Getting High on Oil
It’s Tuesday, May 13, 2008; a little after one in the afternoon. Yesterday, I
experienced something for the first time in my life. I drove by a gas station
that had gas selling for $4.05 per gallon. I had certainly heard of four-
dollar gas but this was my first encounter with it. I can’t put into words
exactly how I felt. I didn’t feel good of course, but then I didn’t feel
bad. I guess the more I thought about it, I felt responsible– to blame.
Every time the oil dealers kept raising the price in the past, I didn’t take
it seriously. I kept convincing myself I didn’t have a problem. It wasn’t
like I was an oil junkie. For example, I purposely chose a home close to work
so I wouldn’t have a long commute and I rarely go out on joy rides or cross-
country adventures. I believed my gasoline habit was under control; I could
quit anytime I wanted. Now, at $4.05 and with half a tank of gas left in my
luxury sedan, was I willing to let go cold turkey?! Could I tell those oil
pushers that I, Fred Cuellar, wasn’t a user any more?! that they could go push
their product somewhere else?! Hell, last time I checked, this was America,
and I have a choice in the home of the brave and the land of the free… but
do I? While I’ve never been to G.A. (Gasoholics Anonymous), I think I do have
a problem. I don’t know how to say no. I don’t know how to walk away from
Lexie (a lot of men have names for their car, I’m not weird). Lexie has been
good to me. If I don’t drive her, she’ll start to fall apart, feel
neglected. Whoa, bad, it just hit me, it’s not me, its my car that has the
problem; its my car that’s hooked, not me. But I have to take responsibility
for my part, I’m an enabler! It’s not like Lexie went looking to get pumped.
I was the one who always took her to the station. I drove her to her
addiction, my addiction, our addiction’¦
After sleeping on it, I’ve decided there is only one thing for us to do, we
have to cut back, way back. In fact, its dawned on me that I might have to
say goodbye to Lexie because I don’t think she’s got what it takes to change,
but I do. I have to walk away now or nothing is ever going turn around. I
need to hang around a better crowd of automobiles; ones that aren’t so
dependent on oil, ones that don’t need a fix every time we want to go for a
ride and have a little fun. Hybrids are cool, but they are too dependent for
my needs.
Maybe I’m a dreamer and a world not hooked on oil is just a dream, but, if
enough of us have the same dream then maybe, one day, our dreams will have a
wonderful outcome.
Talk to you next time,
Fred
P.S. In 2010, Volkswagen unleashes the VW1L, a set of wheels that gets 235
mpg! OPEC, enjoy your $4.00 gas while you can because your 15 minutes is
coming to a close.
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