It was the worst of times, and...

It was the worst of times, and it was the worst of times: Or so it often seemed. But 1992 also inspired laughter, even for commuters. At least it did on that October day when a leak in Vernon sent hundreds of gallons of laughing gas wafting over the Long Beach Freeway.

There were heart-warming stories, too, such as a strip joint’s Miss Help Rebuild L.A. competition to benefit riot victims.

And there were the reassuring signs that L.A. is still a creative force, such as the development of a talking car alarm by a Canoga Park company. It raps:

Yo! I know you wanna look INSIDE.

But I suggest you step away from the RIDE!

Some other unforgettable moments:

First they offered him the Queen Mary: After a Philippine Little League team was disqualified for cheating and a Long Beach team was proclaimed world champion, Long Beach awarded a key to the city to the Philippine sportswriter who uncovered the scandal.

Why Mickey, what small ears you have!Disneyland settled a lawsuit filed by an Idaho couple accused of stealing a $2.50 item. During questioning backstage at the theme park, the family’s little girl allegedly became distraught at seeing Disney characters milling about while holding their headgear.

Mandarin-style chutzpah: City Wok, a San Fernando Valley restaurant, obtained a temporary injunction to block MCA’s new, $100-million entertainment complex from using the name City Walk.

Terrible transitions r us: Channel 2 reported a dispute between a woman and American Honda Finance over the seizure of her car by repo men while she was driving on the Ventura Freeway. The station followed with a commercial that began: “What would it take to get you out of a Honda Accord?”

If you’re not part of the solution . . . Budweiser erected the year’s dumbest freeway billboard, which asked: “If it’s rush hour, why aren’t you rushing? Why ask why?”

And they ain’t cheap, either: Barry Zepel verified what we always knew about our representatives in Washington (see photo).

Riot ironies: The violence overlapped with National Police Week, National Fire Service Day, a “Respect for Law Night” dinner (postponed) and National Tourism Week. And there was the culture clash, photographed by Linda Laisure, of National Guard troops and Venice.

Terrible transitions r us (cont.): Michael Tuck’s Channel 2 commentary on the execution of murderer Robert Alton Harris was followed by a commercial for Tombstone Pizza, which featured a condemned man being asked: “What do you want on your Tombstone?”

Best police log entry (Glendale): “A woman reported that a man called at 2 p.m. . . . and persuaded her over the phone to cut up her shoes, valued at $70, because, as a representative of a shoe store, he would give her a new pair in 3 minutes and a certificate for 40 more free pairs. . . .”

Signs the Bush forces ignored: The Republican Party set up its Pasadena headquarters in a building formerly occupied by a defunct savings and loan. The company adjacent to Ronald Reagan’s star on Hollywood Boulevard went broke. And, “Tuesday, November Third” is an anagram that can be rearranged to form: “Many voted, Bush retired.”

Inspiration for 1993: Here’s the entire, rousing, extemporaneous address delivered by Santa Monica College President Richard Moore at an overly long high school commencement:

“Feelings. Adventures. Ideas.”

Even two out of three wouldn’t be bad.