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February 20, 2006
Getting Gassed
My friend Joe recently made a mistake. He told me he's stopped by the blog and read some of the Not So Smart Stuff items -- stupid things that I'd done -- which reminded him of a couple more stupid things. I'll share one of them with you. This one about Joe.
Before I go any further let me say that Joe is one of the smartest guys I know. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and is so smart he probably knows how to spell Summa Cum Laude without having to look it up. It may have been Magna Cum Laude ... it's whichever one is smartest. Joe probably knows that too. (And now we all know. And for the record, even though I was unsure of the spelling I nailed it.)
As with all great things, this happened about 20 years ago. Joe and I were tooling around in his fawn brown Datsun (orange to you and me) and decided we should stop and get some gas.
Joe pulled up to the island so that the driver-side door was nearest the pumps. I got out and walked around to the back of the car to do the pumping and found the filler door to be on the passenger side of the car. The hose wasn't going to be long enough to reach across the car.
Joe rolled down the window, looked up at me, and asked if the gas cap was on the driver's side or passenger's side. I told him the passenger side and he said he'd "pull around."
As he pulled forward I remember thinking, he's not going to do what I think he's going to do.
Of course he did, or there'd be no story.
Joe pulled forward and swung around in a 1/2-circle left turn. As he pulled up to the pump I stepped from the right side of the island to the left side so that as he came to a stop he was parked right next to me with his window down, looking up at me, and the pumps on the driver side of the car.
He realized right away what he'd done which didn't keep me from busting his chops about it.
He backed up past the pumps, eased left and pulled forward so the pumps were on the passenger side of the car. I moved back to the right side of the island and was successfully able to refuel the vehicle.
I'm guessing we also bought some beer while we were at the station. Probably without making any boneheaded mistakes.
Posted by delmer at February 20, 2006 10:47 AM
Comments
So what was causing the blister to form in the first place? Was the show not wide enough? I have a high arch, so Adidas shoes work well...but they aren't wide enough.
Nike makes wider shoes, as does Reebok.
It's amazing how a little tiny blister on your little pinky toe can cause such pain.
Posted by: The Phoenix at February 21, 2006 11:36 AM
I've wondered, myself, what caused the blister. There's nothing in the shoe at that point. Maybe my sock had bunched up -- though I've never had that happen before.
I have high arches as well. And, I don't know if that is why, but sometimes I get a pain across the bridge of my foot just about where the laces end at the top of the shoe. I noticed these shoes do not cause that problem and wonder if it is because they are cut a bit lower.
(I also wonder if that pain isn't something I just imagine ... maybe it isn't really there.)
Posted by: delmer at February 21, 2006 11:51 AM
I once drove away from a pump with the NOZZLE STILL IN MY TANK. Yes, it did pull the hose right out of the machine. No it did not explode the whole gas station. (They have cut offs for just that eventuality, go figure!) Yes it dented the hell out of my car when it popped back and hit me. The guy at the station, when I sheepishly came back with 12 feet of gas hose and nozzle in my hand, said that it happens more than most people know.
One of my more idiot moments. Happened in Kentucky. Haven't been thru there since. Oy.
Posted by: karla at February 22, 2006 9:45 AM