A Mellow Scary Ride

M and I were in a rush on Sunday night to get to a food event in the Richmond. So we took a cab.

I was able to hail down a cab, but the warning signs began as soon as he gestured for us to cross the street.

First, he put out WHAT I THOUGHT was a cigarette bud.

But then very quickly, he squirted some air freshener out of a can into the backseat.

Just as we sat down, I picked up the fading aroma of a marijuana, immediately followed by the cloying scent of industrial pine spray.

I gave the driver our destination and turned to M. She hadn't noticed anything, I whispered to her to buckle in. As I was doing that, the driver put on a pair of Nike leather gloves.

I had a bad feeling this was going to turn into a cross between Fast & the Furious and Harold and Kumar.

Then he pulled away into the traffic -- at 20 mph. The crown victoria rocked to the musice of -- the classice music station.

After close to a half an hour trudging very slowly on Geary Street, we finally made it to our restaurant.

Illegal -- yes! Dangerous -- I'm still trying to figure this one out. I could ride my bike quicker than this stoned cabe driver could drive!