Other Drivers Have Some Consideration, Please; Woman Is on Cell Phone
His category--”stupid driving tricks”: Barry Rothman of San Diego was driving to an audition for a TV game show when he stopped for a red light behind a Jaguar. The Jaguar was signaling for a right turn but didn’t move, though it had a clear path. The light turned green, and still the Jaguar sat. A red light came and went. Another green. No movement.
“I was really honking by then,” Rothman said.
Finally the Jaguar turned. When Rothman drove up alongside it, the well-dressed driver rolled down her window and said, “Show a little consideration. I was on the phone.”
Forget about Valley secession: This is bigger. Larry Scott of Newbury Park noticed in a cruise line brochure that California has seceded from the United States--and has acquired a former Mexican city (see accompanying).
From Harvey’s Hall of Curiosities: Diane Kelly of Rancho Cucamonga read about a dog that could be booked for the lecture circuit--or a gardening show (see accompanying).
Second lives (cont).: On the subject of sign editing, Gene Lew of Woodland Hills wrote: “While driving through Bishop a few years ago, I stopped to get gas at the station with the familiar orange ball and the words Union 76.
“After filling up, I handed my Union 76 credit card to the operator, but he said he could not accept the card because this was not a Union 76 station.
“I gave him a quizzical look and he pointed to the sign. Looking at it closely, I saw it had been changed to ‘Onion 76.’”
A second life? The Onion 76 story reminds me that Brian Bloch of Valley Village snapped a shot of a building whose sign seemed familiar. Was it for a bank that was a no-go? Maybe it’s the name of a cruise line.
Milestones of the month: If you’re not excited about the approach of February, surely you will be after reviewing these local anniversaries:
* February 1994: A cover story in Spy magazine declares, “L.A. O.K.!” A few weeks later, the magazine folds.
* Feb. 23, 1996: The Times reports that a South Pasadena resident’s sighting of “a man wearing a mask in a car” turns out to be a large dog.
* Feb. 13, 1997: A caller to Art Bell’s syndicated radio show claims that a UFO dropped a green 1952 Chevrolet onto a Long Beach intersection. Cal Worthington says it isn’t one of his.
* Feb. 25, 1997: A police diver, responding to a report of a body in the Los Angeles River, discovers that it’s a “blown-up male sex doll.”
* Feb. 10, 2001: An XFL football game at the Coliseum is interrupted by a 26-minute power failure, prompting NBC commentator Jesse Ventura to growl: “Where else but L.A. would you lose your power? Obviously, the check bounced.”
A few months later, the XFL suffered a permanent power failure when NBC ended its backing of the league.
miscelLAny: Getting back to Jaguars, I guess I’m giving away my age when I admit recalling a time when their ads did not use the snooty pronunciation “Jag-yoo-ar.” I feel like honking every time I hear it.