Racing Stripes

You know, sometimes the blogging gods smile upon you.

I was knocking around a couple of ideas at work today for a blog topic, but nothing was grabbing me much. A request blog (which I promise I'll start doing again), pictures of a clean Sherman (if I could get him all fixed up in time), a rousing edition of What Are The Boys Up To, eh, it all seemed dull to me.

Then around noon, while the boss was at lunch and I was sitting at her desk, a couple came in and asked to see her. San at the front explained she wasn't in right then, but that I could probably help them, and so back they came into the office.

They'd bought a new car and they wanted to get everything set up.

And all I wanted was a camera.

This was a couple of, oh, the man was probably in his mid-seventies, and his wife was a little younger. She was dressed nicely, with a modern haircut, very well turned out, and he - well, he was a man around five feet five inches, not slim but not stout, tanned, and he - well, he....

Any fans of "Freaks and Geeks" out there? The wonderful show of some years ago about kids trying to get along in high school? Remember the episode where geek Sam was trying desperately to fit in with the cooler kids so he bought some clothes of his own?

Well, the very nice and friendly seventy-something fellow who'd ambled into the office today was wearing an honest-to-God Parisian Nightsuit.

It was a seersucker jumpsuit, snug-fitting, and probably bought new somewhere around 1978. It was white with red pinstripes. It zipped up the front and had its own built-in belt. He looked like a tube of Pepsodent.

I got the helpless, well, I had the good sense not to get the helpless giggles, but I got the helpless "the corners of my mouth are turned up and everything I say ends in a bit of a laugh." Every time it happened, I said something funny, about not being able to read VIN numbers without old people glasses and the like, and I got through it well. I was very happy San had a customer up front so she wouldn't catch my eye, but was terribly disappointed the boss wasn't there to see it.

And since I didn't have a camera, I don't have a picture for you. However, I have one of those old naked drawings of Kim Jong-Il from a blog sometime back, so I've tried to recreate it.

























So as I said, they were such a nice little couple, and they were so excited about their new car, which was a Mini Cooper. I was telling them how cute I thought they were, and they said, "Well, you might see us around town in ours, if you do, wave! It's red, with white racing stripes."

And then my smile turned from one of snarkiness to one of endearment. Mr Client was going to pick up his red and white striped Mini in his red and white striped jumpsuit! He was all nattily attired to drive his new car around town.

And I smiled all day.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* Man, do we have acrowinners! You've made me proud! The topic was, "Who's At My Door?"
- Honorable Mentions go to DeepFatFriar, with his "Department of Defense, attacking," Mr Middlebrow, with his "Delerious octogenarians dementedly ambling," and Duke, with his "Dirty, old, degenerate Acolytes."
- Runners-Up go to Mike, with his "Duh. Opportunity, dumb ass," Kellie (with an ie), with her "Dudes on divine Arabians," and LilyG, with her, "Dogs ogling dinner, aperitifs."
- And this week's winner is Marla (marlamarlamarla), with her "Daughter of Dad, actually." Because, well, with me in the reflection, I guess that is who's at my door. Good one!
- Yes, everyone's on the winners board this week, because you all had such good acros. You've all done very well!