One of the trips is to Northern California, for the Pebble Beach car show. They don't call it a car show, to them it's the "Concours d'Elegance."
We're going as staff members, like we did last year. Steve's boss was invited to show a very rare Packard that he'd acquired, and I believe this year he's been invited once again for another rare Packard he bought. We were the staff responsible for transporting the vehicle from L.A. to Pebble Beach in the semi truck, and of course that's enough stress in itself. Another stressful job is done by Robert Espinoza, who shows the car. Seriously, in order to look halfway decent to the judges, you have to have a staff showing the car. And that staff has to be completely knowledgeable about every single aspect of the vehicle. Every nut and bolt, the reason for every bit of the design, etc.
Last year I dressed in business casual, and I looked like a total slob compared to the rest of the people. I didn't wear my comfy shoes or my comfy sweater (it was 60 degrees and we were freezing to death) I wore business clothes. And I was SHUNNED for my lack of fashion.
Here's what I was up against:
And this:
Snooty bastards.
Oh incidentally, I am in that photo. I am in the window on the right, above the stage. Steve's boss reserved a very nice suite in order for us to watch the awards ceremony. Even in the suite, we were freezing. Steve bundled up in a blanket and hibernated for quite a while. I drank everything I could get my hands on.
One thing I remember certainly is the raffles. In Havasu, the car shows have raffles and the winners typically get a t shirt, a car cover, or a gift certificate for a free meal at Denny's. At the "Concours d'Elegance," the raffle tickets are $100 each and the prizes are Rolex watches and Mercedes and BMW's. Not kidding. We were shocked. At Pebble Beach, Jay Leno did the presentation of the raffle winners. In Havasu, I AM THE ONE DOING THE PRESENTATION. That's quite a difference.
In Havasu, a decent breast augmentation gets you lots of attention and friends at the car show. At Pebble Beach, it will get you dirty looks. So I have ordered the following from Ebay:
A Snooty McSnooterson red wool blazer.....
And a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo Italian shoes...
Oh and I'm currently bidding on a Dooney & Bourke handbag, so I can carry around all my drinks and snacks. Because one drink at this show is $10. And I don't even know what snacks cost.
So, set your Teevo for August 17th, I'm going to do my best to get on the live coverage of the awards ceremony. Maybe I'll invest in one of those raffle tickets.
