In Manhattan Beach, a motorist without a keen sense of place
Who can keep track of every little thing these days?
Take the guy who “had just gotten a cup of coffee and was walking home when he spotted his car parked in the 400 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard,” as the Beach Reporter told the story. “He had reported the car stolen the day before, but after seeing it, he realized that he had just misplaced it.”
Now for an unsolved mystery: The two-part drama was observed by Allen Levy, an assistant professor at Chapman University who has changed the names of the folks involved in case one of them was the victim of a prank.
“Driving home from work on the 105, I noticed a spray-painted sheet attached to one of the overpasses,” Levy said. “It read: ‘Laurie -- I am truely [sic] sorry. John.’ The sheet stayed up for about a week.
“Last week, headed into work, I was going east on the 105. A spray-painted sheet was attached to an underpass. It read: ‘Go to hell. I’ll never live with you again. Laurie.’ ”
As for the apparent rejection of John, Levy asked: “Was it his spelling?”
More unusual sightings: I pass on the following (see accompanying):
* For Oxymoron of the Day, an antique that looked “like new” (from Jeanette Miller of L.A.). Which reminded me of the sign at an L.A. furniture store: “Antiques Made Here Daily.”
* A less-than-perfect real estate ad (from Sharon Grams of Hacienda Heights).
* And, a Rolls-Royce designed for lovemaking -- with protection, perhaps, from jealous spouses (from Patrick Mauer of L.A.).
Chew on this: He was accused of being a dentist and now he’s suing.
Former Olympic swimming star Mark Spitz says in a complaint filed in L.A. Superior Court that Procter and Gamble used his name without his permission in ads for Crest products. The purpose of the ads, the lawsuit said, was to claim “that Spitz is a member of the dental health care profession and that he has endorsed Crest products.”
Though Spitz was at one time a pre-dental major at Indiana University, he has never pulled a tooth. He didn’t attend dental school. “Spitz, in fact, never graduated from Indiana University,” Spitz’s lawsuit said.
I left a message with Procter and Gamble but no one called back with a comment. I hate to think the company was giving me the brush-off.
Overheard at a Christmas tree lot: A customer had just paid for a noble fir.
Clerk: Will that be to go?
Customer (laughing): No, I’ll have it here.
Clerk (not laughing): I meant, are you taking it home or do you want it delivered?
miscelLAny: San Diego magazine’s Tom Blair writes that in the Neurosciences Institute at La Jolla, a reader spotted a sign above the lobby drinking fountain that said: “Beware: Fountain Is Spraying Very Powerful Stream.”
Underneath that, a jokester had written: “It Is a Very Young Fountain.”
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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, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.
