Friday, April 17, 2009

Multi-Tasking Dangerously

So I'm sure all Californians know and do not appreciate the relatively new laws: no more talking on the phone or texting while driving.

I can appreciate the texting- you do actually have to look at the screen in order to type, after all, which means you're certainly not looking at the road ahead.

But the talking thing irritates me. I don't want to have to find my headset and put it on and make sure the Bluetooth is on and all that. I'd rather just hold the phone up to my ear. I know how to drive with one hand- it's sort of like writing with one hand, natural and easy. Just because other people can't drive...

I mention this because lately, I've been whipping out my phone to take pictures of cars that make me laugh during my (too long) commute to and from work every day. Spending at least an hour and a half driving yields some curious road-mates.

(Click for larger pictures).

This one puzzled me. XXVMORE? I assume it was an anniversary gift and they're anticipating 25 more years together? If I marry someone and last 25 years and he has the gall to give me a Chrsyler ... yeah, forget about 25 more, buddy.



















I literally laughed when I saw this one. PNYSPD, really? I know you're in a Mustang, but you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Ponies don't travel at this speed unless they're sleeping or giving birth!



















The owner of this car must be quite interesting. Or very hairy. Or maybe has pet wolves? Loves Tom Wolfe? WOLF 21 ... unclear but still funny. (Photo taken about half a block away from work- right-turn at the light, immediate left into the driveway where security will stop you and demand your driver's license.)



















Is this supposed to be like "Speed Racer" or something? SPDRAVR? I don't understand the design of this car. It looks like it's missing ... something. Attractiveness, perhaps.



















K4TANA? So this person thinks/wishes/hopes they are a samurai, I take it. What a weird thing to put out there for all to see, unless she/he really is a samurai, which would be awesome.















Another confusing one: HDT SIN. Because of the way license plate letters are formed, I thought it said "HOT SIN" and I was kind of scandalized. But then I got closer and realized I'm a prude. I still don't get it, though. What's HDT?



















Most incongruous logo and slogan combination: Puritan Bakery. Their innocent, pure logo:



















And their not-so-innocent, not-very-pure slogan:



















I tried to think of what CUBBYMN could be, and have decided that it's a man who has cubbyholes for alll his belongings. That's why he drives a teeny-tiny Saturn Sky, because it fits in a cubby. Or he's a giant Cubs fan. I like the cubbyhole idea better.



















Oh, I like these shrouded Audis, like they're so precious that mere mortals cannot even dare to gaze upon their glorious luster:



















I don't know if this person is referring to him or herself, but if they are, then it's pretty arrogant- STAR NSIGHT. Does that mean you think you're a star, since people can generally see you when they're reading your license plate? Or perhaps you think you have stellar insight?



















I saw this one today and started laughing because the signs are funny but also practical. On the left side, "PASSING SIDE." Go past the truck on its left, I get it.

On the right side, "SUICIDE." So much better than those "the driver cannot see you because trucks have large blind spots" diagrams that those corporate eighteen-wheelers have!



















This one also made me laugh, because it's so appropriate for L.A. and because I thought that someone was bound to think that "BOO GAS" could also mean "BOO FARTING," which is also true!



















This is the only picture that I took more than two weeks ago. I had randomly taken the photo and forgotten about it, but now that I see it again, I really think that the owner is going to have regrets in a few years, when he grows out of his one-track-mind phase and into a better place. He's also going to regret having "OHHH YEH" when he goes to meet his future mother-in-law for the first time, so I hope he has a new car by then.



















I think L.A. tends to have more vanity plates than other cities, and California seems to have more than other states. Perhaps it's because vanity plates are just that- a sign of vanity.

I'll keep taking photos ... unless I find out that it's illegal. I hope it's not!

2 comments:

william April 21, 2009 at 6:43 PM  

this is a little bit crazy. i think you should move closer to your place of work. seriously, losing over 2 hours of your day in commute is BS. i used to do that in the sprawling city of houston. i've now realized that commuting for that long is BS.

Jeanny April 22, 2009 at 5:27 PM  

I used to live 4 minutes away from work. But that isn't good, either, because work is just TOO CLOSE. I can't win, either way.

Too bad L.A.'s public transportation is such utter crap. I like the idea of subways and buses where I could read or sleep or whatever, provided they are reliable and clean (a.k.a. totally different than existing L.A. options).