Sergey, is that you?!
Category: Photography... Society & Culture...
Posted Friday, July 11, 2008 at 09:33 AM [GMT-6]

So, I pull into the drive-through at McDonald's on Loop 250 this morning to pick up breakfast for MLB and me (yes, we're living the high life now!), and my eyes are drawn to the car in front of me, a Jaguar J8. Since you can't swing a dead cat around Midland without hitting a Jag, that was not a big deal, but what really attracted my attention was the vanity license plate on the car. To wit:

In case your eyes have trouble with the less-than-stellar quality output from my phone's less-than-stellar camera*, here's a close-up:

Now, I don't know about you, but my imagination runs wild when I see something like this. Who, exactly, is behind the wheel of this car? (It looked like a middle-aged man, judging by his profile as he placed his order through the car window.) How did he come by this plate? Did his investment in Google stock pay for the vehicle (probably not, unless this is his beater car while the Lambo's in the shop)? And why is he pulling through a West Texas Mickie D's for breakfast?

The fact that this is a California tag makes the possibilities even more intriguing.

If I'd been a real journalist, I would have jumped out of my car, banged on his window, and demanded the story. I also probably would have been judged to be a would-be 'jacker and tapped with a pearl-handled .45, so it's probably better that I just stick with my imagination.

Feel free to contribute your own interpretation of this sighting.

*What really torques me is that the nice little 10mp camera my wife got me for my birthday, for the specific purpose of carrying everywhere I go, was safely ensconced in the handlebar bag on my bike where I had inadvertently left it after yesterday morning's ride. So much for being prepared.