Friday, 9 July 2004
11:30pm
No More Favors for Slapshotnerd
(or, day 1 of volunteering to be an import car show judge)
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Secondly, judges just don't judge cars. At least not at Hot Import Nights/Daze events. They're also there the day before basically supervising the loading in and arrangement of all the cars into the show space. This sounds like it shouldn't be too difficult, but consider this:
The average show car spends more time in the shop than it ever does on the streets. As a result, it appears that none of the drivers of these cars actually know how to drive their cars. Actually, not even drive their cars... they don't know how to park their cars. You try to give them direction and they're spinning the wheel the wrong way, etc. etc. etc.
On top of the challenge of getting a bunch of guys who can't drive to park their cars in some sort of an organized looking sort of manner, everyone wants a good spot. I mean everyone. And I don't blame them -- I mean, this is a car show... you bring it here so everyone can see your car, so obviously you want a good spot.
The cool guys understand that not everyone can have a good spot. They'll ask, and if it's not really possible, they understand and accept what they've got. But on the other hand you have the jackasses. The ones that will cop attitude with you, thinking that for some reason they are special... more important than everyone else. While you've got hundreds of other cars waiting to be loaded in, these guys are holding up the entire line.
The worst ones are the ones that start busting out with the name dropping. "Do you know who I know!?" or "Let me talk to [insert important guy's name here]". So while they are getting angry, or even belligerent and threatening, I'm standing by trying to be diplomatic while quietly thinking to myself, "Do you know who *I* am? You're standing here treating me like shit while tomorrow I just might be back at your spot judging your car... marking every tiny little insignificant defect I can find on my little score card."
For the most part, the car owners were friendly... I mean they are there to have a good time. It's just the handful that feel like they are so much more important than everyone else that are a pain in the ass the deal with... and believe me, none of those guys come from any of the big, well known, and well respected car clubs that also happen to have the nicest cars.
Tonight... I plan on just taking a nice long hot shower, and sleeping early if I can, because I am hot, sticky, exhausted... and I have to be back at the stadium parking lot at freakin' 8:00am. Yep, from 8-11 we are loading in about a hundred more cars. The show (and judging) officially start at noon. The show ends at 7pm and I'll then be on helping get all the cars out of the show area. Which *should* theoretically be easier than loading the cars in.
By the way, Slapshotnerd is a guy from the RBP message board which is where I originally posted this message. I'm judging this car show as a favor to him. He owes me. Big time. And despite the work, I *am* having fun. But you can bet I won't be doing one of these for free every again haha.