Well I just finished filling up our two big vehicles. Yes, it's almost 1 a.m. The closest place I could find gas was 11 miles away in Duluth. Hubby even called to make sure they had gas and amazingly, they didn't have any lines. Hubby said that a co-worker passed a station that had lines 40 cars deep, with cops directing traffic on the road where the cars were sitting.

Two weeks ago, the eve before Ike hit Galveston, I filled up 3 cars in one day. Prices rose $.50 in one day at the same station, and one time I waited for 30 minutes to get gas. I spent $159 that day. Then, and today, I was sitting on empty. Today I spent $125. Thankfully, it's taken 13 days to actually run my van dry, but I didn't go anywhere today because I had no gas. I was going to wait until tomorrow - payday - (well, now it's today) but when hubby came home saying there was hardly any gas to be found anywhere, then we started looking. In order to get up to the station, we had to empty the gas can for our lawn mower into the van just to be sure it could make the trip.

I heard on the radio news that some guy actually said that the governor should cancel the GA / AL game this weekend. What a crock! As if the governor has any authority to do so. If people want to waste their gas and sit in lines waiting for gas before or after the game, or because they used their gas to go to the game, or better yet, get stranded on 316 while trying to make it home because there are no gas stations for many miles, then that's their business and their problem. Just don't be calling the HERO trucks to come and bail them out. ---Hubby and I were actually thinking about driving out to Athens just to get on TV behind the ESPN commentators' desk. Goooooo Dawgs! Freakin' blackout means we can't see the game and Munson's retired just this week so now listening on the radio won't be the same either. But, I digress.--- Anyway, I can see suspending collegiate sporting events, or any events, for extraordinary events that threaten national or regional security (say, a hurricane for instance). But there's no justification for canceling an event (especially a GA game ) just because people are stupid and have created a panic by running to the gas stations when they didn't need to.

(Oh, and my hubby would have gone to fill up our vehicles but he got home really late and has a big day at work tomorrow - ISO audit - so I did him a favor. So don't go wondering why I was running around so late! )

Going home from ballet today, we passed 3 out of 10 gas stations that had gas. Those that had gas had lines.

I got in a heated debate with someone over the weekend about why it's so bad. This person says that we're using the same amount of gas as before, but we're out only because supply was disrupted due to Hurricane Ike. I disagree vehemently, because the infrastructure here was not built so that we would all have full tanks in all of our vehicles at the same time, with or without disrupted supply lines.

GA's anti-price gouging statute is only making this situation worse. While I would not like to be paying $8 - 10+ for a gallon of gas, having the free market determine gas prices would create behaviors from most everyone that they should be having now. That is, conserve, combine your trips, carpool, telecommute, and only gas up when the tank is down to 1/4 tank. All of the topping off going on is making the gas shortage worse. It's frustrating to think that I'm doing my part and hardly any one else is. (My part being staying at home, combining my trips and errands into one trip, etc.)

This weekend's message at church basically was "don't panic." Trust in God. He's our provider and he'll get us thru this gas shortage if we just don't panic. Pastor used Psalm 23 as his scripture. (Very elementary but helpful.) Wish we could get the general public to follow suit.

They (the media) are saying we're in this mess for another two weeks. Yippee.

Meanwhile, my dad in Phoenix is paying $3.35/gallon with no problems getting gas.