it was from pico robertson to century city. i knew he was a lawyer. everyone in that area is if they’re old white dudes.
but i made him feel good. i asked, are you a talent agent?
lol no no, im an attorney, he said
it has been drizzling on and off, windy at night. theres some clouds. but the pretty fluffy kind.
clear skies. we talked about how when he first moved here in the 70s there was lots of smog.
“i dont care how much gas prices are in California, we pay for those additives that make the air clean.”
i agreed, with a caveat that i did not express.
(my issue with the high gas prices is it should be reflected in the uber fare, but uber refuses to raise their rates in LA, which are the lowest in the USA)
it wasnt a long ride. we chatted civilly.
then he said, “i have never driven with an uber driver with a perfect 5.0 rating. but now i can see why you have it.”
why am i making a thing that needs paper and ink and a truck to ship it places
and then me to ship it places.
is an e-book “as cool” as a real book? no. of course not.
i need to talk with coulter about this.
real books are way cooler because of narcissistic reasons: it’s killer to see your name on a book shelf, tangible things are something someone could pass to someone, or people could find it decades later.
but i do so few good things for the planet, if this is just one nice thing i could do, i should probably do it.
probably shouldnt call it an uber book bc who knows if they’re take me off the platform for writing about it, even though as an independent contractor, they should have no rights to do anything towards me as long as i don’t reveal anyone’s personal info and name
but still. i should include other trips ive done that werent on the platform. i have a few stories. including one where amber called me from her hotel and said a guest had accidentally left luggage behind, and could i drive to vegas right then for $400.
i said yes and half way through the journey i wondered, what if im smuggling hundreds of pounds of coke or something.
anyways the only thing that keeps me motivated about this book is the overwhelmingly positive reaction i get on FB any time i post stories, and the nice feeling i get thinking that this is just the style of bukowski talking about any of his jobs.
just matter of fact, but btw look how insane all of this is.
What these geniuses should be worried about is abolishing Social Security and Medicare right as Gen X – who have been screwed decade after decade – is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
We drank out of water hoses, walked home from school alone, never wore seat belts or had air bags, knocked on the doors of strangers for a variety of reasons from fundraising to collecting newspaper debts, were the first generation worse off than our parents. Survived AIDS, two Bushes and COVID.
If there is one generation you do not want to mess with, because it knows how to get back at you in creative and ruthless ways, it is the generation who intentionally drank Coke right after downing Pop Rocks.
I pity the fool who wants to poke the Slackers to see what we are made of. We are made of coat hanger antennas, heavy metal parking lots, and unyielding vengeance.
the site was broke. it took poor mark a while to figure it out but thankfully he identified it.
we had some cooperation with Canada and bing bang boom we are back on the air.
hi.
my name is tony. i am a podcaster.
i support the podcast by driving Uber.
over the last month or so i have been driving full time. it’s been pretty fascinating bc i wake up as early as i can in the morning and do as many rides as i can before rush hour.
once traffic gets bad i try to hide out in neighborhoods where i wont have to go to busy intersections or get on freeways.
once everyones at work i try to find places where people are bopping around doing errands or buying diamonds or something.
ive been getting a lot of students (as young as 12!), teachers assistants, nurses aides, and of course tourists. i try not to drive in the dark but now that daylight savings time is over thats gonna be harder to do.
i dont like the dark because its hard to see addresses on buildings and i worry about accidents and weird things. the other night i was working on finishing up a bonus and there i was in the nighttime in Hollywood and i was all, i need to get home. i got home. got the bonus. alls well, but i may have to start waking up even earlier, like 4am, so i can be done by 2 or 3.
the problem is 3pm-5pm is a great time to drive because none of the part time drivers are on the road then. they’re all at their real job, so surge prices kick in and i have my pick of whatever trips i want. but i also dont wanna be driving for 10-12 hours because its not good for my hands, arms, and back, all of which have been cooperating bc God is good and loves me.
today i have two interviews for Hear In LA. When im done i need to get the blog post started for Wednesday’s episode which is a wonderful woman who is about to come out with a book on Cults.
Monday and Tuesdays are my days off from driving but i need to do podcast things on those days. so i really dont have any days off. which is fine bc LA Taco is stealing, LAist is sorta stealing, and who knows who else will crawl out from under a rock to see if they can challenge what Jordan and I are doing.
But here’s the thing: they cannot really compete, even though they have way more money and people. They can’t compete bc its a job for them. something they do for money. im doing this out of love. Also i created this whole thing and they know they’re copycats.
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band may have had a hit ripping off Springsteen but it was just ONE hit and Bruce went on to make many many more.
don’t be a Beaver Brown Band. life is too short. be original. do what you truly love. and no one can touch you.
