Singing the Gas Tank Blues

Where were you when gas was under a dollar a gallon?

I was learning the rules of the road behind the steering wheel of a VW vanagon in Provo. I loved driving that bus, because it felt like, well, driving a bus! The gear shaft was three feet long and took the weight of your entire body to shift into first gear. The clutch seemed like it was miles away. And since those old VWs store all their horsepower in the back, I really felt like I was at the helm of a ship sitting in the captain's seat, nothing but the windshield and separating me from the car in front. None of the sedans I've driven since then have ever really brought the same thrill. Sorry Mazda and Pontiac.

In college, I remember driving around the block obsessively looking for the cheapest gas and getting a huge thrill finding one two cents cheaper. Later, living in California, I had a complex about gas prices going over $2. I refused to pay $2, so I would drive for miles to find the one station still charging $1.99. My stupid little act of civil disobedience cost me a lot more in mileage. But whatever.

Today I filled up on $3.19 unleaded and didn't even take the receipt from the pump. I try not to think about how much money I'm spending on gas these days because it's too depressing. If I have one serious complaint about my new situation here in Charlotte it's that I drive way too much. Work is 20 miles each way. From my house to the church is 20 miles. Most of my new friends live at least 10 miles away. Every time I look at my gas tank it's half empty. I also do a lot of driving for work. Today I submitted my first mileage expense report. I'm due $210 for the first six weeks on the job. That is RIDICULOUS.

And what's worse is that's probably not even half of what I've spent on gas so far. And even worse still? Economists say we're going to hit $3.50 by summer. The kicker of it all is that we're STILL DRIVING. Why haven't we all freaked out like they said we would back when oil hit a record $60 a barrel? Now we're at over $100 a barrel and still we keep on driving. Sure, I consolidate my trips to the grocery store and other errands. But I still go. The buses don't work well enough here to even get me to work. Even if they were, I bet I wouldn't use them.

I heard one analyst says Americans are addicted to their mobility. And the great irony is that as long as we keep driving, the demand will allow prices to keep rising.

I get all worked up thinking about it. And then I get right back behind the wheel.

Pathetic.