Road to a Marriage License Can Get Rocky for Some Lovers

Two friends of mine, who were obtaining a marriage license at the Santa Ana Courthouse, idly asked a clerk if it was fun working amid all the starry-eyed lovers. Not really, the clerk responded, explaining that a lot of couples show up in bad moods.

The clerk cited one argument between a woman who wanted to be married in the courthouse and her fiance, who wanted to tie the knot elsewhere. The increasingly bitter exchange was put on hold when the woman excused herself to go to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she hadn’t returned. A search revealed that she had left.

What’s worse, she was the one who had driven them to the courthouse.

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* Margaret Guerra of L.A. spotted a beastly recipe.

* Rita Singman of Arcadia saw a marquee advertising a smoggy dog.

* Nancy Caldwell of Sun City came upon a Chicken Rosemary that may have been in too much of a hurry (see accompanying).

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MYSTERY OF THE WEEK: “My friends and I are insanely curious to know why we often see large pink trucks on the freeway with a single large black letter painted on the side,” wrote Ann Close of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.

On the Harbor Freeway she recently sighted a truck with the letter “f.”

“Might you have any idea who owns these trucks or what the letters spell out?” Close asked.

OK, readers, get to work.

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L.A. TRAVIATA: Performers have worn all manner of uniforms at the Great Western Forum.

Still, Paul Fingerote was a bit surprised at what he saw at Luciano Pavarotti’s recent concert in Inglewood.

“Through my binoculars, I noticed that he was wearing what appeared to be black tennis shoes with his otherwise formal attire,” said Fingerote, who had driven to Inglewood from Monterey. “Is this a new fashion statement?”

And, Fingerote wondered, should they be known as “tenor’s shoes”?

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.