This post marks my first of probably many Random Irritations of Sister Mary Lisa.
I'm driving to lunch today and in front of me is a truck with this vanity license plate:
PRIMTIM
If any of my readers have vanity plates, please don't be offended. You can waste your money as you see fit. But come on! Obviously this person was trying to say "Prime Time" but instead I see Prim Tim. What kind of tough guy in a truck in Montana wants to be known as PRIM?? Sheece. The person who created this vanity plate for himself probably doesn't even know the word prim or what it means. But Sister Mary Lisa is the QUEEN of prim!
Vanity plates seem to me like an extension of people's insecurity about themselves coming out for all the world to see. I saw one last week that read SEXYBABY on it, and I couldn't help but think that someone who has to tell you that she's sexy probably isn't. There was once a guy who worked next door to me who parked his car out in front of my office window, with his XTRIC8TR license plate glaring in the sun at me all afternoon every day. He was an EMT in his second job, and my boss and I used to call him the "Eeextricatoooor" in a slow Clint Eastwood half-whisper voice as if we were trying to be cool and tough. Then we'd laugh at the vanity of it all.
Only one vanity plate has ever impressed me: My first OB/GYN drove a huge, old, white truck and had STORK on her license plate.
12 comments:
Jazzy, yours never bothered me. I always liked the sexual connotation of yours. :)
I think most of ridiculous too.
I love this idea for a post-- maybe I'll copy you and do the same thing... just remember that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, hehehe! I agree with what you've said!
The Commonwealth of Virginia has more vanity plates per capita than any other state or commonwealth in the Union. And, no kidding, you can't drive past more than five cars without seeing one.
Here's what I don't understand: why would you pay for vanity plates and put this on it: AUDI 9-3. And what kind of car was this on? Yes, you guessed it: and Audi 9-3. Stupid.
I've seen others that are equally mind-blogging, but this one really ruffled all my feathers today: LUV W on a "Fight Terrorism" special interest plate. (That's the other thing about Virginia: there are more special interest tag options out here than I've ever seen in any other state. It's outta control.)
Of course, being a resident of D.C., we don't have a lot of choices when it comes to special interest tags. Right now, everyone's tags say "Taxation without Representation" and as a tax paying citizen without representation in Congress, I'm proud to have my car bear those tags!
Janet, thanks for the further insight. You touched on my other big pet peeve of vanity plates: stating the obvious, and paying money to do so. Like MY '69 on a 69 Mustang. So stupid.
Ha ha ha. My inlaws plates are happily posted in our garage (the passed several years ago.) The simply read Don-Bev. It was my father in laws lovely tribute to 50 years of marriage.
But you're right some are preposterous. I read it Prim Tim too. It makes you want to crack jokes. How rude of me.
I had to laugh at my sister in law's plates which read - Vee 888. She drove a VW bug at the time. They weren't vanity plates.
EXMO is still available in the state of Idaho, but I think I would go for something more amusing, like CAR.
DIKCNRMS
HU JASS
HMPALOT
Mine would read:
FUZYKAOS
SML,
Thanks, it is good to know my plates never bothered you.
My plates have been with me for a really long time. They are more famous than I will ever be!
:)
OK, Jazzy, I have to share yours with a story too.....hope you don't mind.
We were driving down the street after my son's soccer game last year, and he had a friend with him. Suddenly his friend laughed and said, "Look at that license plate! It says HOT SAX." I wonder if she's a prostitute or something."
I choked and sputtered, and my son said, "Hey, watch it. That's my aunt! She plays the SAXOPHONE, you moron."
SML,
Don't mind at all, that story makes me laugh.
Another story surrounding my plates, my friend from college was driving home for lunch one day. (her plates were SAXSYMBL)Two kids were walking down the street, and she heard one say to the other, "Hey, there goes HOT SAX (that's me)" and the other kid said, "No, that is SAXSYMBL!" We both got a pretty good laugh at that one.
There was one I saw on a minivan once that evoked both a nod of grudging respect and an eyeroll. It was "4ZA(handprint)FUL"
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