The Calmly Frightening Cab Driver

Two nights ago I rode with the least aggressive cabbie I have EVER seen. I noticed right away that he wasn't trying to run everyone over like all the other times I've ridden in a cab in NYC.

But every time we would come to a stop, I would see the light turn green and he wouldn't budge. Now, it was 2am so there weren't always people right behind us. But soon enough, someone would pull up and LAAAAAY on the horn.

It happened at almost every light. (And there's a lot of lights between Penn Station and the UN) And the thing was... he wasn't looking down or around the car. From my angle in the back seat it looked like he was looking straight forward, which made it all the more confusing.

Do I say something? Or clear my throat? I mean... ummm... green light, go. Anyone?

Especially someone who drives for a living?

So about 6 blocks from Ma's apartment... I could see his reflection in the rear view mirror. Again... green light... nothing... HOOOOONK... and he goes.

HE WAS CLOSING HIS EYES AND TAKING A NAP AT EVERY LIGHT!

How's that for safety!? Made me feel REALLY good. But at this point we were so close, and I knew we only had 1 more light to go through, so I bit my tongue... agonized over "do I tip him horribly because he's falling asleep at stop lights? Or do I tip him really well because Good Lord I feel sorry for the guy. That is one sleepy dude." (That was pretty much my exact internal monologue) So I split the difference, tipped him average, and RAN.

Not sure I'll ever again experience such a calmly frightening cab ride!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.

~natalie

The Push Down Sink Knob

You know the sinks in some public bathrooms where you have to push the knob instead of turn it... and after about 5-10 seconds the water stops?

I wonder if those faucets achieve anything other than frustration. I assume they are supposed to save water. And maybe they do by discouraging people to wash their hands for as long! But I find that I have to push the knob down a BUNCH of times to get the soap off my hands. And when I have to push it down 1 more final time for just a second or two to get the last little bit off... the water just keeps running after I am done. So really... it achieves nothing. If I could control the water myself, I would have just turned it off when I was done... and it wouldn't still be going!

Apparently the people who made those did NOT watch the Today show the morning where they said to sing "Happy Birthday" to yourself, TWICE, while washing your hands... that's approximately how long you should wash them. :)

Oh well. Just the musings of my trip to Pei Wei tonight. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie