HMMMMMMM...JUST WONDERING.

I'm wondering how many of you would actually buy a book of my blogs. I'm thinking of writing a book..."The Best of Pickingupstrangers.com". It would be some of my favorite stories from this blog and, of course, I would add stories that I haven't told yet.

Just curious....let me know. Be HONEST...I can take it!

Thanks! ;)

CONTEST TIME !!!!!

Let's play! First person to find me and say the winning phrase wins...

A really cool Messenger bag

A big ceramic beer stein-style mug

AND a bumper sticker, a pin and a fridge magnet


The winning phrase is...

"ARE YOU PICKING UP STRANGERS?"


Again...friends, family and co-workers are not eligible...that would be unfair and just plain wrong!

Here's a clue...

The next 2 days I will be working about 6-ish AM to about 2-something PM. The route I am on is pretty busy and not one of my favorites. Ummmm...don't wanna make it TOO easy. How about this...the route number has 2 digits.

Good luck!

SCAM SOMEONE ELSE

As I pulled up to the old man at the bus stop, I recognized him as one of many fare scammers. He never seems to pay the fare right and gets mad when you don't let him get away with it.

It was still rush hour and, as I opened the door, I noticed he had his fingers pinched together. Figuring he had a token and not seeing the additional 2 quarters that you have to put with it during rush hour, I said "you know it's still rush hour, right?" He said he did and proceeded to drop 2 dimes in the farebox. I just looked at him as though I was waiting for the rest of the fare. He put on his best confused look and I told him he had put in 2 dimes. I could see them in the window. He looked in the window on my side of the farebox and said "one of them is a token." I grabbed my handy pen-style flashlight that I keep in my pocket just for these occasions and lit the dimes up better. I said "There's a dime, and there's a dime. That's why it registered 20 cents." He stood there trying to think of some way around what I showed him. I told him he'd need to deposit the additional $2.05 or hop off the bus. He said "Then I want my 20 cents back!" I told him I didn't put it in there and I couldn't get it out. I also told him he wasn't about to ride for 20 cents during rush hour when everyone else on the bus had to pay $2.25.

Seeing he was not going to win, and maybe finally recognizing me as someone that busted his scams before, he got off the bus and stepped away from the door. Just as I was closing the door, he yelled "If I was a white man..." Whatever! That's all I needed to hear. I closed the door and drove off. It irritates the hell out of me when a person throws the race card over something that has nothing to do with race. The only color it's about is GREEN...pay the fare!

FUNNY CHURCH SIGN

Thought I'd share something I saw on a sign outside a church. It's funny and educational!

"HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS. TEXT WHILE DRIVING IF YOU WANT TO MEET HIM."

I NEED THIS MAN

I pulled up to a bus stop at 6:30 am. There was a woman with her boyfriend sitting in the shelter. The guy slammed his Colt 45 beer and threw the can. I saw beer fly out of it, so I knew he hadn't finished it. They came to board the bus and, not wanting some little kid to find the can and finish the beer, I asked them to go pick it up. I told them I'd wait.

The guy started to argue about it and the woman said "no, she's right" and went to pick up after her loser boyfriend. She went and picked up the can and then went over to the shelter and picked up another one. She threw them in the garbage can and boarded the bus. I thanked her. About this time, the loser sat down and started cussing loudly. I got loud myself and said " I don't care what you drank for breakfast, that language will not be tolerated on this bus!" He apologized.

The lady tried to pay with a hotlisted card and, realizing it wouldn't work, she started to dig for money that wasn't there. Then the loser cussed loudly again. I had had enough. I immediately stopped the bus and told him to get off. He tried the apology thing again. I told him he said he was sorry before and I was done. Again, I told him to get off the bus.

The woman got off and just when I thought he was going to follow her, he stopped in the door. He said "What's your problem? I think you need Jesus!" I rolled my eyes and waited for him to leave. Then he got funnier. He said "I know what you need. You need a man! That's what you need!" I couldn't control myself anymore. I said "Yeah, I need a man...just like you! Drunk at 6:30 in the morning. Yep, that's just what I need. Your girlfriend is the one that needs a man!" Totally confused, he got off the bus.

There was an express bus right behind me. I spoke with the driver later and he said he had seen me throw them off my bus so when they banged on his door, he knew they were a problem and just kept going. To make it even better, I called the Control Center and told them what had happened and suggested they warn my follower to pass them up.

I hope they stood there long enough for him to realize what an ass he was.