Freaky Friday

I'm shaking it up this week. It's been a weird week in general.

I had errands to run today. I was freaking out a little because I didn't get my Sock Wars dossier, but then again, a lot of people didn't. The pattern was posted, so instead of staying home and getting started, I went out to enjoy the day. I had one bit of nastiness to get out of the way.

I hate getting lab work done. I am not crazy about blood tests. I hate the needles, and the variety of experience labs techs have - and don't have. I expect bruising now. I find especially nerve racking when they claim they can't find a good vein. One crazy person wanted to drawn three vials from my hand!I figure if you can see the vein, you can draw from it. Of the hundreds of vials I have had drawn in the last 15 years, only that one woman thought the ones in my arms were inadequate. It hurt a bit more than usual today, and it looks like there will be some mild bruising. Goody.

Next, to the dry cleaner. That wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Less than $35 for 8 pieces. Can't complain.

Treated myself to Jack in the Box for lunch. I know it is just awful to some, but I love the Sourdough Jack. I have been a good girl for weeks!

It has been 3-4 months since I filled the tank in my car. I would put in $10 here and there to keep me going to and from the train station. With barrel prices going over $120, and possible job interviews over the next few weeks, I figured I might as well bite the bullet. It literally felt like I did.

We have a Costco here with a gas station. For those of you unfamiliar with Costco, it is a membership discount warehouse store chain. Gas there was $0.11 cheaper per gallon than the station in our neighborhood. I have a 16 gallon tank, so that saves some money. I pumped 15.88 gallons. I was much lower than I thought. I did manage a perfect pump without looking at the meter. Landed on zeros. Of course the expletive I uttered at seeing the total took all the mirth out of the moment - $60.00!! Sixty freaking dollars!!!!! I have never put that much money into my tank. When I bought my car 20 years ago, I was complaining that it was $1.25 per gallon. It wasn't all that long ago it was under $2. It makes you want to stay home.

I just don't know how people are doing it. Everything is going up because of gas prices. Food is more expensive. I heard one guy on the radio say that when he went to pick up a bottle a vodka it cost a $1 more than it had a few weeks ago. When he asked the store clerk, he was told that it was due to increased cost of gas. One whole dollar increase? Seriously? They only deliver a few bottles at a time? There are those that take advantage at times like these to increase their profit margins.

They rest of my day was a bit tainted by the $60 of gas in my tank. I wasn't down shifting to stop, I tried to coast. No quick shifting and revving, slow and steady increase instead. It's so aggravating. And this whole thing with Ethanol is supposed to be the way of the future? It's a joke. In our land of plenty, more and more people are going to food banks to get assistance. We're turning our fields into a gas alternative that studies show is not a cost effective solution.

Enough of my soap box - I just wanted to share my pain at the pump.