I apologize for not writing here in a long time... I've been busy with life and dedicating some time to my aviation page. And believe it or not, I've been hesitant in writing here for several reasons:
1.) It seems when I do write about things, I'm usually met with counter-responses that make me feel stupid and the time spent typing feels like a waste of time. The purpose of me blogging here is to express my personal opinions and thoughts. To be honest, I like doing it this way because I'm terrible with people skills and I botch conversations.
2.) I'm usually at a loss for what I want to blog about.
3.) I'm just afraid about what to write next because once again, the response. Like I said, my expressions, my thoughts, my opinions.
So let's see what happened recently... Oh, I went out of state for about a week; first time since coming home from Japan actually. I went to Idaho/Utah to visit relatives. But that's not the main point of this blog. You may recall a few posts from before where I was railing on the state of Oregon and the weird thing it has; well, I haven't changed my views on that. Yep, I am still not 100% fond of Oregon. It has been six years since my family moved to the birth place of Matt Groening. And did I mention that I pumped my own gas a couple times while I was out there?
 |
| Right on brother! |
I just couldn't help but think "IN YOUR FACE OREGON!" I think the state government of Oregon is afraid of THIS happening when drivers pump their own gas:
| Whether you're some Oregonian paid to pump gas for people or you do it yourself, it's a bad day when this happens. |
Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the U.S. where it's illegal for drivers to pump their own gas at public service stations. Sure, this creates jobs in in those states (not really!) but I can't stand some of the cons of not being able to pump your own gas. And paying up to $4.00 per gallon in some places, it's this:
 |
| Call it whatever you like but I call it pissing money away. |
Now accidents happen from time to time but compare and contrast for a moment:
1A.) You're pumping your gas because your car gas tank is getting empty and you spill some on your car (and damage the paint job in the process) or your car catches fire. Pretty much your problem, since YOU have to pay for the damages done to your car.
1B.) Now take the scenario above but let the damages be done to your car by the gas station employee. NOW who's gonna pay for the damages??? Either way, it's an issue of liability. In this situation, the gas station has a bigger risk factor to deal with. ESPECIALLY when an incompetent employee is involved.
Now if you fill up at CostCo, they're smart because they have extending hoses as well as a "one way in, one way out" system to keep drivers flowing instead of having a mess created by the issue of what side the intake for the gas tank is at. Now picture this scenario:
2A.) You drive up to a gas station and it's crowded with people coming off the Interstate to top off their near-empty tanks. You wait in a line of your choosing, fill up, and it's a "get in, get out" situation.
2B.) Now the above but someone else is filling up your gas tank because state law says it's illegal for you to do it let alone touch the gas hose or nozzle. Chances are, you're probably waiting a little longer than you wanted to because some incompetent station employee failed to notice that your car gas tank is full OR the employees are just screwing around doing nothing even when it's not crowded.
It's happened to me and it's frustrating. And consequently, drivers in both Oregon and New Jersey themselves become incompetent in pumping their own gas when they travel out of state simply because of the laws that exist here and there simply won't allow them to at home. As a non-native resident living in Oregon, it is frustrating to see another Oregon driver in another state who doesn't know how to pump his own gas; especially when I'm waiting in line behind him.
So why bother blogging it about it when it's not gonna solve anything you ask? Well, it's an opportunity to blow off some steam and get it out of my system (and for you too as well in the comments section!) and move on with life! Is that too much to ask without getting flak for it?
