I’m writing this at 9pm on a Tuesday night. It’s the time of day when most working stiffs are having a beer in front of the TV set. Yet I know for a fact that at this moment, my staff—tech editor Liz Miles, and photographer Robert McGaffin—are (like me) still hard at work on our July issue. The funny thing is that all three of us are in different places—which is ironically why I know that work is actually being done! Ok, so we like to goof off a little when we’re together. In all seriousness, I am extremely proud to work with such knowledgeable and dedicated people.
Last weekend when this photo was taken at the Goodguys show in Costa Mesa, both Liz and Robert worked 12-hour days. Robert—who isn’t even on salary—did it for fun, and Liz wasn’t even on the clock. Yet right now, her office in the Placentia building is the only one with the light still on—she’s writing the event coverage from last weekend. Liz is a stickler for technical detail. It consumes her, and when she makes a mistake, it weighs heavy on her, so most of the time she plans on just not making mistakes. Liz and Robert are dedicated to Popular Hot Rodding to a degree that escapes most people.
For example: Robert spent all day today shooting a car for our July issue, and when the daylight ran out tonight, he booked out of town to schedule an early morning shoot with the same car owner. Right now, he’s tired and worn out, but he still has his eye on the prize like a pit bull chomping the mailman’s hind quarters. He’ll be out on location tomorrow before dawn with all his gear while most of you are still in bed. You’ll see the photos in late May, and probably won’t even realize the effort that went into them. Robert has a talent for making cars look as good as they possibly can, and he makes it look easy. Trust me, it isn’t.
All I can say is that without Robert and Liz, stuff around here would grind to a halt. They make me look good to my bosses—the most important of those being you readers—and that makes my day. Not only do they make me look smarter than I sometimes is, they’re really good at talking me off the ledge when I’m not tethered to reality.