complacent. I had such a good week that I thought we may have breached the walls, and things had turned around. But that is not the case. Today, I was having an excellent day until about 10:00 AM. Then, I received a call from Uber Central, where a customer stated that I was not the driver who picked them up. I had to go through a process to prove my identity and reset my account. The only problem is that it was a scam. It was a well-designed and well-thought-out scam that used internal information from Uber. This indicates an employee or somebody with access to the Uber databases. By the end of the interaction, the perpetrator managed to get $775 from me. In doing so, they made a fool out of me. The light at the end of the tunnel was that Uber could rectify the situation, but it took the wind out of my sails. Then I remembered that it was the end of October, and both rideshare services would be shut down at midnight because I had not inspected the car. So, what was an excellent week has turned into hell on multiple levels.
Me? Not perfect?...
The universe has shown me my imperfections and mortality for the second time in two weeks. The incident with Uber showed that my concentration was not nearly where it should be. I should have identified this scam and taken the appropriate actions. It was compelling. It put me in a negative headspace and took me back to a time when I was not a good person. These are the times that I am glad that Laura will not allow me certain privileges that might lead to violence. It will take a day or so for me to get past this and my incompetence. But it will be fine. I cannot open either of the rideshare apps tomorrow morning, so I will take the day off and get the car taken care of. And I will go from there.
The evening went well even though it was raining. The ladies and I dressed out for Halloween and took care of the kiddies. I have to retrain my feet to wear boots for any time. I was only able to handle about 90 minutes in my new boots. I didn't do quite a bit more on the new computer, and I was able to catch up on a few things. Because I have to get the car taken care of, I will have some extra time, and I will do my best to use that time wisely. Part of that time will be spent meditating and getting myself in a positive headspace. To be clear, I am doing fine but not thinking well, and I have to fix that.
Here is the link to November 2024
