Before you go any further, read this...

Dictionary.com defines a redneck as:

1. an uneducated white farm laborer, esp. from the South.

2. a bigot or reactionary, esp. from the rural working class.

It goes on to say that redneck is A slang term, usually for a rural white southerner who is politically conservative, racist, and a religious fundamentalist. This term is generally considered offensive. It originated in reference to agricultural workers, alluding to how the back of a person's neck will be burned by the sun if he works long hours in the fields.

While I can't say all that fits me to a tee, a lot of it is pretty damn close.

You see, I lost both my parents before I turned 12 years old. I bounced around in a couple of foster homes before moving in with my uncle when I tuned 15. By age 17, I was on my own. I dropped out of school half way through 11th grade so I could go to work full time. Three months after my 18th birthday, I got behind the wheel of a cab for the first time.

I've learned more about life in 28 years in a hack than any philosopher ever could know. I've had multi-million dollar businessmen, celebrities and pro athletes as well as crack whores, drug dealers and murderers in my cab. I refuse to be an airport jockey or one of those guys that only stages at the hotels, so unfortunately, I have to deal with more of the bottom feeders of life than I do the upper crust.

It is the dealings that I've had the bad apples that has made me what I am today...

The Redneck Cabbie.

You see, to escape the madness of the city streets, my mind drifts off (not while I'm driving) to a quiet country town. A place where everyone knows everyone, and a man's handshake is as binding a contract as a person needs. A place where friends gather to down a couple of cold ones and listen to music that you can actually understand the words.

A place where young men don't walk around with their pants falling down over their ass, and young ladies don't have to dress like sluts to draw a man's attention.

I think you get the picture. I know, boring as whale shit to most city folks. I'd be living in a town just like that if it weren't for the fact that there's just not much demand for my line of work in most small towns.

This blog will reflect these feelings. If I seem a little bitter now and then, its just because that wonderful little town is nowhere in my near future, and because the life expectancy of someone in my line of work doesn't extend much past retirement age, all I can do is dream about it.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Movin' on...

I know I've been using YouTube alot to get my point across instead of typing. Like I've said before, I can talk much faster than I can type. I do however, miss banging in the keyboard.

So here goes...

Lori and I are leaving Corpus Christi at the end of the month. We are going to attempt to settle in Little Rock.

Lori was having a hard time finding a job for her skill set (other than cab driving) that paid worth a damn. She already has some leads up there. As for me, I'm just going to do what I do best. Well... other than sleep.

I will miss Corpus. Unfortunatly, the economy is just a little too sluggish down here. The city has a world of potential. Hopefully, some day, it will realize it.

There will be a couple of things I won't miss. Corpus is going south... literally. Instead of redeveloping the area west of the bayfront, the city has sprawled southward into what once was farmland. Developers are building faster than sewer, water and road development can keep up. Meanwhile, the area due west of the downtown bayfront is full of abandoned buildings and transient motels that double as meth labs and crack houses.

One other thing that makes my skin crawl out here is the way people treat the public restrooms. In my line of work, using a gas station bathroom is a way of life. Unfortunately finding piss covered seats and tagged walls is all too common. (even in better neighborhoods) The worst though is finding a trash can by the commode filled with used toilet paper. Am I missing something here? Was this a tradition brought up from Mexico. Please...

Anyway... I look forward to the challenge of learning yet another city. Thank God for my Garmin.

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