For Gardens, Address Is a Can of Worms
After reading an item here about improperly addressed mail received by the Jet Repulsion Laboratory--I mean the Jet Propulsion Laboratory--Kathy Musial writes that the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino has received similar treatment.
“Some of the new appellations we have taken on include Huntington Britanical Gardens, Huntington Bacterial Gardens and our favorite, Huntington Mechanical Gardens,” said Musial, the curator of plant collections.
She added: “We’ve saved these in our ‘Curiosa’ file, including a piece of junk mail addressed to Mrs. Art G. Bot Gdns.”
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FOR THE HARD-NOSED ATHLETE: Tom Bizzarri of Montebello found a sporting goods store with an eye-catching name (see photo).
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SPARE CHANGE: Inadvertently calling attention to National Coin Week (April 18-24), a guard neglected to close a door on an armored truck, causing it to spill a bag full of change on the Santa Monica Freeway. The California Highway Patrol quickly diverted traffic out of one eastbound lane in the Palms area, enabling the guard to retrieve most of the treasure.
So it didn’t equal the small bonanza that commuters enjoyed on Sept. 13, 1982, when about $7,000 worth of quarters spilled on the Hollywood Freeway. Motorists jumping from their cars reportedly took home about 10% of the loot.
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THIS WACKY WEATHER: It’s hot here one day, cold another. Apparently the authorities on 4th Street are taking no chances, lest L.A. get hit with a snowstorm (see photo).
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THEN AGAIN: Or maybe that sign was put up by filmmakers. Oh, but you probably already knew that.
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WILL ANYBODY LISTEN? The California Journal noticed that there’s a new San Diego political action committee named Liberty Slate that consists of one person, according to papers filed with the secretary of state’s office. His name is J.R. “Nobody” Graham. Actually he might have a better chance of winning political office if he were identified on the ballot only as “Nobody.”
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THE FEMININE ANGLE: Discount books spotted in a “Remember Mom/Mother’s Day” display in a Borders bookstore:
* “Great American Farm Tractors”
* “The Mini-Atlas of Snails of the World”
* “Gigantic Jets”
* “The Hercules 3-D Mask Book”
* “Mysteries of the Unexplained”
Well, maybe “Mysteries of the Unexplained” is about teenagers.
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SPEAKING OF MOTHER’S DAY: UCLA’s Daily Bruin newspaper carries an ad for a business that will fashion “a custom-written poem” for the moms of UCLA students. “Just tell us about your mom & we’ll do the rest.” it says.
I’ve heard of companies that write term papers for students. It’s one thing to need help crafting a paper on postwar deconstructionism. But to need help writing a few sweet words to your own mother?
Mama mia.
miscelLAny:
Daffy Duck of Warner Bros. is the star of the U.S. Postal Service’s latest stamp, but don’t expect to see Daffy’s rival quacker, Donald. Or Mickey or Minnie Mouse. Reason: The L.A. Business Journal says that the Walt Disney Co. reportedly won’t allow their use because the Postal Service doesn’t pay any royalties to companies. Certainly Scrooge McDuck would applaud Disney’s thinking.
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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.
