The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me is a gasoline-fueled narrative by automotive journalist Tony Borroz. It details the joys, thrills, and even the uncertainties of the car-obsessed lifestyle. In advance of the book’s release, we are previewing the first few chapters. Chapter one here. 
I’m in downtown Palm Springs (at least I think it’s downtown, is there a downtown") at a place called Lulu’s with my old friend Bob. Crossing that border, going either way, always seems to result in some shift of mood. Either crossing into Arizona on I-10 or into SoCal going the other way, things modulate. As I crossed over, other drivers seemed to both speed up and get less aggressive. It’s never out of your mind, when you’re in Arizona, that there are a lot of people wearing gun belts. People seem to have this affect of always being under threat, ready for anything. “Don’t cross me” seems to be the attitude, body language, and implication, if not outright stated. I once had a guy reach for his gun on me when I moved his shopping cart out of the way at the Fry’s Grocery.
But this does not seem like a very strong possibility here in Palm Springs. Palm Springs is simultaneously an odd and an alluring place. It’s about as Southern California as you can get without a beach. Everyone seems polished, for a start. Everyone, or nearly everyone, boarders on Hollywood-good-looking. Which is not that surprising, since P...