Wow. Gasoline prices have gone up! It is a story a lot of us old farts are familiar with, ergo my blog from ten years ago that also talks about high gas prices. Going even further back, I remember right after I graduated from college there was a gas crisis. There were block long lines to get filled up in New Jersey. The problem was only solved by alternate gas days. Under that system if your license plate began with an odd number you could get gasoline on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It sort of worked.
It also helped to have a regular dealer who would favor a known customer with a hand wave and a space at a reserved pump. The old man felt guilty about this because he had abandoned "Dick's Shell" earlier that year for the bargain gas dealer near Modell's. Mother had to get gas during that period. She had never abandoned dear old Dick.
Back in 1974 we were told we were being punished by the Arabs for the Israeli gains in their war. Today we are told that it is because we are boycotting Russia. Funny as soon as the headlines are out the gas went up, even though the gas may have been purchased weeks ago. When the crisis ends, gas prices will go down. But the gas stations will take their sweet time about lowering their prices.
In British sit coms, when the novelty is starting to wear off, we often see a costume show. This is a show where the laughs come from watching the cast in outrageous costumes, perhaps alluding to the pantomime roots of English humor. It is usually a sign that the show is starting to become tattered at the edges. Same for Better Things, where half of an episode is dedicated to Pamela mugging with period costumes. Still it was fun to see what a Hollywood costume shop looks like.
The season is still young. The fact that you have to watch it on the night it premiers to avoid the Hulu surcharge makes Monday nights special. It has been a long time since Monday nights were special.
Many governors are now ending the masking mandates for schools and stores. This is partially because the incidence of covid 19 is finally going down. Although this is obstensibly because of a desire to "follow the science" I suspect that governors and mayors wish to be re-elected and most Americans are just plain tired of the masks.
A real life example. We are driving on the road and we experience a sudden downpour of hail or rain. We pull over at the rest stop. We wait ten minutes. Ten minutes later we get back on the road. The weather is just as bad, but by now we are bored and hungry and tired of sitting in a car that is not going anywhere. Eventually, we say "hang it all, let's get back on the road, I'm tired of sitting around."
People are just tired of the masks. Even if they say on the television that we should still wear the things at a point we say "damn the torpedoes", let's take off the blooming masks.
This morning I asked Alexa for the weather. After telling me it will be raining and sleeting all day it asked if I would like to be woken every morning with the daily mindset drill. I said no. I'd rather be grouchy in the morning while drinking my cup of coffee. Sometimes Alexa can act like an over eager assistant.
Since my lady friend could not make the event because she was under Covid quarantine I offered her the popcorn maker, since she had already paid to attend the event. She said "I have enough junk in my house" and refused the popcorn popper.
A friend convinced me to use the popcorn popper myself, since un buttered popcorn is high in fiber, low in calories, and nutritious. Hence, I started using the popcorn popper. It worked well and the popcorn was pleasant as a snack.
A few days later I bit into an old maid and broke my tooth and dislocated a filling next to my crown. Food kept getting caught in the new gap next to my lower bicuspid. I had to make a dental appointment.
Today I was recommended that I get a crown put over my tooth. With my dental insurance covering most of the cost, I still will owe six hundred dollars for my share of the work.
I believe the cost should be divided equally. The organizer who gave me the popcorn popper should give me $200. The lady friend who did not want the popcorn popper should give me $200. The friend who recommended I should use the popcorn popper and eat the popcorn should pay me $200. To me this is fair.
Editor's note: An old maid is the term used for an un-popped popcorn kernel. Today the term may be politically incorrect.
