FUEL

Fuel is a four letter word.

One of the things that got me frustrated on my drive this weekend was the price of fuel.  Yes, I know that its cheaper than a lot of others pay for it, and that many of the hidden costs of that gallon of gasoline aren't included in the price, and I even know that prices have been dropping this summer.  It still frustrates me every time I have to fill up the tank.  I much prefer to bike or walk to my destination when I can, but far too often the car is more necessary for my needs.  Bit by bit I try to adjust that, but there will always be some needs that I have to use a car for... and that means going to the gas station to fuel up.

But what really irritated me this round was that gas stations seem to have returned to a policy that I thought they abandoned years ago.  Different prices for cash vs credit.  And it hasn't always been obvious from the road which ones have the different prices and which advertise the price that I'll actually be paying.  Sure, a 2% premium isn't that much, but its still a bit irritating when I wasn't expecting it and when I do have easy alternatives.  And thats one thing I'm glad about - I do have the alternatives.  I can make a choice about which gas station to go to and its not a big deal.

I remember the gas lines from the 70s... I remember when gas in our area first broke $1/gallon... and tho things have changed a lot since then, those images have remained with me.  I also remember riding in a battery powered car back in the 70s.  Some things haven't changed as much as we'd like, tho the Prius and Volt seem like they may have really changed the face of driving for good.  Lets hope that these changes are the real fuel - the power we need to think of many other solutions to our complex energy problems.

Some fuel for thought.