Peeved

I read that it is better to fill up your tank in the morning or in the evening because the ground is cooler, the gas is denser, thus you get more bang for your buck. And apparently, if you pump the gas slowly, you save money because when you pump on the fastest setting, you're essentially paying for vapors. Deciding to test these suggestions, I pumped my gas this evening on the slow setting. My tank was almost at its limit and before I knew it, there was gas spilling all over my car, my feet, and the pavement....which resulted in my bill being over $35.00. Pissed that I had wasted money and gas, and even more pissed that from my knees down, I was soaked in gasoline, I went in to tell the cashier that the stopper (my highly technical term) was malfunctioning. Trying to curb my frustration, I briefly explained what happened and suggested that he bag the pump or put a note or something so that the next person didn't douse him/herself in gasoline. He looked confused, paused, and said, "Oh, so you put your gas cap on too tight?"

Now, if anyone out there has seen the film High Fidelity, you will recall the scene when Tim Robbin's character (Ian) comes into the record store, and John Cusack imagines at least 5 different situations of the interaction he would like to have with Ian. All of these situations involve John beating the crap out of Ian for dating his ex-girlfriend. Anyways, scenes like that flashed through my head in the brief 2 minute interaction I had with Mr. Kangaroo cashier-man.


I should have let my sarcasm (which my family has ingrained in me so well) explode, but I was able to contain myself, and curtly re-explain what seemed to be a simple incident...emphasizing that the pump was broken. He still didn't seem to understand and offered a weak apology. Sure, it's not his fault, but be a little more sympathetic, or convince me that you will actually do something about it to save someone else the trouble. OR, even better, give me back the money I sprayed on myself and the pavement, and offer to spray yourself from the knees down with gasoline at Pump 3. Then we can talk about gas caps being too tight and it will all make perfect sense.

Aside from that incident, my day was pretty great. A co-worker and I have proposed an after-school arts program that will include visual and performing arts. If our proposal goes through, and we are permitted to use some of the grant money, we will be able to start the program after spring break. We should find out the results tomorrow.