Hooters Emily Is Ready For Football Season, Mets Fans Punch Braves Fan & Will Russia Consider Jackson Mahomes For Britney Griner Trade?
Ever have one of those perfect Sundays where your kid says 'This was a perfect day' only to walk out to move your cars back in the driveway and someone hit your car & drove off?
That's how my Sunday went.
It was 100 degrees. The kids were in the pool for eight hours. The neighbors stopped by to play 40 oz. Roulette with the garage fridge -- my neighbor ended up with a 40 of Icehouse and I got the Old Milwaukee Beast Ice. The neighbor's wife was drinking Kirkland Lights. I truly hope she's feeling OK this morning.
Anyway, they were long gone. I'd made dinner, gotten cleaned up and it was time to hunker down on a blazing hot Sunday night. I go out to move the cars into the driveway and the neighbor's sister, who is 70 or so, rammed her Porsche SUV right into our car and took off.
Long story short, her husband acknowledges over the phone that she hit the car, but she thought it was a small dent and she took off.
Again, was she going to tell us? It doesn't appear so.
This brings me to last week's massive controversy where the RV park lady gave our reservation to another family and didn't plan on telling us. In that case, the lady was going to let us show up in nowhere Michigan to learn our campground reservation was non-existent.
Last night, Porsche SUV Lady was going to let us try to figure out what happened.
We're better than this, America.
Quick hitters off the top of my head
Jeep culture!
Let's dive right into this phenomenon that pops into my brain around this time each year as the massive Jeep convention rolls into Toledo this Friday. What started out as approximately 50 Jeeps doing a lap through what looks like a bombed-out Ukrainian city, is now a massive gathering -- 65,000 people in 2021 -- in a slightly less war-torn-looking Toledo for people who love to stick two-fingers out of a Wrangler to wave at other Wrangler owners.
• Wyn writes:
Hope you’re having a good weekend. Highly anticipating my TNML shirt arriving this week so that I will actually look good when drinking after-mowing beers.
I wanted to reach out in regards to the “Jeep wave“ that you discussed on screencaps last week. I recently went on a trip to Minnesota and my buddy picked me up in his jeep Rubicon, with the top down of course and the doors off. Being a resident of Colorado I expected nothing less as this place is overrun with Wranglers. We hadn’t even gotten 2 miles away from the airport when he started exchanging the two-finger Jeep wave with those passing us by in their Jeeps.
Another oddity of the Jeep owner culture is something called ducking. I’ve attached a picture below which includes a card describing the series of events. Apparently, you put this on the drivers' door handle as a show of affection for being a fellow Jeep owner. Interesting but passionate culture of folks these Jeep owners are.
Keep up the good work and appreciate screencaps on the daily. By the way it’s been 10 years that I’ve been reading screencaps.
• Chris B. writes:
Here in the Florida Alps of North Carolina, there are so many Wranglers it looks like a gay pride parade. (Most common vehicles: Lexus SUV with FL plates, Outback, and Wrangler. The pickups you see are mostly real people who work on the houses here.)
Yes, the “Jeep Wave” is an actual thing. I’ve even seen windshield stickers and a little thing that attaches to the side mirror that looks like a hand waving. When I’m driving my wife’s Wrangler-- which I hate because I’m tall--I have to either do something with my lot hand or look like a jerk. I usually do the ‘L’ as a compromise.
• Benji in Johnson City, TN writes:
I have a Jeep and give a quick two fingers up from the steering wheel any time I see another one but if I miss a wave it’s not anything to worry about. I used to get annoyed if they didn’t wave back but a friend and fellow Jeep owner said “I’m waving at the Jeep, not the driver”. It is funny to me to be in my Jeep and get a few waves a day from non-Jeeps. I know it’s a Jeep owner who is just in the habit but driving a different car for the day. I’ve been guilty of it myself since mine is a weekend or sunny day fun car and not my daily driver.
• John W. writes:
Wife has an old ‘97 wrangler -I tease her about the wave and rules (only when passing in opposite directions?-why not when you pass one -we hat if they are on a cross street? What if parked?)
Seems only when passing and has ti be a wrangler-the grand Cherokee’s are pretenders -the new truck style get a pass although any four door she feels is not a real Wrangler.
The new thing I found is that these people leave little plastic ducks on each other’s parked jeeps-and post on Facebook about it….Jeep world getting soft…
• Brandon in Michigan writes:
I've only experienced the Jeep wave when seeing another fellow "old" Jeep driver (i.e., 2000 XJ or earlier model, pre-German takeover). If ain't a boxy Jeep (and I don't include those late 90's Grand Cherokees, aka the Sorority Special in this), why should I care? It's a fellowship of 'yeah I see your rust spots and mismatched panels and mud stains with the aftermarket lift kit, but under the hood we're all inline 6 devotees that just want cheap gas and an occasional dirt road in Northern Michigan to take at 40 mph like we think we're in Colorado'.
Mine's a 2000 Jeep XJ with the red "A-team" stripe on it. It's a hockey hauler for my daughter's hockey gear (wife won't let the gear in her car- smells too bad), and my 12 yr girl is hoping I can coax another 3-4 years out of it so she can get it as her first car. She's helped me change oil, fix a radiator leak, change a throttle sensor-- all because her dad took the time to show how all the parts of that gas-powered powertrain work, not hidden behind computers and code and electronics boxes.
• Ryan O. is a Jeep owner who is having second thoughts over the Jeep wave thing:
The Jeep wave….I own a four door Jeep. And have owned older model two door Jeeps (99TJ, 79CJ5). I hate the Jeep wave! I may be in the minority but I rarely wave. Yes, the Jeepers your talking about do wave at every other Jeep they pass on the road.
These people will also carry around little rubber ducks and put them on other Jeeps that are parked to show how “cool” they think there Jeep is! They call it getting “ducked” and they want you to take a picture with the ducks and your jeep post it and pass the duck to another jeep owner to continue the cycle. This stuff makes me want to sell the dam Jeep. This is why I tell people I’m not a “Jeep guy” but I do own one.
These are the Bourbon bros of the automotive world. I like Jeeps because it is really fun to have the top and doors off in the summer and drive back roads and hit up dive bars and just generally take the long way to places. All the other stuff makes me wish I had just built an 70’s full size Chevy Blazer with the full removable top and doors, KC lights on the roll bar, Heartbeat of America license plate on the front bumper and cooler full of Busch Lights in the back. That’s the kind of guy I would wave at.
• Justin F. in Edmond, OK writes:
I love Screencaps. Best part of my day. DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING!
I'm a new Jeep owner who has grown up in Oklahoma where, in most small towns, everybody waves at everybody. I grew up in a suburb so when I moved to a small town for the first time, I was amazed and amused that people kept waving to me. ALL of the time! Eventually, I got used to it. Then I moved away and have spent the past 20 years in OKC. It wasn't until I bought my new Jeep and Jeep owners started consistently waving to me (I'd say it happens 75% of the time) that I realized I'd missed that small town experience of people waving every day.
Think of it like this: There is something to be said in this divided, corrosive culture in which we live, for people to SEE you, acknowledge you, and simply recognize that you share something in common that you both value. In the end, it's not that big of a deal (and it's not exhausting, yet) but it's a little icing on the cake during a long, hard day. Don't we all need a little more icing? I know I do.
Jeep leg
• Jon M. raises a great question about the Jeep life:
Along with all Jeep owners waiving at each other, what’s up with the toys/figures on the dash and the driver hanging their left leg out of the door!
The last time you purchased a magazine from the grocery store checkout line
• Carl S. writes:
Had been years since I purchased a magazine in line, but just this off-season promised my football-obsessed 8-year-old he could co-manage my casual $20 neighborhood league. And no son of mine is going to come to draft night unprepared. $20 or $2000 you're going to learn to do the work!
• Benji in Johnson City, TN was also in on this subject:
I buy a couple of the College Football preview magazines every year just to read the hype and learn cool player names like “Squirrel White”
The only other time to buy a magazine is if somebody I know is sick or recovering from surgery and they are laid up for a few days. The phone eventually gets boring or makes you blind.
Advice needed
• Bo T. writes:
Joe, I’m looking for some advice from the best community on the internet. After a career as a Green Beret and a defense contractor, I’m getting ready to retire-retire. My last hurrah was spending 90 some days getting Humanitarian Aid delivered in Ukraine. I am all about slowing down but looking for some tips to manage the transition to a Gentleman of Leisure lifestyle. We are in the process of moving from OK (great place to live) to MI (Seems pretty awesome) as my lovely and gracious bride is still working and recently took a great job there. I play golf and drink PBR so have those bases covered. Cheers and outstanding work on Screencaps.
Do your thing, Screencaps readers. With the number of military retirees in this community, there should be some great ideas out there for Bo. I'll start by offering this advice to Bo, who's moving to Michigan: kayaks and canoes. Make a purchase and get out on the water. It's everywhere and it's incredible paddling.
Now the rest of you can fill up the email inbox for Bo and others who are about to join him in the retirement ranks.
Go have a great day. That's plenty for a Monday.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com