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May. 15th, 2006 10:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
superbadgirlEverything went surprisingly well for the wedding. The travel itself sucked. Sat by a couple of space-invading farters on the way out, and on the way back the flight was fine but getting home was a nightmare. I figured I'd take Shuttle Express - there were a good number of people there waiting, which I thought gave me a better chance of catching a van pretty early. 1/2 an hour later, a driver called a name that could have been mine.
Me: Did you say Carrie?
Him: Yes.
Me: That's me. I guess I just didn't even recognize my own name.
He stows my suitcase and I climb on board. Then he futzes around and starts muttering about dropping someone off at 5th Avenue.
Me: I'm not on 5th.
Lady in van: Neither am I.
Driver: What? Aren't you Carrie?
Me: Yes, I'm Carrie.
Driver: And you're not on 5th.
Me: Not even close.
Driver: Huh.
Me: What's the full name?
Driver shows me the pager. The name is Karen somethingorother. I tell him how to pronounce Karen so there is no further confusion. He proceeds to call for Carrie again, which of course confuses poor Karen. I'm already pissed off at this point, as my suitcase is unloaded and Karen's is loaded in its place. I sit back out on the bench.
10 more minutes pass. Driver calls another person, mangling her name as well. Then he comes back out and calls for Carrie again. I don't fall for it. He stands next to the monitor and points to the name as he tries to pronounce Carrie in a way that's understandable to the general public.
Me: If the name you're pointing to is who you mean, that's me.
Driver: Oh, sorry, they didn't give me your name until just now.
Me: That's funny, because Karen sat on the bench for all of 30 seconds, whereas I've been here for 30 fucking minutes.
Driver: Let's get you on board.
I'm bustled back into the van. There are five of us total, and we're finally ready to go. Until...
Driver: Do you all know where you're going or should I use GPS.
Karen: I'm going to a hotel and all I know is it's on 5th.
Driver: Crap.
Driver punches buttons on the GPS, but it's clear he hasn't the first clue how to use it. I can't say for sure, but at this point I'd say a collective "Oh dear Lord, please kill me" flashes through every passenger's thoughts.
Conversation abounds between us. We figure we can try to get him where to go faster than he can figure out the GPS. After 10 MORE minutes, we finally start going. Dude can't drive. I already want out of the van, and am certain had I taken the bus, I would have been home already.
We drive (slowly) away from the airport and towards downtown, where driver proceeds to drive in circles despite us telling him precisely when and where to turn. It's quarter to 1:00 by the time the first two ladies get dropped off (lucky ducks), and they're at the easy stops. Downtown is not that difficult to navigate. Driver begs forgiveness - it's only his 3rd day on the job or something. I do not feel charitable. It's my belief that if you're taking a job which involves navigating the city and knowing how to get to major hotels, you should be fully trained and ready to go before you start the job, not learn it as you go. Especially on the graveyard shift, when your passengers are likely to be 1) tired, 2) dirty, 3) TIRED, 4) cranky.
By now, I decide that I'm not going to chance him taking me right to my door, because I'm damn tired and I want the other two women to get home sometime during this decade. Neither of them know the neighborhood I live in, so it's easiest for all involved if I just get out close to home.
Me: Just get on first and go right. Keep going for a mile. Drop me off in front of Key Arena.
Driver: What?
Me: Key Arena. It's on 1st. A straight shot for about a mile, mile and a half. CANNOT miss it.
Driver, sounding nervous: Okay, I hope I can find it.
Me: I am going to kill you now, buddy.
Driver almost insists on taking me to my doorstep. I flat out refuse. Several times. As we're unloading, another Shuttle Express van stops by, thinking the driver is having problems (boy howdy). How I wish that van had been the one I got - am annoyed that it's there, because it says to me that I SHOULD'VE been on that van, as it was in my neck of the woods anyway.
The only tip I give the driver is that he should study maps and drive around when not on duty. I have to lug my suitcase 4 blocks home.
Me: Did you say Carrie?
Him: Yes.
Me: That's me. I guess I just didn't even recognize my own name.
He stows my suitcase and I climb on board. Then he futzes around and starts muttering about dropping someone off at 5th Avenue.
Me: I'm not on 5th.
Lady in van: Neither am I.
Driver: What? Aren't you Carrie?
Me: Yes, I'm Carrie.
Driver: And you're not on 5th.
Me: Not even close.
Driver: Huh.
Me: What's the full name?
Driver shows me the pager. The name is Karen somethingorother. I tell him how to pronounce Karen so there is no further confusion. He proceeds to call for Carrie again, which of course confuses poor Karen. I'm already pissed off at this point, as my suitcase is unloaded and Karen's is loaded in its place. I sit back out on the bench.
10 more minutes pass. Driver calls another person, mangling her name as well. Then he comes back out and calls for Carrie again. I don't fall for it. He stands next to the monitor and points to the name as he tries to pronounce Carrie in a way that's understandable to the general public.
Me: If the name you're pointing to is who you mean, that's me.
Driver: Oh, sorry, they didn't give me your name until just now.
Me: That's funny, because Karen sat on the bench for all of 30 seconds, whereas I've been here for 30 fucking minutes.
Driver: Let's get you on board.
I'm bustled back into the van. There are five of us total, and we're finally ready to go. Until...
Driver: Do you all know where you're going or should I use GPS.
Karen: I'm going to a hotel and all I know is it's on 5th.
Driver: Crap.
Driver punches buttons on the GPS, but it's clear he hasn't the first clue how to use it. I can't say for sure, but at this point I'd say a collective "Oh dear Lord, please kill me" flashes through every passenger's thoughts.
Conversation abounds between us. We figure we can try to get him where to go faster than he can figure out the GPS. After 10 MORE minutes, we finally start going. Dude can't drive. I already want out of the van, and am certain had I taken the bus, I would have been home already.
We drive (slowly) away from the airport and towards downtown, where driver proceeds to drive in circles despite us telling him precisely when and where to turn. It's quarter to 1:00 by the time the first two ladies get dropped off (lucky ducks), and they're at the easy stops. Downtown is not that difficult to navigate. Driver begs forgiveness - it's only his 3rd day on the job or something. I do not feel charitable. It's my belief that if you're taking a job which involves navigating the city and knowing how to get to major hotels, you should be fully trained and ready to go before you start the job, not learn it as you go. Especially on the graveyard shift, when your passengers are likely to be 1) tired, 2) dirty, 3) TIRED, 4) cranky.
By now, I decide that I'm not going to chance him taking me right to my door, because I'm damn tired and I want the other two women to get home sometime during this decade. Neither of them know the neighborhood I live in, so it's easiest for all involved if I just get out close to home.
Me: Just get on first and go right. Keep going for a mile. Drop me off in front of Key Arena.
Driver: What?
Me: Key Arena. It's on 1st. A straight shot for about a mile, mile and a half. CANNOT miss it.
Driver, sounding nervous: Okay, I hope I can find it.
Me: I am going to kill you now, buddy.
Driver almost insists on taking me to my doorstep. I flat out refuse. Several times. As we're unloading, another Shuttle Express van stops by, thinking the driver is having problems (boy howdy). How I wish that van had been the one I got - am annoyed that it's there, because it says to me that I SHOULD'VE been on that van, as it was in my neck of the woods anyway.
The only tip I give the driver is that he should study maps and drive around when not on duty. I have to lug my suitcase 4 blocks home.
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-15 11:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-15 11:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-15 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-15 12:08 pm (UTC)And now? I've got the two LOUDEST people shouting at each other and laughing merrily in the council room behind me and I want to harm them severely.