Born in Kiev in 1902, immigrated to the United States in the 30′s, Nudie Cohn was intent on becoming a boxer, but through fate and circumstance he instead fell into tailoring. In the 40′s, Nudie and his wife Bobbie began making clothes out of their garage. So popular were their designs that soon movie stars and rock gods began to clamor for Nudie’s services.
Credited with being the first man to sew rhinestones on to clothes, his relentless self-promoting brought him to the attention of such acts as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Gram Parsons, ZZ Top, Wilco, and Roy Rogers. Ever the eccentric, Nudie would places stickers of his face on to dollar bills and give them away to those in need, stating, “when you get sick of looking at me, just rip it off and spend it!”
Nudie was also into cars, and with the help of GM he began to customize them in western motifs. Karin and I were fortunate enough to see a “Nudie Mobile” recently, and let me tell ya, this thing was intense; covered in silver dollars, decked out with rifles, handguns, and shotguns, and sporting a set of horns that would make any self-respecting steer blush, this is one car that’s impossible to ignore.
I thought 2012 was the agreed upon date for our destruction, when Nibiru will pass through our inner solar system, we achieve a collective higher enlightenment, aliens attack and neither Jeff Goldblum nor Bruce Willis can save us, or some other destructive mechanism will signal the end of mankind as we know it.
Little did I know that others have a more pressing, and more exact date for our demise:
I spotted this doomsayer on the freeway, and according to him the end times are an exact science.
God’s wrath on the unbelievers will occur on May 21, 2011.
Pulling out my handy dandy 2011 calendar (ya know, the one with the pictures of fluffy sea otters), this supposed extraterrestrial event is to take place on a Saturday. One question…will I have time to watch my cartoons before said event spirits us away to destinations unknown? I mean, I’d just lose it if I missed my Scooby Doo…
So there I was, minding my own business, tearing around the local industrial park in my S2000 yesterday afternoon, running over squirrels, cutting elderly people off, and parking in every handicap spot I could find when my clutch pedal starting feeling a little spongy. I had to push the pedal almost to the floorboards to change gears. Today during lunch I could barely get my car into reverse. I could tell in my heart of hearts that this did not bode well for me or my wallet.
Jamming out of work a bit early, I dropped my car off at the mechanic and picked up a rental. Then, the waiting game for “the call” began. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long to get the bad news. Turns out my master cylinders are shot. Leaking. Dying the slow death. ”Oh, and by the way,” the mechanic said in a whispery, purring tone, “your rear brakes need replacing.”
And so, to make a long story stuffy, that’s how I spent $800 in the course of an hour.
Oh, and the rental car I managed to pick up from Hertz is a Nissan Rogue.
I felt lucky to get this rental. It was the end of the day and this was the last vehicle left. Throwing my computer bag on the passenger seat I buckled in and was immediately overcome with the smell of cigarette smoke. Looking around the car at that first stop light I could see that this car was covered in ash.
Way to keep your cars clean, Hertz.
Pulling into the garage I took a second to reprogram all of the spanish channels to something a bit more appropriate, cut the engine, and resigned myself to the fact that tomorrow I’ll be $800 poorer and smelling like a cigarette.
I miss my car so much…
Tooling down the freeway on my way home this afternoon I noticed a car in the left lane in front of me with it’s blinkers on, hoping to merge into my lane, and getting the short shrift from the other drivers in front of me. My one rule while driving is ‘use your blinkers’. I have no sympathy for someone who’s weaving in and out of traffic and not using turn their turn indicators.
Anyway….this person was hoping to merge in and wasn’t having much luck. As they neared me I slowed down to allow a gap into which they could merge. They did so, and waved “thanks”. That, I think, is a wonderful thing to do when someone cuts you a break, doesn’t act like a jerk, and actually shares the road. That “wave” that perhaps only one in ten people do is akin to when truckers flash their brake lights at you because you flashed your headlights to let them know that they can merge into traffic in front of you. It’s a reward for the just and an impetus to keep on doing the right thing.
I personally don’t think enough people do the “wave”. Perhaps it’s a sense of entitlement, that some people believe they actually own the road, and that somehow forbids them from thanking a helpful stranger. Perhaps today’s society has just become cold and crass, and waving a quick “thanks” doesn’t even enter into the equation. Or perhaps it’s a combination of ignorance and self-centeredness that certain people just don’t believe in a friendly wave when it’s due.
Whatever the cause, a quick wave certainly makes that long daily drive home a far more tolerable experience.
The “wave”. Do it today. Make someone feel good.
