The Daily Derenger

2/26/2003

I just finished a great weekend at the Landmark Forum. Click to check out all the incredible possibilities you can create for yourself and your family and friends.

Thanks to my dad, Ed; my sister, Lauren; my grandma, who is Greek and goes by yiya; and my friends Cyndi, Sue and my outstanding girlfriend, Erin. They all came out to support me and the rest of the Landmark Forum grads.

Life is empty, kids. Go fill it with what YOU want!

I'm creating the possibility of getting to bed before 3 a.m. Goodnight.

2/25/2003

I was in a cab the other day. For most of the ride, the driver was on his cell phone. He almost drove past my destination even.

Clearly posted on the rules and guidelines for the cab-riding experience read something like "the driver will not be on the phone unless in the case of an emergency."

Now of course the driver was assuredly from some African country that I couldn't spell or say. It was surely not a Jersey or Northern Minnesota accent. It was from the land of the Nile. Even with the help of Dikembe Motumbo I would've been screwed. He was speaking in his native tongue, using language that gave me no chance of telling what he was talking about. At least with Spanish, Italian or French I could have a shot at knowing a little bit. This African stuff gave me no prayer of even buying a vowel.

But who knows? Maybe he was a very calm, cool and collected kind ogf guy. It is collected, right? Not collective? Anyway, maybe he was in an emergency being on the phone and was simply casual and under control about it. Maybe that's a strong suit in his homeland which is why he was able to drive effectively in the morning rush hour of Chicago. How could I phone in a complaint about him being on the phone when I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Perhaps his mother was missing or his country was under attack by the nations from the north. Maybe he was okay with that 'cause there was nothing he could do. He was at work, taking me where I needed to be.

And I thanked him for that. Then, I asked him for his number and called him all day, making him talk with me in English so I could understand him. Hopefully his customers called his boss.

I will now be on time and take many trains and busses. Or walk a lot.