Monday, May 08, 2006

Did I really write jerked off?


The patio set. Home Depot, Key Biscayne ensemble. Two swivel chairs not shown.

When I went to take back the earth killing machine yesterday, I had to fill it with gas before dropping it off at the car rental place. Gas here is 1.09 a litre Canadian. (Let's see, 1 US gallon = 3.7854 liters, so 1.09 X 3.7854 is about $4.13 a gallon Canadian. But if we convert to US currency, it's about $3.71) The highest it's gotten is $1.39 after Katrina. Anyway, for our little shopping excursions and then a ride out for brunch with the MIL, we totaled 120 kilometers. (75 miles) I had used a quarter of the Jeep Liberty's tank. It didn't seem possible when the pump continued after the twenty dollar mark and I was aghast when it finally jerked off at $29.75. I'll spare you the math here since I've already done it in my head, but it comes out to a quarter a kilometer for gas. When I got back to the rental car office, I remarked to the agent that I was suffering from shock after gassing it up, and she said, "Yeah, that's why we are doing the big SUV promotion. Nobody wants to rent them anymore because they use so much gas and it's so expensive, so we just have them all sitting there in the garage day after day."

When I left, I walked two blocks to the metro station, slid my $62 monthly pass through the slot in the turnstyle, and was whisked home with nary a stoplight. Feeling smug, I was.

22 comments:

Snooze said...

Public transportation is the best. But $62??? Are you serious? Sigh. Another reason to love Montreal. In Toronto a pass is nearer to $100. That's why I always walk at least one way to or from work.

dawn said...

!@#@#$% gas prices.

Do you think you could have taken the patio set on the metro? That would have been a video worth sharing on the blog.

Anonymous said...

VERY nice patio set!

Well worth the investment (and the gas!)

Jane

Kevin said...

Yeah, those prices are crazy. I've jerked off for much less that $29.75. :)


But seriously, that's ridiculous.

_Psycho said...

So no Air Conditionner this year ??

Nice patio set thought. And yeah the gas is killing me. (and my wallet)

Chunks said...

I can do about 450 kms on a tank of gas in my van. It's too early to do math, but that seems okay to me. I could never take the bus here (in semi-rural Alberta), for one, it doesn't go where I need to go. For two, I have the saying "Gas, Grass or Ass - nobody rides for free" stuck in my head, so I just accept the prices. I am mental.

Ryan said...

kinda looks like the 1 we got.

Jason said...

Ok, we are paying wayyyyy too much for our monthly pass (@ $99/month).

Patricia said...

i love how cute the new patio set looks with the new shed. nesting is good.

Kalv1n said...

Hooray for public transport! Except for when drunk homeless people start talking about how they were robbed of their multi-million dollar company. Or maybe that's just another one of its charms.

Perplexio said...

Only $62 for a monthly pass for the Metro? Not bad at all! In Chicago they charge $75 or $80 USD for a monthly pass.

And, yeah gas prices are pretty obnoxious-- it seems you have it worse though. I think it was $2.85/gallon when I drove by the service station this morning.

ink said...

The patio set is very cute ... but Sara is MUCH cuter!

This weekend - as long as the weather co-operates - I steal Himself's pick-up to, well, pick up a load of compost or two for the garden. Otherwise, I find it a remarkably inconvenient vehicle.

Happy nesting!

ink.

P.S. Smug IS fun, isn't it?

GayProf said...

Texas, as a state, seems firmly against Public Transportation. Meanwhile, I am surrounded by giant Ford F-150's, 250's, and 350's. If you listen closely, you can hear the earth cry as they drive away.

My Honda Civic may not be pretty, or sporty, but I can at least fill the tank for around $20. I will feel more smug when I get to Boston and am able to ride real public transportation.

Spider said...

IF we only had a metro system here in Orlando, you can bet your life I would be on it!

madamerouge said...

Your shed (avec fenĂȘtre) looks so nice in your backyard!

St. Dickeybird said...

It's vicious. Wifey has a Honda Civic, and we go through about 3 tanks per week. It's usually just above $100/week.

And I'm proud of you, writing about jerking off at the gas station.

Sunshine said...

It's been $1.25 per litre here for the last 6 months or so. It was only about a year and a half ago when we were paying less than a $1 per litre. Argh.

Nicki said...

I love my little 11 gallon tank! I drove a Dodge Durango when my car was in the shop and wouldn't go anywhere other than work and home becuase of the gas prices.

toobusyliving said...

That's quite a patio set! I don't drive and am embarassed to say that the price of gas per litre never really resonated with me until you did the per km breakdown. Wow. I'll stick to public transit I think!

r said...

Ooo... that's a nice looking patio set. Can I come over for a barbeque?

Gas was $3.39 a gallon in Chatsworth this weekend. Bah.


I better get a flight soon, or it just won't be doable to come out!

btw, your backyard looks fabulous.

mainja said...

oh, you got spammed, do you feel dirty?

just wanted to say that your patio set is almost identical to ours. well, except you're is nice and clean, we haven't done the post winter clean yet so it's a bit nasty.

dpaste said...

Love my $76 Metrocard.