Cool Rideshare Drivers I've Had

1. I was going to an interview and ended up getting a ride from a nice man who was 57 years old and retired named Harold. I was going to a destination about 20-30 minutes away because I was running too far behind to take the train. Oops. I was super stressed from running around all day driving for Uber myself to get some money to pay off my student loan bill for school (eeeeewwww) and I had a phone interview right before I had to go into the city for an in person interview. He said I had a good attitude when I walked in the car and I thought he was being sarcastic because my stress levels were high; I was wrong because he was happy I had a positive attitude to try getting new jobs... though I did tell him I was stressed. He told me about his life ventures of owning businesses and his lady passing away of cancer :( Some major advice this man gave me was how life happens in baby steps and how taking all necessary steps to accomplish your goals won't happen overnight. I sometimes look at things from the big picture instead of smaller goals and he has helped wake me up to realizing that small wins are still integral to winning, as well as they are wins too! He kept giving me credit and telling me how well I was doing, which was much appreciated. I ended up doing well in the interview, but still no dice in job land. Oh well, it's the effort that counts! I wish I could have given him a nice tip, but I had no cash on me. Oops! He wanted to even make sure I was temperature wise comfortable in the car too. His friends told him he should do Uber because he likes talking to people. That's what makes a good Uber driver, right? But Uber should let me tip in the app! Not just for me receiving tips, but for men like him who I wanted to throw a couple dollars to! Lol!

More coming soon :)

2-26-16 Lyft Ventures: I FINALLY Hit 50 Rides

Well, that took forever, but after some hard work and determination, I finally attained my 50 rides. During the cold, passengers weren't as talkative as I would have expected. A lot of people seemed to be going home from band practice. One of these people going home from band practice was in a Japanese Taiko Drumming group. I feel it's ironic because I did a project during my sophomore year of college in a general education music class where we had to do a presentation on a cultural music concept. The other person I had to drive from Roscoe Village/Logan Square area to 87th and S. Chicago Street. I made a lot of money from that trip, but feared my safety. It definitely didn't look as bad as Englewood, but I'd rather not be that far not the south side of Chicago. Also, when I'm super tired and am reaching a point where I'm questioning going to sleep, I should probably listen to that instinct, especially when I drink too many energy drinks for my own good. Energy drinks are naughty; try to avoid them if possible!

Another nuance about driving for Lyft or Uber is that you have to be ok with using public bathrooms while "pretending" to be a paying customer. You also need to not have anything on your front seat because some passengers think it's "customary" to sit in the front seat. My purse and bottle of air freshener tumbled into the mud. This particular lady proceeded to tell me about her travel experiences; it made me yearn travel ventures since the farthest west I've been to recently is St. Louis, Missouri.

On another note, I am a RIDESHARING service, NOT a furniture moving service. First a small couch, then a 65 inch TV. At least I made decent money from those trips, but I feel it's absurd to ask for such a thing. I felt like Squidward in the "Spongebob Hotel" episode when there was a plaque saying "we shall never deny a guest, even the most ridiculous request". I told myself, "not the customer service", as I took the furniture into my car with a smile. During the "blizzard-pocalypse" of 2016, I actually continued to reinforce the belief of attaining more passengers past 8pm than during rush hour. The good news is, thanks to the cold and lazy people who requested for my Lyft services, I was able to tell them about my blog and nab the 50 rides I needed for attaining my bonus. Now my roommates can have money to pay for their cat's surgery...

In the meantime, I plan on never going down Michigan and Chicago Ave. again during rush hour traffic. I feel sorry for the poor lady who was in the car with me when I feared other cars were going to crash into me. It's very difficult to contain your outward expressions when you fear for your life. I'm also sorry to all of the people I drove right past in the Loop or River North. If someone tells me they're "flagging me down" while I'm trying not to get into an accident, I feel like I'm playing Where's Waldo while playing drunk Mario Kart at the same time. However, it's quite nice to pass an Ugg boot store, an Aston Martin car dealership, and a Rolls Royce car dealership. Oh the loveliness you pass through your drive. I definitely feel a lot more of Chicago now that I'm driving all over the city. More city ventures shall be happening on my journey to chasing paper and making it big. I'll see if Uber can make me some more money than Lyft. After 70 rides combined Uber and Lyft, the very last ride I did before wanting to go home to hanging with my roommates was a lady who worked in Bottle Service at the Mid. I am not too knowledgeable about the nightlife industry and most people would assume the worst about these types of people. This lady had lived in Vegas and attended major EDM festivals, works for React Presents, attended Burning Man, met major artists, and is studying Biomedical Engineering in a PHD program. Smart people be smart! Happy Weekend! Stay safe and have tons of fun!

2-22-16 Lyft Ventures: Too Many Adventures, Not Enough Driving

Oh the joys of adjusting to actually having to do something besides showing up to a place to make money. I've visited with 2 friends from out of state this month, which is nice, but I need to make money or else. Waking up to drive for morning rush hour has proved very difficult since the earliest I'm used to waking up is at 7 something. In order to drive in the morning, I'd have to get up at about 5 or so in the morning to get myself ready and awake enough to drive for awhile. It's also difficult to drive when a lot of your friends don't understand what it's like to be fully independent and have to be the sole breadwinner for myself. Taxes for self-employment I'm sure are going to be absurd and without a steady paycheck, I need to bust my ass or else. Now that there are no more planned ventures, visits, major Belegarth events, etc. until the end of April, I need to focus on busting my ass to gather as much money as possible so I can enjoy my summer. At least when I drive, I get to talk to people most of the time, even though it's a lot of high level conversation. I'm on a quest to become closer to the people I have in my life now, but a lot of my friends I feel most comfortable around live out of state and I need to work and make money. I at least have my roommates; otherwise, I don't know what I'd do.

On one of my latest driving ventures, my big car and I were driving around Logan Square and received an invoice for a ride. A random California area code calls me and I answer. He mutters a few words and some vague directions to me. I eventually find him and he shows me what he needed; I thought he would have needed help carrying his groceries and wanted me to drive him and his groceries home. But nope, I end up looking like a deer in headlights at seeing a small couch. I fold my back seats down and he places his couch in my car. A few circles later because he didn't even wait for me to follow him, I eventually arrive with his couch. He thanks me and I drive off on my merry way. I'm not one to expect tips from people, but I am a Lyft driver, not a furniture shipping service. I ended up receiving a tip from someone else at one point or another, but in one of those instances, I felt like it would have been neat if I did get a tip. It's not a big deal, but I feel like these experiences help me understand the value of tipping and how it feels to be a low wage worker who mainly relies on tips for their income. I don't want to carry around the "people suck" mentality, but from a realist perspective, they can sometimes.

I also received my first "Lyft Line" ride for 2 people who had to be dropped off on the same street. I think it's pretty interesting and definitely saves gas. I have noticed as well that driving for Uber or Lyft can be a prime networking opportunity. One of my friends told me he hands out flyers for the Chicago SLAMWorks house ensemble shows to the people who drive him around. I've been able to share and gather more information about open mic nites I either currently attend or plan on attending. Meanwhile, I'm 13 rides away from getting my roommates and I $250 dollars, but keep getting held up by doctor's appointments, insurance issues, trying to go the gym, and life happening. For now, here's to working super hard and maintaining a healthy lifestyle!

2-8-16 and 2-9-16 Lyft Ventures: First Rush Hour and First Full Day

Yesterday, I went on my first full time Uber drive... well, Lyft (to get my roommates a money bonus for a promotion). I want to figure out if Lyft or Uber makes more money, but for now, Lyft it is!

It is also today my 2 week a versary of being self employed. Making a schedule and abiding by it is definitely in my best interest, but I am starting to get hit up with some of the freelance roles I've applied for. I'm meeting with someone tomorrow to possibly serve samples at whole foods for snazzy pay. It's only a few hours, but it will be enough to help motivate me to organize my times. I went at morning rush hour (yesterday) for the first time ever too. I feel like a lot of my passengers want to talk to me, even at 6am. Some nice lady also told me about sitter city. I've been wary about doing babysitting gigs, but those would always be fun. I would never babysit an infant though because I've never changed a diaper. But yay money! I had stayed up all night prior to driving due to night owl mode kicking in. I started driving just before 6am and it was practically dead. Around 7, it started picking up. When it hit 9, I had dropped a passenger off at U of C (in Hyde Park) who was an academic advisor. She told me about her career, which it's fascinating to hear about everyone's career path. I definitely ran into a number of students who attended Columbia college as well. After I dropped that lady off, I had to run to the bathroom. Driving + needing to use the bathroom = stop at a McDonald's/Burger King/Wendy's, Walgreens/CVS, or a large department/grocery store. 

I went to Mickey D's and got myself an egg white mcMuffin since I was hungry, don't feel like blowing too much money, and want to keep as healthy as I can. I had stayed up all night and needed 2 energy drinks. An hour later, I hit the road again, but no one was hitting me up. I drove in the loop, Wicker Park, River North, and was getting nothing. I was debating when I was going to go home and take a nap, I headed over by the United Center, and ended up getting a call. That call was shortly canceled. I then stopped at a gas station because my phone charger cord broke and I needed a snackie. Right after I went to the gas station, I was going to head down Damen and go home. I ended up turning the wrong way on Damen due to being too tired, which led me to getting a call. That call ended up taking me to Berwyn to take a lady to her new job at the local gas station. 

I've noticed I get calls from the following demographics mostly: people in their 20s and 30s, and people running a few minutes late to work or appointments. At least I'm not alone in the running late department. I've been there before. I ended up picking up a couple people in Lawndale after that, one of which took me back to Columbia college. At that point it was about 1 and I was ready to crash. I drove home, took a nap, and ate a little bit. I drove Wednesday night for a little bit before I went to the Heartland Cafe for an open mic nite, and ended up running into a man at the Red Line Tap who I didn't know. I approached him outside because he was smoking a cigarette and I was wondering which bar was still open after the Heartland Cafe closed. I ended up going inside and talking to the man for awhile because I am performing a show (telling an 8 minute story) at the Red Line tap on Monday and wanted to check out the venue. That man ended up needing a ride home, which I did. He ended up stopping at an Indian restaurant on Devon and Leavitt where the name started with a "G". He got me some chicken and curry noms (which I'm going to post a picture of). I love Indian food and was blessed. After my nap, I wanted to hit evening rush hour to get some extra dough before my karate class. I guess a lot of people wanted to go to Japanese restaurants too. I even met this man who was with his girlfriend who had the most adorable accent ever. He was trying to explain to his lady friend what racquetball was, as well as tell me what “Squash” was. I had never heard of it, so it was nice to learn something new. I also met a lady who owned her own spray tan business and was a full time flight attendant. She told me about red faced ex boyfriends who were hitting on their yoga instructors, as well as about her business and being a flight attendant. She gets to go to Cancun or international on her flights too. Haaaaaaayyyyy!!! I also met a man who worked at a Linkedin office in Chicago. I didn’t know they had any office here. I had also met a man who was looking for a free class to learn how to give massages to his girlfriend too. I ended up recommending him to a place I found online, as well as told him to hit up Groupon to take a couple’s massage class like I did with my last boyfriend. 

Time had flown by and it was time for me to go to my karate class. Two weeks into my self-employment ventures and I may be very stressed out in learning how to create and abide by a schedule, but I am much happier. The dead weight of being unhappy at my job is going away. I would walk into my karate class and one of my instructors would often either point out I looked like I had a chip on my shoulder when I’d walk into class or try to make me laugh. Now, I feel like constant giggle mcGiggle pants who can’t stop laughing and smiling while being my sparkly self. Don’t let my smile and giggles fool you, because the belt I wear on my waist is nice, shiny, and black! Muahahaha! I have also done yoga 3 times since my adventures and have began noticing my fitness results. I had always wanted to do yoga, but hadn’t been to a class in 3-4 years (since college) until 2 Wednesdays ago. The first class I went to, I feel like I cakewalked through the entire class, including the challenges. I generally don’t have that happen to me and it felt pretty incredible to feel like a natural at yoga while having very little actual yoga experience. I’ve always been flexible though and can do very high kicks in karate. I definitely don’t want to take that for granted. I have also been working on implementing more meditation in my life. I am starting to get some calls back for my freelance gigs, which is making me happy, and I am learning more about what it takes to me a successful and happy self-employed woman! For now, I will keep showering my passengers with unicorns and rainbows and hopefully be of some entertainment to people’s days! Happy Friday everyone :D 

2-8-16 and 2-9-16 Lyft Ventures: Rough Transitions

I am currently going on Lyft ventures because I need to get 50 rides in 30 days to make myself and my roommate 250 dollars. I will be driving for Lyft for now until I attain all 50 rides!

After a nice getaway to Michigan for a few days to take a break from life, I get back to find out my insurance didn't end when I was told it would end. I wanted to go drive, but had been in the car 3 hours and was also exhausted from the lack of sleep attained during the weekend. I also want to ensure I balance between making money and trying to get myself gigs, but have been struggling to get myself to go drive. I'm still nabbing residual money from my previous job and chopping off extraneous expenses from my current budget. I'm also needing to file my tax return and sell a bunch of large items, which will also yield me some extra money. At least my tax return for 2015 is all a W2, so no complicated crap as of yet. I got rid of my couches/entertainment center and now save myself almost 88 dollars per month. I have also just about paid 2 of my long term doctor's bills (I am 1 payment away from both of those being fully paid off and each bill is due in the next week or so). February is flying and January went poof. It's almost my birthday too and I haven't planned anything yet either. I just need to make sure I get done what I need to and make sure I give my time to myself instead of what isn't worth it/people who take my time for granted.

So far, I got back mid afternoon Monday, it's now Tuesday, and after a little bit of sleep, I've applied to a bunch of paid studies and various other gigs involving writing or some creative endeavor. I've been up for almost 3 hours, have thrown my name out all over the place,  I'm so used to doing all of these things during paid time and now it's quite the adjustment knowing I have to make the money instead of it "coming to me" and magically appearing in my bank account. Not going to work at a set time is still a bit wonky; that just means I need to set a schedule and treat it as if I'm going to work. I currently take karate 2 days per week and go to my "sword fighting practice" (search "Belegarth Medieval Combat Society" for more information) 1 day a week. I block time out for those, even those are events taking place at set times, so I guess I need to do that to make sure I get my butt out to my car and drive... well... after I FINALLY setup my seat covers and put down my leopard mats. I just better hurry up, get ready, and make sure I drive enough before my karate class tonight. Happy time budget Tuesday everyone!