Accessorizing... and taxis and tour busses in Roundtrip Ticket to Paradise 2

Back before Halloween, I bought myself a dog collar. It’s one of those stereotypical spikes-and-studs ones that you’d expect a cartoon bulldog or boxer to wear. Found it at a local pet shop. Turns out that the spikes and studs cover only about half of the collar, and partway through the other half is a leash attach ring. It was going to be part of a Halloween costume/conversation starter in the taxi… but I picked up a stomach bug and didn’t drive that weekend.

It could be worn two different ways. First, with the spikes and studs at the nape of the neck, they’re covering the back, and the leash ring is under the chin and inaccessible, and the wearer would be Dominant. Second, reverse it so the spikes are under the chin and ineffective, the back is uncovered and vulnerable, a Dom/me could come up and couple onto the leash ring, and the wearer would be submissive.

As some know, I have a big, flowing grey beard. Yesterday, I bought myself a “Santa hat” (red stocking cap with white “fur” trim, and a white ball at the peak), and wore it all shift in the taxi. After all, I catch Santa comments all the time anyhow, and I’m thinking the hat is helping goose the tips too. So I think I’ll continue wearing it at work. -grin-

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Wednesday and Thursday nights a week ago were busts; walked on a loss both nights. However, every shift since then (except Sunday, which I didn’t work) has been profitable, and a 16.5 hour shift I pulled from 8:15PM this past Wednesday straight through to 12:45PM Thursday (US Thanksgiving Day) was wildly so as few drivers showed up for work Wednesday night and very few for Thursday day. So I had both newspapers which were not addressed until after I had clocked out. Had to take a competing cab company back to the motel as we were so busy it was going to take quite a while for one of ours to come fetch me. I wasn’t willing to wait as my landlords were putting out a Thanksgiving spread starting at 1PM. So I pigged out on turkey (dark, please), stuffing, green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and of course pumpkin pie. Then it was back to my room, had a couple toots, and then off to la la land for the next ten or twelve hours.

Last night was a good shift too, and I’m hoping for more of the same tonight, and on down through New Year Day. Hopefully most drivers will kick up their heels a bit too high on New Year Eve after work, and I’ll have the shift to myself the following day, like with Thanksgiving.

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I applied with Holland America Princess for a Driver/Guide job, which I’ve been meaning to do for several years now. Had what I feel was a very good first interview. Sent a thank-you email to my interviewers, and received a warm reply in return. So there is a possibility there, I think. Got 45 minutes’ notice on that interview, and I was able to shuffle, cut, and deal to make it happen… which I think won me some points on being able to roll with the punches. During the interview I was informed that Driver/Guides earn $11/hour base rate, and can expect an average of 55 hours per week… in Alaska, every hour beyond 8 in a day as well as 40 in a week is paid at 1.5 times base rate, so even without tips it’ll be a good deal. I’ve had tour bus drivers in my cab before, and to a person they have said I’d work like a dog during the summer, but could then take the rest of the year off. Of course, I won’t do so; I’ll keep my Fairbanks (and Anchorage) chauffeur licenses active so I have that fallback, as well as start rebuilding retirement accounts which had gone away after my life started coming apart following my Custom Fight on October 20 2002.

Soooo… onwards and upwards.