JUST BECAUSE
JUSBKZ1 (just because) says it all for the woman who owns the white '93 Ford Mustang. She
said the car was bought for her by her husband for no specific need. It was just a gift.
She actually would have rather not had the number in it, but JUSBKZ was already taken. I
guess it's true - great minds do, indeed, think alike.
UBATZ1 is on a blue '81 Chevy Camaro (UBATZ stands for crazy one in Italian). Eighteen
year old Lisa Albers put it on her car in honor of her grandmother who died just before
Lisa bought the car. Grandma was Italian and Lisa is a wild person so she wanted to
express this in a unique way as a tribute to her Grandmother.
In the same category is CRAZYK4. It belongs to Karen Krzeminski and it's on her purple
Mitsubishi Eclipse. She chose it because she is wild and crazy and loves to have fun.
SASSE 3 (sassy three) is on a Wisconsin plate on a white Ford Thunderbird. Twenty-eight
year old Lisa Walker explained that Sassy is her nickname and this is her third car.
Soraya Brown found this one for me.
Another one of Soraya's finds was KWIN. It is on a grey Ford Taurus station wagon that is
owned by Karen Crokin. It was her idea to spell her name (Karen) with a little flair!
Unfortunately, when people read her license plate, they pronounce it "Quin".
Karen said she needs to put a hyphen between the K and WIN. Then they would understand
"K-win".
PKAGRT 1 (pick a great one) is on a red Honda CRX belonging to a twenty-five year old
woman. She has a license plate holder that says "Attitude is everything". The
license completes the thought on the license plate holder. She said she thought the
message was a good one to live by - positive and thought provoking. She got the idea when
she saw this phrase, "Attitude is everything - pick a great one" on a pad of
paper in Sally Huss' Gallery in California.
This license plate analysis business can get quite involved, you know. We experts refer to
this as a "coordinated message set".
BE SASZ (be sassy) is a California plate on a maroon Toyota Paseo belonging to Patsy
Giani. Patsy says it means to become sassy. Sassy originated as her daughter's nickname.
It later became the name of their business (a hair salon), and a logo for a clothing
accessory line. She has SASZ LMO (Sassy Limousine) on a Suburban, and she even has a boat
with O2B SASZ (oh, to be sassy). Talk about combo plates. Thanks again to Margie Caridi
for finding this one.
XQZME 67 (excuse me 67) is on twenty-six year old Kathy Mamach's black Ford Mustang. She
reported, "It means excuse me and it's mainly meant for the people in front of me
going too slow and I have to pass them up because I'm usually in a hurry and it also means
excuse me for the times when I'm in people's way. Like pardon me. I came up with the idea
about four years ago when I was at a local crowded bar and I had to keep saying excuse me
all night just to walk around the bar. I always wanted vanity plates but I wanted ones
that would say something about me and the car. I didn't want ones that said Ford or
Mustang because if I got a new car it would defeat the purpose. They had to be versatile.
The sixty-seven is for the year I was born."
Another twenty-six year old has TGIF 90 (This girl is fine 90) (not "Thank God it's
Friday", as I'm sure you thought it was) on her red 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse. She
intended for the uninitiated to guess, "Thank God it's Friday". Her boyfriend
gave her the idea. She bought the car in 1990. This plate is what we experts call a
"sleeper" plate. A "sleeper" plate is one where you are so sure of the
meaning that you would bet money on it. That is when we experts (and people who know the
plate owner) clean up: We take your bets and win.
GEWHIZZ (gee whiz) is on twenty-two year old Gia Stracci's red Honda Civic. Her dad called
her "Gee Whizz" when she was little - she didn't say why, which leaves that up
to the imagination. He surprised her with the license plate on her sixteenth birthday. She
has had it ever since.
LALA 16 is on a cranberry Toyota Celica. The thirty-six year old woman that owns it said
La La means Laura in Hawaiian. It is also her husband's pet name for her. It also means
"La La Land".
GO DOGS 7 is an Illinois plate on a red Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Thirty-two year old
Lou Stanke was betting on the greyhounds and he won the trifecta at Dairyland. He won
enough money to buy the car and the plates. The number seven was one of the winning
numbers on his ticket. He likes the greyhounds a lot so he chose GO DOGS 7.
HOP2IT (hop to it) is on the Michigan plates on a 1994 green Dodge Caravan driven by D. El
Sharrard. He said it means to get moving. It is the same slogan that he has had since
1976. He originally had it on a VW Rabbit (get it?) to add humor to the car. Although he
no longer has the Rabbit, it still applies because it describes his dislike for slow
drivers.
ITZ JANZ (it's Jan's) is an Illinois plate on a white Toyota Supra. It's owner's name is
Janet. Her husband got it for her.
RS CAR (Arline's car) is on Arline's grey Honda Accord. "R" is short for Arline.
IT RUNS is on an Illinois plate on a grey Ford van. James Clar said the plate was
originally on an old beater that he had. His wife came up with the idea.
RED FLCN (Red Falcon) is on a maroon Ford Explorer. The owner's nickname is "The
Falcon". He bought a red Trans Am and in the spirit of the Red Baron, his wife
secured the plates for him. He has received many inquiries on the origin and meaning of
the Red Falcon.
PURPL 93 is on a purple pearl metallic 1993 Chevrolet Camaro. Susan Cain said she chose
the license to let everyone know that the car is purple. The color is very subtle, and it
is sometimes mistaken for grey. The ninety-three is for the year of the car. Her favorite
color is purple. They also have a Harley Davidson Low Rider with
LO RDR 1.
BB DOL 62 is on a red Pontiac Fiero that belongs to Liza. She said that BB DOL is short
for Baby Doll and 62 is her birth year. Her husband calls her Baby Doll.
JS DOO IT (just do it) is on a forty-five year old man's red Corvette convertible. He said
he has had a plaque on his wall that says "Just do it" since 1974 (probably
before Nike!) He works out every day. His plaque and his plate are good incentives.
RD TOAD (road toad) is on a Ford Taurus Wagon. It stands for a small Amerindian likely to
be squashed. The woman who drives this car logs twelve hundred to fifteen hundred miles
per week like the "big boys", but she is only a humble "road toad".
Diane Miller found this one for me.
HAVASU 2 (Havasu Falls 2) is on a blue Ford Bronco. The thirty-six year old woman that
owns this one said that the plate describes Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, Arizona.
After rafting the canyon one summer (1985) she decided to have her license plate named
after it. She said it was the most beautiful place she had seen. Many people have
commented to her about seeing the Grand Canyon, etc.
ARUBA 2 is on the North Carolina plates on a blue Mercedes Benz 190. The owners of this
car spent the first four years of their marriage in Aruba. That is also where their two
boys were born.
HONEY 95 is on a honey and tan Ford station wagon. The woman who owns it said that
"honey" is what she and her husband call each other. Her husband, Bill has CAR
BIL 1 (Carrie, Bill won) on his brown Toyota Corolla. She said that Bill was a very
persistent suitor and eventually won her heart. She is Carrie, so you could say
"Carrie, Bill won."
ALON NI (Alon and I) is forty-six year old Mike Dieter's way of bringing his wife, Alon,
along. He has these plates on his Ford E 150 Conversion Van. He said, "We will be
married twenty-four years in January. A few years ago I started fishing in a club. Prior
to that we always did everything together. Now that I am traveling thirteen to fifteen
weekends a year, the plate is just my way of feeling she is with me even in my
travels."
SKIS CR2 (Sokolowski's car two) is the plate on a blue Buick Le Sabre Ltd. that belongs to
Kathy Sokolowski. Ski has been her nickname since she got married. They have another
vehicle, a mini-van with SKIS VN2. They got the plates for ego identity.
MZ P is another license that Margie Caridi found in California. The owner wrote back to me
and said that the MZ is self-explanatory and that P is for Pat. Since Margie is in Europe
and I didn't see the car (It was a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with California plates) I'm going
to assume it was a business car and it was marked. They have two other plates MZ T and MZ
ENT.
U BOOM 2 (you boom too) is on Jim Parks' silver Dodge Daytona. He said he had a sound
system with a lot of bass before. That was the reason for choosing the plates. It is a
question to others about their sound systems.
Perhaps he drove too close to the next license plate owner once too often.
SHUTTUP is on a pearl Infinity M30 with Illinois plates. The woman who owns this plate
said it means SHUT UP!
She works in the healthcare industry and she always has to be "nice" to people.
So when she hangs up the phone with a "grouch" she says "Shut up!"
Presumably she says that immediately after she hangs up the phone. She said her plate
works great for rude drivers and traffic cops!
LTS DO IT (let's do it) is on Paul Priore's red Pontiac Grand Am. He said that the meaning
should be left to the imagination. He chose the plate as a conversation piece. Marcus, on
the other hand, is more direct.
WNA PLAY (want to play) is the Illinois license on twenty-three year old Marcus' maroon
Fiero. He said, "It just means for the ladies just what it implies. For the guys it's
a horsepower macho thing."
SHAME NU (Shame on you!) is on a teal Chevy Camaro that belongs to a thirty year old man.
He just said he got it to be different. I hope that this guy doesn't go around spoiling
Marcus' fun.
YCATS 59 (Stacy spelled backwards) is on a black Oldsmobile 98. The number is the year of
Stacy's birth. I guess she wants to make an impact in your rear view mirror.
FRONT is on a 1993 Saab Turbo. Richard Solomon said that it tells you which side is the
front of the car...if you look from the front. It tells you that the back is the front if
you look from the back. He said it seemed like a good idea at the time. He should have one
of those old Studebakers. There were a few years when they looked like torpedos and it was
hard to tell the front from the back.
I was outside a Starbuck's Coffee Shop in Naperville, Illinois, and I thought I had this
one figured out. It was STARBUC on a black GMC Typhoon parked almost right in front of
Starbuck's.
It belongs to Kurt Starbuck. He sent in his survey and simply said, "Figure it
out." I still have a problem, though. This is it: Is it simply a coincidence that he
was parked in front of Starbuck's Coffee? I thought Starbuck's was a franchise. If it is,
is he the franchiser? Maybe it isn't a franchise and he owns the whole chain. Maybe he
doesn't own any Starbuck's, but he just parks in front of one to drive me crazy. The more
I know, the less I know.
Speaking of knowing less and less... RF DIODE is on a 1990 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Wagon
belonging to Robert R. Kornowski. He said, "RF Diode means radio frequency diode for
U. S. Patent # 5,136,346.
He also has a 1985 silver Delta 88 wit RF PROBE. RF probe means radio frequency probe for
U. S. Patent # ES.343,802." The RF probe is a device that Motorola uses in the
manufacture of portable cellular phones that are used all over the world.
His 1982 Olds has license # WA9HRF. This plate is being transferred to his '90 Olds and
vice versa.
What I wanted to know is: does he own the patents or what? I decided to call him.
He told me that according to U.S. Patent Law, patents are always issued to the inventor.
He has been issued these patents and several others during his twenty-nine years with
Motorola. His contract with Motorola, however, says he must turn all rights over to them
as a condition of employment. So, I'd say Motorola is happy to have him on board.
AIRESS 6 (Heiress 6) looks sort of out of place on the white 1992 Ford Escort owned by a
fifty-two year old woman. She said that she inherited some money and thought it would be a
"play on words". She said that it was funnier on her last car. It was a
"beat up" Escort. Her son is in law school. He saw a plate that said HEIRESS and
he thought it was cute. The number six is for her six kids.
Funnier yet, she said, they have always been short of money and she is anything but an
heiress. Is an Airess someone who inherits air?
I HOPE SO is on a silver Thunderbird. The fifty-nine year old man that has this plate is a
man of few words. I guess he just thought it was a good idea. Was it? I hope so.
MNTTOBE (meant to be) is an Illinois plate on a white Ford Explorer. The thirty-six year
old woman who drives it said, "I've always wanted a 4x4. My husband talked me into a
Hyundai Sonata. I hated it. Two months later it was totaled in an accident. I walked away
without a scratch. I then went out and bought my dream car 'alone'."
Speaking of "meant to be", I received a letter from a charming gentleman named
Rudi Mangold. He found a completely mud covered and beaten up survey card in the dirt.
Someone had obviously discarded it. Rudi wanted to respond, and although he doesn't
actually have a vanity plate, I decided to include his letter here. I am, after all, the
expert, and I do get to decide these things. Let's just say I think that the inclusion of
his story was "meant to be". Rudi is from Switzerland and his English isn't
perfect. I made no attempt to change it. I think it's fine just the way it is. His letter
reads:
"Dear Sir,
2 days ago I was lunching at Wonderful III, a Chinese restaurant in Grass Valley, CA. When
I returned to my car, I found, laying in the dirt on the ground near to my car, the
postcard with your questions and your address.
Because it happens that I have on my other car a somewhat seldom plate and I think it
could be interesting you in writing you book. Enclosed you will find a bad drawing of the
plate. It shows: W6HB9DU.
I will try to answer your questions:
License plate W6HB9DU State: CA Car Make: DAF Model: 46 Year: 1974 Color: brown
(About the car: In 1974 the Dutch Automobil Fabrieken (Holland) made a series of
experimental cars, the so called DAF. They were never exported to U.S. The weird thing is,
that the car has no gears. After the automatic vacuum-driven clutch the rotation is going
on two wheels with V-belts. The V-belts go to similar wheels sitting on the rear axle. Now
when you start, you press the gas. Motor starts running. As soon as the vacuum is built
up, the clutch transmits the power to the first V-wheel. This wheel is held narrow, so the
V-belt is in the lowest diameter. The next V-wheel is held at its largest diameter, so the
transmission ration is 1:10, that means the car begins to run. As soon as the motor feels
that he needs less power, the vacuum opens the first V-wheel and closes the second
V-wheel. So the transmission ratio goes to 1:1. If you still have you foot on the gas, it
goes faster and faster, until the transmission ration is 10:1, that means full speed.
Because there are no teeth-wheels, that changement is very soft and quick. The car always
stays on that velocity which you are chosing with your gas-foot. When it comes to a hill,
the motor automatically changes to the best torque. That means that you make big savings
in gasoline. Being an experimental car the speed limit is in the 80. But you can drive it
as fast backwards as forwards only by changing a little lever! When I moved from
Switzerland to California, I took that car with me.
My age: 80 sex: male Full description or meaning of license:
Ham radio operators have a call sign. The first Californian hams had W6 and after the 6
personal call letters. The international call for Swiss hams is HB9, followed by personal
call-letters. My Swiss call is HB9DU. When I am working my ham radio station here, I work
on a reciprocal license from the FCC. So my call must be W6 HB9DU. So every other ham in
the world knows: this is a Swiss radio amateur working from a location in California. And
when you are driving with that license plate the amateur behind you on the road can
recognize you.
Dear Dennis: when you have finished the book, please give me a note or at least send me a
fotocopy of the page where my license is mentioned.
Sincerely yours
Rudi Mangold"
THE SEA is on an Illinois plate on a 1993 black Pontiac Grand Prix. Todd Rosenfeldt chose
this plate to reflect the fact that all his life he has loved the sea and marine life.
It's his way of bringing a tropical "mind set" to an Illinois native. He says
some day he will swim with the dolphins and won't need a license plate to take him away
from this cold Illinois environment.
SIS BAY2 (Sister's Bay 2) is the Illinois plate on a cream and brown Ford Aerostar. It's
John Tolp, Jr.'s way to tell the world that when they vacation they go to Door County,
Wisconsin. They go to Sister's Bay in Door County twice a year. When he applied for the
plate, he asked for the lowest number. He said he wonders who has the number one.
The 1994 red Camaro with HILO HI 5 in it belongs to a forty-eight year old woman who is
originally from Hilo, Hawaii. She was born and raised there...so it doesn't stand for
"high, low, high".
Katy McMullin used to drive a Ford Ranger pickup truck, so when she bought her Saturn SCI,
she said the car seemed like a toy. It's pretty small. Hence KTZ TOY 2 (Katy's toy 2) was
the right plate for her. The two just saved her money.
WOACH is on the Illinois plates belonging to a gentleman named Wojtczak. It is his
nickname. He says Wojtczak is hard to pronounce. I can imagine.
OHTOB 29 (oh to be twenty-nine) is on a white Pontiac Grand Prix driven by a forty-five
year old woman. She always thought twenty-nine was the perfect age to be. She wanted to
reflect that on her vanity plate. It took her almost a year to think it up. Now that she
is way over forty, she has been thinking of changing it to thirty-nine. She said,
"Glad you like it! I often get people honking and giving me a thumbs up sign!"
Y WURRY 2 (why worry too) is in a red Ford Escort that belongs to Cynthia Rials. She said,
"I was casting around for a vanity plate and I didn't like any of the ideas I was
coming up with. One day while talking to someone, I said why worry, too. Later I thought
that would be a good idea for a plate. Naturally I changed the spelling a little and
abbreviated why and too to make sure it was unusual and different and there we have it. I
have gotten many, many, comments, all positive, on the plate. I've had it for almost five
years now."
TIPS 87 is a thirty-five year old woman's plate. She has it on her silver grey Nissan
Maxima. It is a derivative of her last name. The eighty-seven refers to the year of the
car.
SLOSH 1 is Tim Schlosser's nickname on his white Pontiac Grand Prix. The one is because he
is the first child of three. His wife has SLOSH 89 on her red Chevrolet Cavalier because
1989 is the year she became a Schlosser.
LEMON 12 belongs to Ms. Lemon. It is on a white Mercury Grand Marquis, so the car's
certainly not a "lemon". Twelve was the first number available. There are at
least eleven other "lemons" out there.
MPROM2 (impromptu) is an Illinois plate that is a substitute for the word
"spontaneous", which won't fit on an Illinois plate. Its owner said
"impromptu" works just the same...except everyone has to ask what the plate
means. He didn't think it was that difficult! He must be too right brained for the world.
The two finishes the word. He said, "Yes 'someone' has IMPROM2."
WARTHOG is on Ed's 1979 gold Pontiac Trans Am. It stands for the A-10 Thunderbolt airplane
also known as "Warthog". He said he always liked the A-10 Thunderbolt and always
wanted to fly it.
4 MI BUZZ is a California plate that is on a white Jeep CJ-7. Nancy (Buzz) Gillespie has
the plate.
Her husband always wanted a Jeep. When they moved to the foothills, he bought one. Buzz
wasn't thrilled with the idea. To endear her to his purchase, he included the plates
4 MI BUZZ. People think he bought the car for her, but she knows the truth.
WPDIDO 1 (Wip dee doo!). The owner of the black Ford Explorer said, "Need I say
more??"
BUT WHYY (but why?) - twenty-eight year old Julie Wollscheid has this on her blue Ford
Bronco. She thinks that is pretty self-explanatory too.
NO POINT is on an Illinois plate on a white Mustang. It is from the Outfield song,
"No Point".
Y ASK Y is on a white Mustang. It is from the Bud Dry commercial, "Why ask why?"
T MINUS 7 (Takeoff minus seven) is in a 1988 Subaru Justy that is owned by Mr. Czarny. It
is in memory of the seven astronauts who perished on January 28, 1986 ninety seconds after
takeoff, because of a faulty O-ring.
Bud Utendorf visited my office with his survey card in hand because he wanted to
personally report to me on his plates. He is a United pilot and he drives past my office
regularly. I was glad he dropped in. Every day I get some kind of pleasant surprise from
this little venture.
His wife, Judy, has WIS ROSE on her maroon 1993 Buick Roadmaster. This all came about over
twenty years ago. It seems that she was doing some refinishing in the house and she was
sanding wood. She was wearing a face mask, and Bud started calling her "Rosie the
Riveter" of World War II fame. The name stuck.
She is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, so when he went to get her vanity plate, WIS
ROSE just seemed to be a natural.
Bud's plate reflects his interest in, and knowledge of, flying. He has NY PHL DC on his
maroon Chevrolet Corsica. He said that this was the route of the first commercial flight.
It was May 15, 1918. There were two flights that day. Both were airmail flights. The other
flight originated in Washington, D.C. and was to go to Philadelphia and end up in New
York, while this flight was starting in New York, stopping in Philadelphia and ending up
in Washington D.C. The flight that originated in Washington, D.C. crashed, so this was the
first flight. The plane took off from the infield of Belmont Park Racetrack.
Bud is also an avid stamp collector. He said that the first airmail stamp featured this
flight. One sheet of those stamps was inadvertently printed with the airplane flying
upside down. It has become the most valuable stamp in history. He said that just one of
these twenty-four cent stamps has sold for as much as $135,000!
JAM A JET is on a Volkswagen Jetta belonging to Ellas. She apparently has this as a
nickname for her Jetta. Her husband's car is a Ford Taurus SHO, and he has I SHO U. (Of
course this should actually be in the "Powerful Cars" category, but I like
living on the edge. I'm always ready to break my own rules if it suits my convenience.)
RED ROO 5 (red kangaroo five) is on George's red 1991 Camaro Z 28. While he was visiting
Australia, he trained a red kangaroo to do things for him. It took five tries (five
different animals) to do it. Hence RED ROO 5.
RUFN IT 7 is on eighteen year old Brad Ruffner's '88 Ford Mustang GT. I thought it was
going to have something to do with roughing it. Of course you have guessed the real
reason. It is short for his name. Seven is his lucky number. He thought it sounded catchy.
Another sleeper is BRAVO 5. It is on a black Range Rover. It is Carlos E. Bravo's car. He
included the number to save money. It is a sequence number. He has other vehicles.
TAKING 5 looks good on the white Toyota Celica convertible driven by a fifty-three year
old man who reports, "Take 5 means 'Take a break' - 'Take five minutes'." He
uses this expression a lot, especially when his wife has work for him to do, but he needs
a break. His GMC van has I TAKE 5, and his boat is called TAKE 5. The whole thing was his
wife's idea.
SHE TZU 2 is an Illinois plate on a tan GMC Van. The woman who owns this van has two Shih
Tzu dogs. Her son had the idea for the plate.
HUMBUG is on a Mercedes 450SL convertible belonging to John Bennett. He said he is a
non-holiday type of person. He was sitting on Waikiki Beach on Christmas Day in 1976
reading about the possibility of a "white Christmas" back in Chicago.. His only
response to his wife and friends was "bah humbug". What an appropriate plate for
a sun-loving car.
HUMBUM, on the other hand, has a completely different meaning. Kevin Daleiden has it on
his green 1973 Triumph TR6. His wife named the car HUMBUM ten years ago...and it stuck!
Humbum is the sound that the car makes when you round a curve downshifting from third to
second gear...Humbum-bum-bum-bum...
An upbeat license that is a double entendre is the license plate 4 JOY. I found it in Ohio
on a burgundy Accord. The car belongs to Joy Felder, so, she says, "Since my first
name is Joy, this vehicle is 'for Joy'." She mentioned a couple of other plates that
she thought you, the reader, might enjoy. They are: C ME 2C (see me to see) -
optometrist's plates, and RT CANL (root canal) - endodontist's plates.
NYRDRM2 (in your dream too) is on eighteen year old Cheree's white '92 Ford Escort GT. She
just thinks it's cute. I guess she wants to be in your dream.
Another Ford Escort, a red 1991 with Illinois plates, has YABBEE1 on them. This is a
nickname twenty-five year old Jamie was given by a deaf child who couldn't say her name.
Now her family and friends call her Yabbee. The deaf child can now say Jamie correctly,
but younger, his speech wasn't as clear. He was four years old when he gave her the
nickname. Now, she says, "He is a fabulous twelve year old."
PAROTS 4 is on a white Chrysler Le Baron. It belongs to a forty-one year old woman who
has, you guessed it, four parrots.
Ceil Hoffmann has a red Cadillac Sedan DeVille with
CTS MEOW (cat's meow) on the Illinois plates. I thought it might refer to the car, but you
know by now how often we experts are right. She said she has four cats. Cats meow. She
also said it is an old reference to "She thinks she's the cat's meow".
The '91 Chrysler Town and Country was complimenting my car as I drove down the street and
read ICAQT2 (I see a cutie too). Twenty-three year old Julie had them on her car. It was
her husband's idea. He has ICAQD2 on his car and just to confuse everyone, he has JULIES
on his motorcycle. It is his - not hers.
The black Ford 150 pickup truck belonging to Jim Setlik has his favorite saying on it. HAV
MRCY (Have mercy).
Michael Weiss has RIVVIN 7 on his cream colored Buick Riviera. He said it's short for
rivving, like cruising in a Riviera. He tried to get three other vanity plates, all of
which were taken, before he gave up and took this as his fourth choice.
DAKOOZ1 (the Kooz 1) belongs to Christopher Kouzios. He has it on his Hyundai Scoupe LS
now, but it was originally on his '81 Camaro. The "Da" is a strictly local
expression for the word "the", as I have explained elsewhere in this book. He
used it here so he could still fit the one on the plate to save money - that way he would
only have to pay eleven dollars.
GEEZ 2 is on twenty-nine year old Mike Egizio's 1989 red Ford Probe GT. It was his college
nickname. Contrary to some people's opinion, he said, "It's not pronounced
JEEZ."
PHRYMO is on the Ohio plates on a Mercury Cougar XR7 belonging to Brian Mehling. His
description of the meaning brought up more questions than it answered. He said PHRYMO is
short for his high school and college nickname, "Phrymeleosis", which I tried to
look up in the dictionary, the medical dictionary and the encyclopedia. I haven't a clue
where that nickname came from or what it could possibly mean. I can't even pronounce it!
PSIOUX 1 is on Pattie Sue Schueneman's white Ford Escort. Her name is Patricia Susan and
her family calls her Pattie Sue. When she was young (about five) she said she wanted to
change her name. Her cousins started spelling it Pattie Sioux. Now she is thirty, and the
spelling is still with her. Although it wasn't her first choice, and it wasn't really one
of her favorites, it ended up on her license plate.
Julia Ingersoll has INGY 2 on Wisconsin plates on her cashmere Toyota Camry. Her husband,
Greg, is the middle of three boys, all two years apart. In high school, they were referred
to as Ingy one, two and three. Greg's older brother lives in Illinois and has INGY 1 on
his plates. Their parents have MA INGY and PA INGY on their plates. Cute!
MS LUCY is on the 1993 Lexus ES300 belonging to Lucy Cantore. She said she has been called
Ms. Lucy for so long that it just seemed appropriate for her plates to say
MS LUCY. She has also applied for scooter plates that say MS LUCY for her Yamaha Razz.
EDGE 32 conjured up all kinds of wild speculation on my part. I was thinking "living
on the edge", "the leading edge", "the cutting edge", "over
the edge", and on and on. The real story is somewhat different.
It is on a gold Saturn belonging to a twenty-eight year old woman who's maiden name was
Edge. Thirty-two is her favorite number. She just moved here and it only cost her three
dollars to specify her name if she put a number on it. She figured she could handle three
dollars worth of vain.
Michael O'Connor has UCRED 2 (Do you see red too?) on the Illinois plates on his red
Chevrolet Beretta. He said it's kinda slang and it goes with the car. He thought it
sounded good. Patty Kolaski, his significant other, has a white Beretta and she wants to
put UCWHTE 1 on it, but she hasn't yet. She said maybe someday.
You've got to think that DUFFARU has to do with golf. Not on your life. Forty-seven year
old Pat Reed has it on a beige Chevrolet Chevette. It is the name of his hamster. He said
that his hamster is peppy and so is his Chevette. Also, if Duffaru dies, the name goes on.
TOW LAW was another plate that I thought would have been easy to figure out. Thomas O.
Wagner and his wife, Louise Ann Wagner put this plate on his grey Dodge Dynasty, and, of
course, if you look at their initials, you know immediately that the plate is simply that
- their initials. Louise has LAW TOW on her car. And Tom has a 1978 Chrysler New Yorker,
"the last of the really big ones", with the plate TOW 37. I wondered why he
chuckled so when I asked him to send in the survey.
SUNCKER (sun seeker) belongs to forty-one year old Kay Sordel. She has a white Honda
Accord. She loves warm, sunny weather and she is always seeking sunshine. She said now
that she has been divorced for five years, she has thought of changing it to FUNCKER, (fun
seeker) but she says she won't.
UNEEEK (unique) is an Illinois plate on a black 1993 Mazda 626. The thirty year old woman
that chose this plate did it to describe her first car. It was a Nissan. It was the first
year of a new model and she thought it was very unique. Her sister and she thought it
would be different to spell unique "u-n-e-e-e-k". So now her license plate is
more unique than her car.
Gregg Elstien says what is on his mind. He doesn't mind who knows either. His license
plate EXPRSVE (expressive) tells the world from its perch on his black Mazda MX3. Gregg
says he acts in a very expressive manner as well.
THNX DAV (thanks Dave) is on a 1994 champagne beige Lexus 400 that an anonymous
forty-three year old woman owns. Her brother also has a Lexus 400 with the plates THNQ DAV
(thank you Dave). Dave, unfortunately, is also anonymous. He is their financial advisor.
He made it possible for them to afford the Lexuses...or is it Lexi? I never know about
those things. In any event, I would like to meet this guy Dave.
LAST 1 is the last entry in the book. Linda Boley found it out in Kansas on a black and
silver Ford Pickup. It belongs to fifty-two year old Libe Rush, and he got it because he
is the last one of eight children. I hope that he doesn't mind being the LAST 1 once
again.
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