Still Snowing
It is still snowing up here in the mountains, and it's actually starting to stick! Yikes! I am gearing up for a longish indoor bike ride. I'm kind of relieved about it, there's no need for me to sit and debate whether to try riding outside, the snow made the decision for me. Somehow cold+wet up here feels ten times worse than cold+wet at sea level... although maybe I am just looking at the Bay Area winters and rains of my past through rose-colored glasses!
Separate matter: I found myself chuckling yesterday about the $4+ gas freakout. I shouldn't be laughing, it's a serious matter I know, but I was thinking about how it's not like gas prices suddenly doubled or something. We've crossed the $4 mark here in Incline many times already, although we have generally hovered right below it. But suddenly gas is 10 or 20 cents more, and it's freakout time... OMG I can't afford to drive down to Carson to swim, OMG I have to combine all possible errands for the month into one trip, OMG OMG OMG. My friends, family, and TV are all reacting the same way - everyone is.
I did read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, I understand and agree with the concept and it certainly seems to apply here. $3.99 gas is annoying, $4.09 gas warrants revision of travel and vacation plans, slapping a "For Sale" sign on the Ford Expedition, and Freaking Out. (Seriously in the past week I have seen an exponential increase in the number of gas-guzzlers sporting for sale signs. I have also laughed at the commercials on TV advertising "deals" on Toyota Sequoias, Ford Turbo Truckmonsters, etc.)
For now, I am glad I have a fairly gas-efficient Honda Civic. But I am saving my pennies for an electric car.
Separate matter: I found myself chuckling yesterday about the $4+ gas freakout. I shouldn't be laughing, it's a serious matter I know, but I was thinking about how it's not like gas prices suddenly doubled or something. We've crossed the $4 mark here in Incline many times already, although we have generally hovered right below it. But suddenly gas is 10 or 20 cents more, and it's freakout time... OMG I can't afford to drive down to Carson to swim, OMG I have to combine all possible errands for the month into one trip, OMG OMG OMG. My friends, family, and TV are all reacting the same way - everyone is.
I did read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, I understand and agree with the concept and it certainly seems to apply here. $3.99 gas is annoying, $4.09 gas warrants revision of travel and vacation plans, slapping a "For Sale" sign on the Ford Expedition, and Freaking Out. (Seriously in the past week I have seen an exponential increase in the number of gas-guzzlers sporting for sale signs. I have also laughed at the commercials on TV advertising "deals" on Toyota Sequoias, Ford Turbo Truckmonsters, etc.)
For now, I am glad I have a fairly gas-efficient Honda Civic. But I am saving my pennies for an electric car.
Labels: enjoy the blog, environment, freakout
posted by Courtenay at 5/24/2008
3 Comments:
tipping point was good; i'm not sure if it applies here but it is wierd how everyone is totally freaking out now. especially when in truth we probably should have been paying that much for awhile
Electric car - you and me all the way baby! OR we could just build a time machine out of a delorian and feed it table scraps and junk to make it go... per haps not. Sorry about the snow - wish you were here so you could ride the trainer wit me... then again, if you WERE in Florida, I doubt that you would be cooped up inside. Tabbitha woudld keep you company@
To add to Kelly's comment:
Or simply that food prices have risen way WAY faster than gas prices.
It's like "oh NOW you want to freak out?" Just wait 'til it's $5/gallon. Now that big-@$$ SUV doesn't seem so fun anymore, huh?
Ah, our lovely media...it loves to make people freak out.
Matt has a Honda Fit. It's great - it gets about 42 miles/gallon on all freeway driving and no bikes on the top.
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