Wil Wheaton and the Secret MINI Owners Club.

Discussion in 'MINI' started by Nathan, May 20, 2009.

  1. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    From the L.A. Weekly

    Nerdy Like Me: The Secret Mini Driver's Club
    Tuesday, May. 19 2009 @ 6:00AM
    By Wil Wheaton in Wil Wheaton

    "You ready to leave?" Anne asked from just outside my office door.

    "Yeah, let me just finish this," I said, typing as fast as I could, my fingers and brain in a familiar creative race.

    "If we don't leave right now, we're both going to be late," she said.

    I glanced at the clock: 3:15pm. "Oh ****. Okay, I'm getting up now."

    I told my brain to take the ideas it was releasing and hold onto them for about two hours. My fingers and brain wanted to know who won the race, and I told them both that I didn't have time to invent one of my trademark conversations between things that can't actually converse. They didn't protest.

    Though I wanted to stay at my desk and keep writing, I grabbed my stuff off my desk, slipped on my shoes, and went to the kitchen to fill my water bottle. Anne had come up with a solid plan: She had an appointment at 3:30, and I had a voice over session at 4, just down the road. For only the second time in our life together, we could actually carpool to our respective engagements, and it would be convenient. I must admit, I was excited by the idea, not only because we were doing something nice for the planet and saving money on gas and parking. I was excited because I love to spend time with my wife, even if it's just an extra 30 minutes while driving somewhere.

    Anne wasn't nerdy like me when we started dating, and she isn't nerdy like me, now. She's been nerd-adjacent for thirteen years, though, so she's picked up an appreciation for some of the things I'm always geeking out about, like, polyhedral dice and their role in dispatching fantastic monsters, the existence of three (and only three) Star Wars films, produced between 1977 and 1983, and why I get twitchy when people holding food get too close to my comic books. It's no big secret that I love my wife, but just in case it wasn't clear: I love that she gets me, and I'm grateful for that every day.

    I finished filling up my water, told my dogs I'd be right back, and walked out to the driveway, where Anne stood next to her car. I've always loved my VW Golf, but ever since Anne got her Mini Cooper last year, I've had massive vehicle envy. She knows this, and lets me drive it fairly often.

    "I sure do like driving your car," I said.

    "I know." She tossed me her keys. I caught them, and opened the doors.

    We settled into our seats and she said, "Hey, it's a good thing we're not going to the same planet!"

    "...What?"

    She giggled and pointed to her shirt, and then to mine. "We're both wearing red shirts."

    "Did you just -"

    "Yes, I did."

    "You are so awesome."

    She laughed. "I can't believe that I know what that means, and I'm not even a nerd."

    I started the car and pulled out of our driveway. "I think it's a side effect of spending the last thirteen years with me. Sorry about that."

    "It's okay. I don't mind."

    I drove up our street and headed toward the freeway. A few blocks from our neighborhood, I saw another Mini coming toward us.

    "I'm totally going to do the Mini wave," I said. The Mini wave is something our friend Troy told us about when Anne got her car. He said that, by owning a Mini, we were granted admission to a secret club with other Mini owners who will park next to us, wave at us, and let us change lanes in front of them in traffic.

    I waited until the appropriate moment, and lifted my left hand off the wheel, shaking it quickly to one side and back. It's a very cool move that I may or may not have practiced a few dozen times to get just right.

    I waited for the oncoming Mini driver to return the gesture, acknowledging and thus solidifying our mutual relationship in the secret Mini club, but it passed us without so much as a glance, much less the Mini wave I'd been so excited to receive.

    "What just happened?" I said.

    "I can tell you what didn't happen: The Mini wave."

    "Damn. How could someone not do the Mini wave?"

    "I have to tell you something." She paused. "I never do the Mini wave."

    A gasp of horror involuntarily escaped my lips. "What?! How can you not do the Mini wave? You get to drive your Mini every day! Every day dawns anew, granting potentially dozens of opportunities to participate in the secret Mini club!"

    "Did you notice that the person driving that Mini was a girl?" she asked in a voice that I've come to recognize as The Patient Wife Who Is Married To A Geek Voice.

    "Yeah, so wh-" It hit me, and I understood. "It's a boy thing, isn't it? Girls don't care."

    She touched the tip of her right index finger to her nose.

    I continued, "Boys like to have clubhouses and clubs and secret handshakes and - my God, why did I never realize this before?"

    "Because you're a boy."

    "Oh my God, you're right." I drove up to the freeway in stunned silence.

    "Are you okay?" she asked.

    "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, as I got a great idea - the kind of brilliant idea that could only be devised by a boy who likes clubhouses and secret handshakes.

    "Hey, I was just thinking ... maybe we should trade cars, since you're not taking advantage of the whole 'membership in the secret club' thing."

    "Yeah, we're not going to do that."

    "But we could ..."

    "Um. Wil? You're wearing a red shirt."

    "...both still drive and - what?"

    "You're wearing a red shirt. Maybe you shouldn't press your luck."

    Man, I love it that she gets me.

    "I see what you did there."

    A few minutes later, I dropped her off.

    She leaned over and kissed me before she got out of the car. "I love you," she said.

    "I love you the most," I said.

    "Drive carefully."

    "I will."

    "Wave at as many people as you want."

    "I will."

    "I know."
     
  2. Deviant

    Deviant Banned

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    Good story, but I don' think the MINI wave is a guy only thing, I get plenty of wave-backs from MINIs driven by girls, I'm not sure they'd initiate a wave as readily as a guy maybe but if they really get it, they'll wave back.
     
  3. roggenmini

    roggenmini New Member

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    That is great and so true!

    Gotta motor!
     
  4. Steve

    Steve Administrator
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    Ah, generalization, stereotyping's fashionable cousin. I get a lot more disgusted, dismissive looks from guys and a lot more waves from girls and it's been that way for almost seven years of motoring so far. Fun story otherwise.
     
  5. TGS91

    TGS91 New Member

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    Maybe it's a St. Louie thing but hardtop gal owners are about 70/30 no-wavers/wavers

    Gals with Cabrio's are completely oblivious........too much airflow? :rolleyes:

    Side note-Met Wil Wheaton indulging my wife at a Star Trek convention a couple years back. Certainly not the twerp I grew to loathe on the Next Gen series. Pretty cool guy
     
  6. Tüls

    Tüls New Member

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    I would say it's not a guy thing at all. But then the MINI chicks I hang out with "get it". They do talk allot of trash when the other females dont wave. ESPECIALLY when they are on the phone.. "of course they didnt wave! Too busy blathering away talking to bff jill not paying attention to driving" etc. LOL

    I think it's more like MINIs in general are getting populated with "appliance" car owners. Not Enthusiasts. It's sad. But true. Depending on where you are it is significantly worse. Especially in "trendy" places like L.A. it's bad out there. Sure there are allot of people who love them. But for ever one who waves 50 dont. It's sad.
     
  7. davavd

    davavd Club Coordinator

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    So it isn't just here....:frown2:
     
  8. Johngo

    Johngo New Member
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    Same way in metro Atlanta, unfortunately.

    I just wave and smile and say "Screw em!" if they are too cool for it.

    I started to say most of them probably look the other way when they see a MINI, but then realized that a good 85%-90% of the driving population are total obliviots.

    An obliviot is someone who would be too stupid for a driver's license if there were a real requirement for obtaining one... Texting, eating, blabbing, computing -- I even saw one woman folding her laundry while sitting in rush hour traffic one day -- but they all do the same thing: anything and everything EXCEPT drive well and pay attention to the road and what is going on around them.

    So, they are not actively ignoring us in the vast majority of cases. They are simply too dumb and too numb to have any fun with it.

    Pretty pathetic. :frown2:
     
  9. CHKMINI

    CHKMINI Club Coordinator
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    The other day I'm passing another MINI in traffic and I gave him a wave (kind of a peace sign wave) and the guy blows his horn at me. Naturally I think he is responding to my wave. When we get to the next traffic light he pulls up beside me and motions for me to roll down my window. I do and he proceeds to scream at me for giving him the finger.:incazzato: He obviously didn't get it.:eek:ut: BTW, I rolled my window up and kept motoring...the world's full of them :crazy:
     
  10. CooperChick

    CooperChick New Member

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    Just gotta say, I'm a chick and I STILL wave at ALL MINI's that I come into contact with even tho I drive an Acura now. (Don't ask)

    :cornut:
     
  11. danf

    danf New Member

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    As silly as the wave is it is disappointing when you don't get one back.
     
  12. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Since I do most of my driving on a divided 4 lane hiway, I don't really expect them to wave at me, but I do it anyway.....it's actually pretty hard to tell if they wave or not with dark tinted windows and such....

    Anybody catch WW's 2 appearances on Big Bang Theory? They let him play a "bad" guy to Sheldon's "good"......pretty funny stuff. So far it's WW 2, SC 0!
     
  13. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Still? Last I talked to you you had settled with the insurance co and were actively looking for a replacement?
     
  14. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Yeah.....
    Kinda like asking a cute girl out on a date.... And she says..... with you, are you kidding me?:incazzato:
     
  15. beken

    beken Well-Known Member
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    A guy driving a Honda Civic waved at me this morning. He must've been a MINI driver being punished. :rolleyes5:
     
  16. packimocity

    packimocity New Member

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    My winter ride is a 2002 Jeep Wrangler (the third one in 25 years) and they also have a "waving" fraternity..although it is a bit more subtle, just a kind of finger wagging off the steering wheel, with no noticeable smile!

    Not too many other car makes and models have the "wave"...tell me if you know of others...I just have to remember which car I am driving so I don't look like an idiot in a Jeep waving at a mini! lol

    packimocity
     
  17. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    I had a new "69" manual, Maroon BMW Tii. Sweet little car. Remember waving at, and getting waved at by other 2002 drivers, 41 years ago.

    Now that was some time before the current crowd of BMW drivers got all snippy and started wearing silk cravats and square toed shoes. Not that there is anything wrong with that.:eek:
     
  18. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Going back even further, in the late 50's and early 60's it was very common amongst British sports car drivers of pretty much any brand - I guess we were happy just to be motoring!
     
  19. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Ha......
    Driving some the "Prince of Darkness" chariots, you probably needed all the Brit friends you could find..... Just in case.:D
     
  20. Zeyk_Shade

    Zeyk_Shade Member

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    My aunt, who raised me, had a 58 MGA twin cam and later an Alfa Romeo Spyder('74 I believe). She explained that, initially all "sports" cars owners waved at one another and none of them waved at Corvette or Mustang owners(because they weren't sports cars)...Alfa, Jag, MG, Triumph, Aston, Porsche etc.
     

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