Tomorrow I'm going to renew my license plate. This year, everyone who has the old plate with the blue background is "upgraded" to a new one with a white background which is supposedly better at seeing the license plate numbers at night. I currently have a blue one and I've had it since 1999. I know my number by heart. I like the blue background because it's different than all the other plates around but I have no choice. If I didn't want the white background one that is free (but advertises a government website and lacks a reference to the Great Lakes), I could spend $5 and get this one:
I like the blues and greens and even the silhouette of downtown Detroit doesn't bother me but the one thing that does? The font choice for the word 'Michigan'. It's not so noticeable in this picture but in real life, it's tiny and doesn't seem properly set between the building and the pine trees. In the dislike of font choices, this ranks a close second behind the size of the numbers on the Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. It made poor Jerome Bettis look even bigger than he was.
And the last option which isn't really an option is to spend $35 for a license plate with a big green E on it, showing that I graduated from that particular university. That's not really an option because the 'proud alumnus' title doesn't quite fit me. I'm just happy to be out of there.
So...does one go for the boring, free license plate with the state's website proudly displayed or does one spend 5 bucks and get a prettier one but that has a font that you hate?
12 comments:
Spend the $5.
I would go for the free one. But, then again, I don't color coordinate my gym clothes a week in advance.
S! - I knew you would pick the pretty one.
Kevin - Funny that out all of my inspiring posts, that's the one that you remember and quote from most often. :-)
I'm with Kevin. The plate is on the ass end of your car where it will soon be covered in road grime and where the only person who cares to look at it is the person you just cut off on the freeway. Save the $5.
Personally I've always liked the simplicity of the blue one. I'd pick it if I had the choice.
We have new blue ones that say "In God we Trust" and they really piss Pauly and I off. So much for separation of church and state, no?
S! - Do you get more options than just that one?
To all - Does anyone know why Alabama's license plates have 'When Stars Fall On' written on it?
I've got the old scenic michigan plate where the Big Mack looks a lot like the Golden Gate! Suppose since I've only had mine since 2004, I didn't get upgraded this year.
It's the "In God We Trust" or the default. Obviously you know which I would go with when given the option. Apparently they are redesigning the plates again, they had open voting for the new design a few months ago. And one of the new designs was all blue just like "In God We Trust Ones". They are trying to pull one over on us, I can see it already.
Sage - Nope, you Great Lakes Splendor people get to keep your plates but I don't believe they are making any more. The one you have may be worth something one day.
S! - Perhaps you should look into license plate designing. I bet you would come up with some creative ones.
Murf - When Stars Fall On is a line out of the poem Long Distance written by Allen Peterson.
Long Distance
Astronauts say their dreams are like earth dreams
but the people are floating.
Last night when Frances answered her dream phone
I was down under the pastry layers
of sheets and blue throw. Later she asked did I hear it.
No, I had been orbiting myself,
misreading a box in Carol’s kitchen ”cloudless” for cordless.
At night when stars fall on Alabama,
water goes granular and steps back, dreams improve us
with their thick pastels, revisits in tints.
Maybe the astronauts called from their cloudless telephones
with news from Long Distance:
Romans invaded Arabia Felix, Columbus discovered Ohio.
Dream phone? Pastry layers? Self-orbiting? There must be some good drugs in Alabama.
Thanks for enlightening me, Ed.
Remember, I have a brother who lives in Alabama so I've had plenty of time to contemplate the same thing before.
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