Soldier for a Summer

I picked up a guy in Portabello who was heading for the airport.
Irish Sam he had helped to overthrow Gadaffi.

He had written a book called Soldier for a summer, they had made a documentary about his adventure. Now he was on his way to meet a fim maker in London,they want to make a full length movie based on his exploits.

They took the footage off the blog.
Here it is again....




 This one is the Lord Mayor of Tripoli.







He had overslept and if he had not let me take him through the tunnel he would have missed his flight.
It was good to meet him and if he contacts me later we will talk some more.

800 th posting

A bookcase full of Video tapes, my son says he will pit it all on a cloud for me.



A very famous Dublin pub.



Grand Canal dock



Aviva Stadium from Bath Ave.

It is hard to believe that this posting is my 800th

Who would have thought when I first started back in September 2006 that the blog would keep on going.
I was going to stop once as I felt that no one was reading it, but some people said that they read it and asked me to carry on.
I didn't start it to put right the wrongs of the world, or to complain.
(Though most of us do a fair bit of that)
It is just the world as I see it.
For a well educated population who are well able to articulate their views. I despair when I see how our elected representatives behave.
It is best not to dwell on them, I never voted for them so its not my fault.

If the people of Holland were running this country we would be feeding the world.
If our lot were in power in Hollandthe the population would shurly drown.
Listen to classical music and let your troubles drift away, thats my remedy.

Back then in 2006 the taxi drivers were full of fight though the taxi numbers still kept on growing, until we are in the situation where we outnumber the taxis in New York city a city with a population of around 8.2 million People, though it would have a larger population who commute to work.
We are 2 million people in Dublin, so we have a large taxi problem.

All in all the New York taxi drivers life is not a bed of roses either, click on the link here and listen to the radio show.

So driving a taxi becomes for me an education, both for driver and passenger, we each learn from each other and believe me when I say we are becoming very well educated as we drive through life.
Interesting, clever,stupid and rude people all come through the door.

There are many people who impressed me in my time driving a taxi.

One was Chuck Feeney.
Who?
Well I didn't know who he was either, but he is the man behind Atlantic Philanthropies.

I only learned who he was and what he achieved because a law was passed in the USA which declared that you must state who you are exactly if you gave away a large sum of money.
I read it all in the Irish Times newspaper the next day.

Work life balance, nutrition,and financial awareness were all covered on the trip in from the airport. He invited me in for a cup of tea, which I declined, to my eternal sorrow I said.
"All this talk doesn't pay for the wedding breakfast."

I still send him the odd e mail and follow his fantastic work.

The other great man I didn't recognise either.
I had the airport pass at the time and was number 4 in the queue, this man came out and spoke to the first driver, the second, the third. Then he came to me.
"Will you accept Dollars, I don't have any €uro?"

Yes!.
Just like that.
Who did I meet?
So I loaded up a teenage boy and girl, a lady and himself and off we went to the K club.
He was a great talker and we shared some great ideas along the way.
He took out a notebook at one stage and took down notes, he told me that it was a habit,so that he didn't forget things. These notes are kept in 2 diaries one in his office and the other in his home, he can go back more than 20 years to recall an idea.
I felt I knew him and he said he was no one famous, but I felt that perhaps we had worked together years ago and had not seen each other since.(in Prison perhaps?)Ha ha.

When we reached the K club he wanted me to come back to collect them and bring them to Dublin and back again.
Well you see ! That is 4 trips for me and I would be only paid for 2 (down empty and back home empty) And they have a lovely limo there which is free.
I honestly didn't know him and I was very tired , but even though he offered to pay for the 4 trips I told him to take the Limo.

So the next night on the Late Late show Pat Kenny has a special guest.
A big round of applause for Mr. XXXXXXX
So he cane on and said "Hi John, thanks a lot for bringing us to our hotel last night, we really enjoyed it and I look forward to meeting you again."
So if you see him tell him he is very good company and I could see how clever he is.
They don't come any bigger than those 2 people.

Both clever like a Fox for sure.

But the otherpeople affect in other ways, too.
Some people share their thoughts and dreams, others say nothing.

That girl going to buy drugs, knowing that she is on the road to hell.
People buying drugs are plentiful here in Dublin.
Heroin is more an epidemic rather than a problem in Dublin.
Perhaps that is why they put up a giant needle in O'Connell St.

That street prostitute who worked around Baggott st.a few years ago. She just loved her son to bits and she would buy him wonderful presents for that coming Christmas, how I hoped she would get her act together, in reality she was a really lovely girl.
The last time I saw her she was skin and bone, very frightening a total waisted life.

So this has been an education for me,there is very little business to go around for such a large number of taxis. Every new taxi that comes on the road takes work from those already on the road.
Then there are the illegals !

Something new is coming to Dublin very soon it is called Hail O Cab App





www.hailocab.com
12 upper Mount St
Tell them John sent you, from the Blog.

This might help business and NO BASE COST

So thank you for reading this, sorry it is not more professional.

But then again I am just the taxi driver.

Pop over to visit us some day.

As stupid as the day is long.

This is the Polish embassy,It has been renovated to a wonderful high standard finish. The pointing on the brickwork is magnificent.
But one of our Historical buildings group are up in arms as they were not allowed to put their spoke in and they say that the embassy didn't have full planning permission for the works.

Boys and girls, get over it.

This is an Embassy, they don't need your permission.

Its wonderful work, just admire it.



After a show closes Paul Mathew dismsntles the stage and has it on the boat on its way to its next venue.
So it was with Midnight Tango and the show in the Olympia as well



That iconic building at the end of D'Oler St.



Ann Chapman puts the finishing touches to her displays before the grand opening of her Jewellry shop Stonechat. Its in the Westbury Mall.

Good luck with the big venture.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


It didn't happen to me, but it might happen to you some time in the future.

A taxi driver picked up a fare from the airport to an insurance company on the other side of town,
On the way there the passenger asked the driver about getting back to the airport again.
So the driver agreed to collect him again at a set time and they exchanged numbers.
The taxi driver told the guy that he could pay for the whole trip on arrival at the airport.
At the fixed time the taxi was at the door where he had dropped his passenger. 10 minutes later with a no show he rang the number, no answer.
So he waited 10 more minutes and rang 2 more times before going into the office.
The girl at reception remembered the visitor, but he had gone away an hour before and he had asked her where he could get the aircoach from.

She called the section manager who came to reception, after listening to the taxi driver he rang him from the office phone. He answered after 2 rings.

"Hello Mr Schmit? This is Mr Jones from the insurance company.
We are having a problem with your taxi which you booked to collect you."

Mr Smith explained that he had broken a verbal agreement with his driver and he had further tried to cheat him out of his money by running off to the airport and hen not awnsering his telephone. Mr Schmit had been caught badly.

So he hung up the telephone and rang Mr.Schmits boss in Germany.
He explained what had happened and how Mr Schmit had refused to answer his phone when his taxi driver tried to call him, yet when he was called from the office the phone only rang twice.

"To settle this matter I am paying the driver €100 for his time, I will expect your cheque in due course and I would request that you send Mr Schmit to see a psychiatrist as I believe he must be mad!.

He has placed our business relationship on a very bad footing going forward, as one tennant of business is that it is done on trust"

The taxi driver was paid, I would suppose the other Mr Schmit will be looking for a new job soon.

Midnight Tango

So tonight I went to the Tango show.
Wow what a spectacle.
I can only say I never felt such wonder since the first time I looked into my Grandfathers pocket watch.

Enjoy.




For tango lessons in Ireland look here.

I just had to throw this in.
The most famous tango tune in the world was SOLD for the price of a packet of cigarettes.
This tune has made millions.

Worst storm in a decade

The paper said it was the worst storm in a decade, for once I believe it.

Sometimes when it rains you do better.
Not only taxis.
Like the brickie on the building site rained off,but getting paid.



There can be some awful accidents on building sites.

Health and safety man take note.



Dear sir I write this note to you to tell me of me plight.
And at the time of writing, I am not a pretty sight.
Me body is all black and blue, me face a deathly gray.
And I write this note to say, why Paddy's not at work today.

While working on the fourteenth floor some bricks I had to clear. Now to throw them down from such a height, was not a good idea.
The foreman wasn't very pleased, he being an awkward sod.
He said I'd have to carry them down the ladders in me hod.
Now, clearing all these bricks by hand, it was so very slow. So I hoisted up a barrel, and secured the rope below. But in me haste to do the job, I was too blind to see; That a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me.

So when I untied the rope, the barrel fell like lead. And clinging tightly to the rope I started up instead. While I shot up like a rocket, to my dismay I found, That halfway up, I met the bloody barrel coming down.

Well, the barrel broke my shoulders as to the ground it sped and when I reached the top, I banged the pulley with me head.
Well I clung on tight though numb and shock from this almighty blow, And the barrel spilled out half the bricks fourteen floors below.
Now, when these bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floor, I then outweighed the barrel, and so started down once more.

Still clinging tightly to the rope, I sped towards the ground.
And I landed on the broken bricks that were all scattered all around.
While I lay their groaning on the ground I thought I passed the worst,when the barrel hit the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst.

Well a shower of bricks rained down on me - I hadn't got a hope. As I lay there moaning on the ground: I let go of the bloody rope.
The barrel then being heavier it started down once more, And landed right across me as I lay across the floor. Well it broke three ribs, and my left arm, and I can only say; That I hope you'll understand why Paddy's not at work today.

Copied from MetroLyrics.com

Hailo cabs are coming

It rained today like a tropical storm, which chased people into taxis like the taxis were going to heaven by express.
It was 6pm before I got home for my BREAKFAST.
But I got snacks in the Bretzel bakery.
After the morning rush I swung past Mount St to speak to Hailo cabs, this system allows members to call up the nearest Hailo taxi to them, once the person gets acceptance they get the ETA, drivers name and picture plus the roof sign number.
Then the arrival time is given in real time, 2 Min's, 1 min etc.
There is an instant one touch 5 min call back to alert the passing er.

If you are going to visit them say that John who writes the blog sent you.
They are paying a bounty on referrals.

Everyone I told about thought it was a fantastic idea.
One guy told me that the main reason people don't take taxis is that they don't carry cash any more.
With Hailo credit cards are no problem.

Imagine no base fees and the customer knows what the person picking them up looks like.

An Asian guy with fantastic English got into the taxi.
When I remarked on his good command of the language he told me that English is the spoken tongue in Singapore, he is a doctor in Dublin and is finishing his time here.

He told me about a very bad crash between a Ferrari and a Taxi at traffic lights back home.




"You know not the hour or the day"

Be safe out there.

Perhaps we can blame William Shakespeare for the weather as his plays are being performed in the open in Trinity College from the 6 th to the 16 of June

Must go to bed now. Good night.
The photos will be coming from my Ifone when I get that sorted out

Time to die

People get in and out of taxis all over the world, some people talk with the driver others ignore their presence.

She got in on the North Strand, good looking with a great figure, she was in good health.
"Could you take me to Noctors in Sheriff St and back here for €8?,its all I have"
So we set off to buy drugs, not hash but heroin. I checked out on the slang later.

She was on the phone. "I'm in the taxi now, I'll be there in a minute, no I can't wait. Just come down now."

So we arrived and her dealer was not there. She spoke to 4 men drinking beer on the street. Yes they knew her and her dealer but they had no "Brown".
(Dealers have their own customers and they won't sell to anyone else in case it is a sting operation, however your dealer might bring you to another dealer.)
I moved up out of earshot then the guys became paranoid in case I was an undercover detective.
So she asked me to drive away.

She could buy drugs a bit closer to home, but if someone saw what she was doing they would tell her mother.

So I had a young healthy girl 20 ish, buying Heroin in the middle of the day.

She knows what it will do to her and her entire family.

There is a monument of a giant torch on Buckingham St.
It is there to remember the hundreds and hundreds of people who died of drugs in this area.


It is sad, it is like a body blow with a shovel to me.
You just stand there numbed by their actions.

Racing cars on the Dublin streets.

Just in case you were out of town like I was.
This is a taste of what we missed.



Loads more on you tube

But for something even better, drive a Ferrarii.I did my go at Donnington Park.
You fly into East Midlands airport, a short taxi ride, after the drive you can see the best motor museum ever, then the bus into Nottingham to see the oldest pub in Britain. The trip to Jerusalem. Then fly home.

By the way, 180 mph for me! Then again, as you know I am often in a hurry