Transforming the Transformer - Part 1: Securing the Name

For the first part of what I hope will be an ongoing saga as I acquire my very own transformer, 

I decided to talk about the first thing I've actually acquired: the license plates.

Hey - if you're gonna get a vehicle, and make it look like a Transformer (in vehicle mode), then the character's name should be the license plates. Right? 

So as I drove around to work and stuff I started thinking about that, and looked at the license plates around me. Most of them had only six letters or numbers, so I started playing with the name: RLLBAR? ROLLBR? ROLBAR? No one variation stood out, but they all said the same thing and I figured I'd just pick whatever was available when the time came.

Then I noticed that some plates had a seventh space. ROLLBAR could be had!

Then I went to the state DMV site to look at vanity plates and was surprised at the variety. Besides the Veteran, Handicapped and Breast Cancer Supporter plates, others are available that support such things as the local university, agriculture, the military and Native American Tribes. They even have plates for antique and street rod cars. 

And while most of those have a maximum of six spaces, some have as little as four.

I know! WTF?

But there were indeed a few versions offering a full seven spaces. I took a shot, and the bar started to roll.

When I told Mrs. Adorkification that I wanted to get them right away, she was understandably confused: "Why get vanity plates for a future red Jeep Wrangler, when it would just be put on a blue Chevy Silverado now?"

Which is a valid question. The answer...

...is time.

Not that I expect the price of vanity plates to go up anytime soon, and $27 a year is nothing. It's that vanity plates are "first-come, first-served". We can get by with the truck we have now until we find a good deal for what we're looking for, even if it takes a year or more. But I didn't want to spend all that time stressing about the possibility of not getting the plates I really want, and settling for a second (albeit workable) choice. Then she asked if I expected a big demand for "Transformer Plates" between now and then.

(sigh)

But she agreed that the cost wasn't an issue, and as long as they were going on my vehicle and not hers, I could get them now.

So - $27 and a confirmation email later, the plates have been approved.

Now I just have to wait six weeks for delivery...