Tampa Taxi Shots

This is what I had to say on YouTube before they caught the Seminole Heights serial killer. It seems there were a string of killings of young, gay men in Seminole Heights that met a man on a gay app, never to be seen alive again. All of their bodies were dumped in ally ways near were the other killings happened. The image above is a composite of what the suspect looked like. Hum?

A short documentary about my day working Tampa International Airport. It was a slow day as we move closer to the holidays. That is really a bad time for cab driving in Tampa. No business travel and no medical charges for most of the doctors don't even work the last two weeks of the year. Today was decent. I can only take it one day at a time.

This was shot in downtown Tampa and its trying to provoke some kind of existential meaning about the distancing of human interaction brought on by the new social media. Sounds like artist babble if you ask me.

This is "Ghost Box" a film I did using a lot of symbolism and metaphor. Most of my audience seems to get it, so that was encouraging. This is a new field for me and I am trying my best to learn a form and style. Let me know what you think.

It seems the marketing campaign for the Buccaneers has been a bust. The only thing they have seiged is a 5 game losing streak. Offense sucks. Defense sucks. Jamies Winston sucks. Gerald McCoy sucks. Coaching sucks. Now, the weather sucks. Fitzpatrick will be starting quarterback today. Maybe that will change their fortunes.

Tim Fasano Tim Register, a professional photographer shot images of me in his studio last Friday. Considering who his model was, and what side of the camera I would rather be on, I thought he did a fantastic job. He was actually shooting me for publicity shots of an upcoming reality TV show that his production company is filming. Gee, I wonder who just may be on this show..it does involve Bigfoot. Anyway, I asked him if he could take some portraits for my photography blog. He was more than willing. Again, he did a fantastic job. He even shot them in RAW and photoshoped them a bit. I like them and I guess that is all that matters. Tim Fasano Photos

This documentary was with George and Kevin of Enigmatic Anomalies. They are dedicated paranormal researchers and it was a fun day. They place is creepy as hell and its hard to not think there is some presence here. The software we were using seemed to support that fact.

It seems that I may have been the only person in recent years that has actually found Bigfoot. I am a cab driver and this short documentary is about what I go thru and what I have been doing long before the Animal Planet "Finding Bigfoot" was on TV. They consider me a maverick but screw 'em.

Is there anything scarier than Hillary. Some would say Donald Trump, perhaps. My friend set this up on his porch and I thought it was pretty cool. It's not really a political statement, it's just trying to show humor. Keep in mind, that we do live in an era where people seem to have lost their sense of humor. Anyway, if he done it with Donald Trump I would have still laughed. Happy Halloween!

Grab shot from Ybor City. I have always liked the Spanish architecture of this historic part of Tampa. It always makes for an interesting backdrop to a thematic photo. Its not easy shooting from a moving car.

Watch video below and you will say "Fuck Uber" Watch the first video of what will be a very successful YouTube site. With my professional Canon Vixia camcorder, I will now be able to make pro grade videos for uploading on YouTube. This is the first one.

My back porch I am trapped in the path of Hurricane Irma. The major problem is that I work as a taxi driver and whatever gas I buy is used up. In order to evacuate, you need to fill up and go. That is now becoming problematical. There is no gas. The gas stations all have plastic bags over the pumps. My car is on empty and I was unable to get gas this afternoon. I will try again in the morning. If I'm unable to get gas, I have no choice but to go home and not work. In short, I'm fucked. I will walk to the Publix and get supplies and then go home and hunker down. I have no choice. If this storm projected path moves further to the west - it will be catastrophic for us. I live near the beach and the possible storm surge could be up to 9 feet! At that point, I will get on the roof. I have a plan . I have a cooler of beer, a grill, and meat to cook. With it attached to a rope, I will pull it onto the roof. With the rising tide, I will swim to the spot I have located and cli...

A monster is on its way If I time it right, I may lose my job, get evicted from my apartment, have my drivers license expired, and be wiped out by a hurricane ON THE SAME DAY! How cool is that! THE SUPERFECTA! I owe my company a ton of money. With the advent of Uber and ride share, I have been destroyed because I have continued to try and be a street driver. I have no money to pay my landlord the rent that was due today. He told me he will evict me. I need to renew my drivers license by the 13th of September but I have no money to do so. Plus, there is a category 5 hurricane headed for Florida. If I time it right, all my fears will come true on the same day. If that is the case, I hope this storm wipes out the state of Florida. I really don't want to see anyone hurt. I just want the pompous assholes that own big houses on the beach see their shit crushed. You know, the houses they earned on my back. I hope they have all their shit destroyed. I will not evacuate. I will ...

I was talking with my driver friend Matt today about life and doing what you like. Matt, in his younger days, used to play Foosball a lot. In fact, he was sort of semi-pro. There never was any money in it but he was hanging out, having fun, and doing what he wants. It reminds me of Riley Bullough. Riley was the star of HBO's Hard knocks. He was a bubble linebacker with nothing but heart and desire to make up for a small lack of physical size and strength. He had the heart of a lion and the looks of Joe Dirt and Fabio combined. He quickly became a fan-favorite as he was highlighted by the HBO show. When the Bucs had to cut down to the 53-man roster they let Riley go. He was subsequently brought back the next day to be on the practice squad and that was a huge accomplishment for Riley. He was an underdog that really had no chance and if he had listened to the people who told him he had no chance he may not have even tried. It goes a long way and showing you that you should follo...

The open space is for the new flowers It has taken a while to things growing. I have never done this before but it is finally taking form. My garden out front is now a source of pride for me. The addition of the bamboo will allow the vines grow tall. They have pretty flowers that a different color to the garden. The rains we have had lately have helped the greening of all of this. Weeding is also important and you have to be careful to not pull up your own plants. It started raining when George came over George has come over and been a great help. While he was here it started to rain. Good for the flowers but not for George. The bamboo I added today The vines are climbing up the Bamboo The pretty flowers on the vine

Bill and Hillary during the good ol days I found this photo the other day that shows a very young Bill Clinton and what is purportedly Hillary in Black Face. I did a "Photo Forensic" analysis to see what was up with this image. I would be able to tell when it was taken and even what type of camera shot it. I did not need to go that far. The image had a huge amount of Adobe Photoshop elements to disqualify it as authentic. In fact, all of the accessories They are wearing...Bills kerchief and hat, Hillary's scarf, all added to the image. In fact, it was hard to find anything original about it. It seems to be a massive composite. Even the balloons hanging from the ceiling were added. The light areas show what was added to the photo

Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport taxi holding area The average wait at Tampa International Airport is about 2.5 to 3.0 hours. This is the slow time of the year. But what makes it worse is it is also the hottest time of the year and that can magnify your woes. The hazy, lazy days of summer are never good for the mind of psyche of the taxi driver. You try to curb cost by not running the air conditioning when you are on the deck but you really have no choice. Unfortunately, the money you need for gas has to be used to keep you cool while you wait and miserable wait on the sun deck. Come on autumn. The lady you see standing by her taxi told me I was beginning to smell. No doubt. I was covered with sweat. I felt disgusting and could not to get a fare and go home, shower, and change into clean cloths. I  can't imagine how I'm going to continue doing this when I am living out of my taxi when I get evicted from my apartment. That is gong to be a bitch.

They called it "The eclipse of the century." The anticipation leading up to it was immense. The east coast of the United States was going to go under totality from this solar eclipse. I remember as a kid how excited I was to be able to see and photography, a total eclipse of the sun. At that age, I really did not know how fortunate I was. I would learn that in life, we are almost always more fortunate than we think. Not something my 13 year old brain could fathom at that time. It was a Saturday and the family gathered in the front yard to watch the event. I also noticed most of the neighbors were out in their front yards as well. How can you beat an eclipse going right over your own neighborhood? Plus, I was young, strong, and thought life would last forever. Now I'm an old man on heart medicine. If there's a lesson in all of this...don't live life vicariously. Live in the moment. Take advantage of what you have today. Like eclipses, there may not be a next ti...

Explaining to the camera what I had just witnessed I watched the solar eclipse from Clearwater, Florida today. I was home recovering from walking Pneumonia. Believe me, I am sick. I slept most of the night and morning so I had the energy to go outside. I am glad I did. We did not get a totality but it was 91% coverage. Let me tell you, that last 10% is hugh. It never did get as dark as I thought it would get but I did get a good view with a pair of welders glasses. Starting to get dark out here This event had a historical connection for me because I was able to film the total eclipse of March 7, 1970. What is sad is I can't find any films of that eclipse on YouTube. I guess its sad to think I am that old. I am sick, however. I do need to recover. The welding glasses I was using

A peaceful Democrat tries to use reason with the fascist police President Trump was correct that there were trouble makers in Boston. What he did not stress was that the trouble was only on one side - the Democrats. There is no doubt that a large segment of "Antifa" showed up with the only purpose to shut down free speech. They believe they are the arbiters of what speech is permitted or not. This video shows the hate and venom these Democrats have towards authority and the rule of law. This one African American women shouted at a cop that because he was black he could not be a police officer. She said "your supposed to be on our side." Really. And because I don't support this (or President Trump), we are now Nazi, skin head, Confederate loving bigots and racist. Is that how the game is played now? My footage from Boston: violent clashes between the police and protesters. pic.twitter.com/S1vWB0hDV0 — Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) August 20, 2017 In...

The newspaper the next day There will be a total eclipse of the sun on Monday which will be visible by most of North America. In Tampa, the totality will be about 91% which ain't bad. This eclipse has sentimental value for me for I once witnessed and filmed a total solar eclipse when I was 13 years old in Newport News Virginia on March 7, 1970. I remember it well. What I clearly remember was being able to see the stars in the middle of the day, with the planet Venus being prominent in the "night sky." I remember it well as I was recording it with a rather sophisticated piece of equipment I had made myself. Face it. I got a better shot than the local TV stations did. I had rigged a photography device using a used cereal box and a smoked pane of glass. In the box was a 8mm film camera which I shot incrementally and it worked perfectly. I was able to record the totality of the eclipse and the events leading up to it. 1970 Eclipse - The black dot goes right over N...

Riley Bullough the new Buc standout When Riley Bullough came into Tampa Bay Buccaneer training camp, he was a long shot to make the team. However, something happened along the way for this camp body - that would be "Hard Knocks" of HBO. The Michigan State linebacker was immediately recognized as a personable good looking guy with hustle and heart. We also found out he is a singer songwriter with talent. In the first episode of Hard Knocks he stole the show. That was not supposed to happen for someone nobody had heard of. He latter went on to make some monster tackles in the expedition game against Cincinnati. I can't imagine this guy being cut. He has been branded "Joe Dirt" and the potential for merchandise sales and publicity is high. I can imagine Bullough making a tackle on a national FOX game and hearing Joe Buck saying "Joe Dirt with an impressive tackle." Riley Bullough has added some real excitement to a team that historically has lac...

I don't like being robbed at Tampa  International Airport The real reason Joseph W. Lopano let Uber and Lyft into TPA was he projected an increase in fees collected to be 5.2 million in the next two years. He seemed to view this as a revenue generating opportunity when the taxi companies were only able to come up with about 1.2 million a year. This was more than a reason to violate existing law. Joe Lopano (head of TPA) had a long range plan to soak the public and make a GIANT BONUS for himself. I wonder why he was fired in New York and flamed out in Dallas? Just wondering. The Tampa Bay Business Journal confirmed this fact the other day on their website. I knew he was corrupt and this proves it. Lopano stated that reason he let Uber and Lyft into the airport (violating the contract he had with the taxi companies) is he wanted to provide transportation alternatives to the traveling public. That was pure Bullshit. He simply saw how they could increase revenue long term by bilk...

There she is with two heads The two headed alligator is an iconic symbol in Tampa. This was something lost on the Florida BFRO when they did their paint job on the character of the men who took the best video footage ever of a Bigfoot. It was take in the Florida swamps off the Hillsborough River. This was a fact the BFRO could not live with. So, they assassinated the character of the individuals involved without ever addressing the video itself. At the time of this "hoax," the BFRO was involved in a popular television show that was shooting in the Myakka area. The report of the Skunk Ape sighting was getting all the news. This was something that they had to stop. Money and power were involved. If you can't shoot down the message...shoot down the messenger. One of the guys that took the video did this statue that is visible on Nebraska ave in the Seminole Heights area.

A hiking adventure awaits Someone told me to take a hike...so I did. I took advantage of a long ride I had out of TIA that went deep US 301 near Manatee River State Park. I got $100 cash while Uber driver would have done it for $20 and given up twenty percent. I dropped my fare off at a campground 500 yards from the trail head of this cool trail. I circled around and parked at the gate. I always keep my hiking polls in the trunk, so I knew I would have good footing. This trail has a lot of roots and the polls help me a lot. I did not have my backpack, so I had no water. Unfortunately, I had no water so I would have to limit the hike to one hour. There is a primitive campsite about 3.5 miles into it. I hope to camp there in the winter but today it would just be a hike. Good aerobic exercise. Check out the photos: The boardwalk over the creek Tim Fasano on the trail

Thunderstorms loom over downtown Tampa I actually had a good day today and it was not because of U2 playing tonight at Raymond James Stadium or the thunderstorms building up over the bay area. It had to do with the three part approach I use to try to book like the old days. 1) I live in Clearwater, so I get out early to rack up some liquid gold. That is the increasing number of people that are going to PAR on Logisticare charges. That tends to slow down by 8'oclock. 2) I work Tampa International Airport in until the lunch hour. 3) I work the hood until late afternoon. That is where a taxi driver can still get cash fares because these people are not good enough for Uber or Lyft. They don't have bank issued debit cards and the ride share folks do not want them. You also get many Logisticare charges from the poor areas. That's about it. Adapt or perish is the rule of the jungle. Forget about getting any U2 people like we would have in years gone by. Those folks w...

Trump says he is sorry I lost a friend A friend of mine could not handle the fact that the Democrats cannot produce anything on Donald Trump. There is a reason for this - there is nothing on Trump! This whole Russian thing is the biggest political hoax in history. (View Video Below)

I've never felt better The Deep State has shot their wad. Has anyone bothered to tell us what the crime is Trump is supposed to have committed. I have historically been consistent on these matters. On the day the Republicans impeached Bill Clinton, I stated it "was a sad day in America." The reason was the Republicans were on a witch hunt and had nothing on Clinton. Now, its not the Democrats trying to get a payback, its the news media. We cannot continue like this. Trump will be cleared before this gets going. (Check out the video below) I have added onto my home gym from last year I know. I need to clean the soap off the mirror

HULA Girl goes with me everywhere I have been fighting it spiritually for some time. The reality that I am not a taxi driver anymore. I have become a medical transport driver. That is nor what I wanted to do. That would be a job. Cab driving is not a job. It is a hustle. You get customers who use you to go buy drugs, go to the bars, the clubs, the massage parlors, the grocery stores, work, the airport, football games, church, and so forth. Along the way you meet a variety of interesting people. They all use Uber now. We load walkers in the trunk for elderly people with oxygen tanks. Seriously. God love them but that's not my calling. I want my whores, drug addicts, business people, jerks, sports fans, hipsters (I really miss the hippies), computer geeks, college students, degenerates, gay duds, the confused band the lost back. There are only a handful left as the gig slowly dies.

The Skyway Bridge I have not put up a post in the entire month of April. There are a few reasons for that. The main one is that I am trying to take my mind off of how bad the taxi business is in the traditional form. The business is becoming a hybrid form of medical transport precariously dependent on a few eggs in small basket. I have simply lived long enough to know that is an untenable situation. I am not, however, looking a gift horse in the mouth (whatever that means) for without it, it would be chips out. I am at least able now to have not such a myopic view of everything and I'm adapting a long view of the situation. Hence, the image of the Skyway Bridge. I crossed that bridge six times in one day when I lucked out at and caught a double Bradenton run from St. Pete. The charge included deadhead and that worked out pretty good. Believe me, I never got anything like that when I was driving traditional taxi. So I am not able to complain too much. I am coming out of my...

My record right now is 13-5-2 Right now I am rated 675,000 in the world (out of 2.6 million). I am training for a more modern opening for over the board tournaments. This is the Kings Indian Attack Sicilian variation. I like it for you can control the center directly and indirectly without your king ever being in trouble.

What is going on now in the taxi business in Tampa is not just having "a bad day." Most drivers are getting somewhere between two to five calls a day. That's it. "Don't worry, it will be better tomorrow." a customer told me. I am worried.  Each day is just the same. For example, this morning I came out at Five a.m. and did not get a call until Nine. There has never been a time when a driver during the morning hours would not get a call for over 4 hours. The new dispatch system is inherently unfair. If you are not close to a call, it will not give you one, nor will it even send you a f *g bid. Without the bid, I cannot make any money. Paul Hinton says I simply need to park my cab where the calls are going to come out. How in the hell do I do that? The calls could come out from anywhere. I have no psychic abilities, so I guess I am screwed. Talking to Paul Hinton and Eddie Munster (the computer guy) has proved useless. They don't even know what the a...

Once in a great while the storms of change will overshadow the plans of man. That would happen today. A cold wind blew over Tampa Bay this morning, a brief repose from the subtropical heat ever-present most of the year. The cool air felt good on my face and brought my spirits to a new high. I needed a lift. I had a ride out to Boco Ciega which is a beautiful part of the area. I had a scheduled ride of some significance and I felt hopeful. This ride I was on would put some serious money and my pocket. I was excided because I needed a break. Today was going to be a good day. Would I at least have an auspicious start?  It is believed Desoto once landed in this area. It was all jungle prada then. It had to have been very inhospitable to his gallant crew. Today, it is airy homes, many built in a time of no air conditioning. The natural winds off the bay during storm season will cool a house off. You just need to be near the shore. Its the end of winter in Tampa Bay. Winter ...

New flowers for my garden Blogger is now offering modern type of designs to chose from. They have not updated their templates in years and I find these to be refreshing. This design has what is called a Hero post. I guess that is the last post you did. If it is one you choose, I have not found a way to do that yet. I just started working with it and hope I can get all the functions to work. This post is an experiment to see what will happen.

launching an attack on the back rank of my opponent I am playing chess and working out to keep my mind and body sharp as I go thru this difficult period in my life. I just started playing blitz chess on Chess.com which is the best chess site on the internet. It is where all the top players in the world play. The world champion Magnus Carlson plays on this site almost every day. In a game last night, I checkmated a guy in 5 moves! I did not think that was possible. You can view the game below.

Chart off of chess site This is my chart on Gameknot which shows I had a great rating before the economy collapsed and I lost my internet connection. You will also note I am on the rise again. That feels good.