Tampa Taxi Shots

I fell down a limestone rock face at the river rapids last week at the Campout. 1:00 AM with an empty bottle of Jack Daniels back at camp was not the ideal circumstances to do this. I went to a doctor and I'm now on antibiotics.

I swear the cops in Tampa are pure pussy. They break every moral and ethical street code in the book by hiding in areas that will allow them to right cheap tickets...I mean cheap for them, right? They say they don't have quotas but that is bull shit. All cops are city employees. Like all employees, they have performance evaluations. One of the duties of being a cop is righting tickets. If they don't right enough, it could influence future promotions and pay raises. So what do they do? They get practical, and do like this cop was doing and stake out the bottom of a bridge with a low speed limit. Gravity takes over, and the cop can wipe out his quota for the month in a few hours. That  is just wrong. I caught this on film at the base of the MLK bridge westbound. You can see the radar gun hanging out the window and he is backed into the spot so he can take off after the mark. Way to go big brave men. Tampa Police Like To Write Cheap Traffic... by skunkapehunter

I always thought this was an expression untill I saw it today. I was unable to get a photo but I found this on the net. I wonder how many teens have pissed off their old man by doing this.

Kevin took this image at Hillsborough River State Park. I got it off his Facebook.

I had a ride today to Disney World Orlando. Could not have come at a better time. It was my first run of the day and I was not in the mood to work. Its a holiday weekend and I wanted to keep it that way. Instead of being out in the hot sun, I am home watching baseball. I got some chicken and corn on the cob. Life is getting better. What is there about corn that the human body cannot digest it?

Tim Fasano with the axe We went camping this week and we needed a fire. The wood they sell you here are very large pieces. We needed smaller ones to get the fire going. Time to chop wood. First, you need an axe. Then,  strike the wood longways resting on a piece of wood. The smaller pieces help launch the burn of the fuel logs. We made a log cabin style which is good for cold nights when camping. With my new fire sticks, the campfire burned all night at the Bigfoot Campout. Striking the wood with one even blow The log cabin style of fire You see it burns very nice

This was sent to me by taxi friend:

I saw this dude by the courthouse downtown Tampa. He had a microphone with a speaker and was spreading the word. The cops nearby can't stop him on constitutional grounds. The sad thing was his equipment was not very good and it was hard to understand him. Anyway, glad to see someone spreading the word. He was putting on a good show.

The United States government is finally coloring our paper money. Other countries already do that. In my job I have to make change fast and I can't afford to cheat myself. Also, I think this may be an anti-counterfeiting measure. Anyway, I like the new money. I just wish I saw mote $100 bills!

A 27-year-old cab driver's license has been suspended for 30 days after he was photographed wearing a Nazi armband while on duty. The Taxi and Limousine Commission said the driver broke a rule that says prohibits any "act that is against the best interest of the public." The Anti-Defamation Leage of New York issued a statement praising the decision. "By openly displaying this hate symbol identified with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party while operating a New York City taxicab, the driver sent a frightening and offensive message to New Yorkers about who might be welcome – and unwelcome - in the taxicab he was driving," the ADL said in a statement posted on its website.

The Mosley Motel I had a pick up in south Tampa at a nice townhouse/condo. A girl came out of the condo, but did not look the part. She looked road weary and beat. You know, hard living, even though I just picked her up on easy street. I knew this was not  her place. I have seen her type before. Years of bad decisions, poor emotional support, lack of friends, no job, no man, and everyone else in the world is too blame. Sad. What is really sad is I'm rarely wrong on this. Two decades of driving a hack has jaded me, I guess. It's not bias if you've seen it a million times. I was surprised when she said she needed to go to St. Petersburg on 34th street. That's an out of town trip and that is when I get nervous about getting paid. I hope the John was nice enough to give her money for the fair. They usually do. I ask a few qualifying questions and I'm now satisfied she has money because she knows exactly what the fare will run because she has done this before. We ...

This is a video of model I shot a couple years ago at a Pasco County nudist camp. After all, Pasco county is a hotbed of Bigfoot activity and also a hotbed of naked bodies. I put this up to break the monotony of serious Bigfoot research. I could not show you more because YouTube would not allow that (you know what I mean).

I am honored to be a guest speaker at the Stacy Brown Jr Skunk Ape conference in September. The 2014 Florida Skunk Ape conference tickets are now on sale!!! It will be held in Orlando Florida on September 19th-20th at the Embassy inn & suites Jamaican court. Speakers will include Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Lyle Blackburn, Stacy Brown Jr., David Lauer, Robert Robinson, Bill Brock and Tim Fasano. Tickets are $50 and will include a meet and greet Friday the 19th from 7:30 to 10:30. That also includes 15% off your stay at the hotel. Conference starts Saturday the 20th at 9 a.m. and will go thru 8 p.m. go to www.TheSasquatchHunters.com for more info and to purchase tickets!!!

Tim and Santa Claus on vacation from the north pole The I nternational Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas is having their convention in Tampa right now. We, as cab drivers, are thankful for their business and friendliness. I had a ride today from the DoubleTree Hotel on Cypress. The parking lot and lobey were full of the Jolly Saint Nicks. They did seem to be very charming and nice people. The couple I picked up were going to Busch Gardens. No Santa is camera shy, so my fare posed for a selfie with me. How cool was that! I got my picture taken with a real Santa - the department store one. These were not the "Bad Santas." These were the good ones.

This Blackberry computer dispatch system we use at United Cab of Tampa has some flaws. The major one is the accessories to the hardware often malfunction. For some reason the batteries won't hold a charge for long and the car chargers will stop working only a couple days after you get one. Your only option is to take time and go to the shop and trade them in for something you know won't work for long. The weekend is more problematic. The shop is closed and the girls in the office now have to charge batteries and look for chargers. You can tell they would rather be doing something else. But they don't have much choice, with all the drivers coming in and shift workers complaining that the car their taking out has a bad Blackberry. Faced with having to shop my taxi for a loaner cab did not appeal to me. Why should I? All that just for a battery while I continued to lose fares. Baloney. I went to a convienience. Store and bought a charger for twelve bucks. It works and I...

They were going to the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach next to Guy Harvey. I picked the ladies up at TIA and they were in for a teachers conference, and some R&R. I am very thankful after tourist season to be getting rides out to the beach. That was Sunday. Today, I got a ride to Bartow for $132 which I needed baldly. Luck does go in trends.

On the sidebar is a Twitter feed with updates and photos. Check it out at http://timfasano.com  and hit the "Photos and Videos" link. Tweets by @TimFasano

I was in a lot better shape then After watching the NFL draft, I was thinking about all the fun we use to have at training camp. We had a gang that would go every year. Back then, you could bring a cooler and take photos. Security was light. This is why people should shoot film or get their digital images turned into actual photos. Who knows where your 'photos' will be decades from now. Perhaps, all the technology we use today will be obsolete. I am glad I shot this roll of film at the Buccaneers training camp in 1997. I still have the photos. How cool is that! Bob, Scchuman (shoe), and Dean A different angle

To everyone who is a mother or has a mother living - happy Mothers Day. Just another day for me. My mother died years ago. Today, I am stuck in this taxi for about twelve hours...fun.

This was seen on the side of a mailbox. This is Obama smoking pot and dressed like a pump. I guess them selfies can come back to haunt you. The thing is he's never told young people smoking dope is bad.

What is billed as a world class hotel has crack motel standards. Cab drivers are getting dispatched to this property and they are loading the first cab that rolls by. They have NO RESPECT for working drivers, who now, waste their time and gas. This is what happens in the poorest motels in the hood. It is not what I would have expected from a five star resort. Stop calling us and use horses or something. The photo below I took when I got the order this morning because I knew I was going to be no-showed. I got there in six minutes and saw a Yellow Cab pulling out with my fare! Epicurean, why are you doing this to us? What if 90% of your reservations never showd up? Its the same thing. I will never serve your place again and the largest taxi company in Tampa is considering the same thing. I hope your duechbag hotel burns to the ground.

Just another van unloading at Tampa international airport. I swear, this town has more transportation then Chicago. Most of these vans are being operated by drivers that were fired by United cab but they still want to drive for a living. So, they start these operations poaching our business. Most of these guys are bums that would be doing day labor if they weren't so lazy too work. I wish the HCPTC would stop granting permits while cab drivers starve

I a sky writer yesterday taking advantage of a clear blue sky to send his message. He spelled out "U + God = (:*)" It seems he has been doing this for years as a ministry. He only does it on clear days and the message can be seen from 35 miles away. I thought it was cool.

Most people don't know that the outdoor scenes in the Tarzan movies were filmed in Florida. North of Tampa is the Silver River where in 1932 the first Tarzan movie starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'sullivan as Tarzan and Jane was filmed. Florida was a natural setting because the jungle terrain is similar to that found in Africa. Plus, the nice climate allows the actors to wear skimpy outfits. The weather was great and the watter was warm (at the time of filming alligators were an endangered species - today those waters are infested with gators) and in one scene they both swam naked in the Silver River. Unfortunately, the year this move was filmed was when they came out with the motion picture rating code and the nude scenes had to be cut. The current DVD release has the scenes added in. Believe me, if I had Johnny's body, I would go naked too. I'm straight; don't worry. I was his age once. Pasco County Florida to this day is the nudist capital of the...

I have started a blog to defend my livelihood against the deep pockets out of San Francisco. The C.P.U.C - California Public Utilities Commission has been compromised by politicians in the pockets of Uber and Lyft. This is wrong and it will be exposed. My blog is titled: Stop Uber and Lyft go to the link provided. It is new, but big things are coming. My attack platform

It was not the baseball history I wanted to see but I was glad to just be in the stadium after what happened Saturday. Tom called his customer about the bogus tickets we used Saturday to try and get into the Whitney Bank Club at Tropicana field. His customer is a business man, and had forgot that he had forwarded those tickets to an associate. He felt bad about what happened, and forwarded new tickets for the Sunday game for us. Cool! We were on our way. This game was the Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN; It was an eight o'clock start and I figured it would end about eleven. The view from the Whitney Bank Club We parked in the same lot we had Saturday, and were very happy to find out our $175 tickets were good!  We were in...How Cool Is That! You enter the Whitney Bank Club through a private entrance where the staff begin waiting on you hand and foot. After the elevator ride up to the club, our tickets were scanned again and we found a good table by a window with a grea...

There is nothing like getting free tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game. These are not just tickets, but Boston Redsox vsTampa Bay Rays tickets. In fact, they are too the Whitney Bank Club high price seating. This is where the fat cats and the bigwigs go to watch a game. These $175 tickets include free buffet style food and free booze. There is prime rib, shrimp, lasagna, and everything you could dream of. The wait staff serves your every need, and we Tom and I had tickets. My best taxi driver friend Tom Castros took a high-roller to the airport this morning and they businessman said he had the tickets, but his plans had changed and he wanted to just give Tom the tickets for the $25 fare. Tom took them in a heartbeat and called me on my cellphone. I said "hell ya! Lets go!" The game was set for a 4:15 start and we were both hungry. Free drink and food...I'm all over it! We would soon be surrounded by beautiful women and the rich and powerful in the Tampa Bay area...

It was hard to get to mad at this guy today. He was just trying to survive like I am. I have been driving for 14 years and I have regularly picked "Dave" up over the years. He used to live on Wisconsin ave until he was evicted. I picked him up today at the Crosstown Inn, a sort of rundown motel at Dale Mabry and Gandy. He needed to go to Metropolitan Ministries because that is where his mail is now being delivered. I agreed to take him and pick up his Social Security check and then, take him to Amscot. Sounded simple. It got a little complicated. He went inside the Mission, which was crowded with people picking up boxes of food and waiting in line inside for what the sign on the door said "food, money, living expenses" and other things like that. I could not help but notice that the parking lot was full of new and late model cars. Go see for yourself. Just go by. That really pissed me off. Many time in my life, I have had to sell a car or other ...

Great photography This is one of the young women that is a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I found her picture on the Pewter Report. There seemed to be a whole thread devoted to the girls that dominate this squad. I wonder why!