In keeping with tradition*, once again I found myself on an unwanted automotive adventure on my way home from the airport this morning.
Since, apparently, upon reaching point B, I forget how I arrived there from point A and therefore cannot remember the best way to get back to A, I started out by taking the wrong (more traffic-ridden route through center city Philadelphia) route leaving the airport.
Then, when I looked at my fuel gauge (that was at 1/2 tank when I parked the car on Thursday) upon entering the aforementioned highly traffic-ridden 2 lane highway system snaking through center city, the needle was on E. In fact, it was below E, so far below E that I was instantly stricken with panic at the prospect of stalling and causing further traffic distress during the morning rush hour. Also, I was filled with rage that someone had stolen the gasoline from my tank in the airport economy parking lot!!! (I had seen a news story about the problem of gasoline theives running rampant in Las Vegas, so why wouldn't they be in Philly too?)
I exited the highway at the first opportunity and travelled along the access road, searching for a service station, and then found myself getting back on the highway! Augh!!
Freaking out some more, and wondering why:
a) I hadn't stalled and started crying yet and
b) My "fill your gas tank, dumbass" dashboard light wasn't beeping and flashing furiously at me
At the next opportunity, I exited the highway again, and drove and drove and drove and drove in search of a service station. I finally found a station about 30 blocks from where I exited. I breathed a sigh of relief and filled the tank....
With 7 gallons of gas.
7 gallons ?!?!? I have a 12 gallon tank!!!
So, apparently, the gauge malfunctioned somehow, and I added half an hour of search time for the unneeded station, and another hour sitting in traffic when I was back on the highway again.
Friends, this is why I don't generally get worked up over traffic jams and/or getting hopelessly lost whenever I try to drive anywhere new or further than 20 miles from my appartment. I always assume I will run into navigational issues, which I tend to do**.
In the end, I arrived home safe and sound, and am currently nursing my jetlag. I have oodles, yes, oodles of adventures from the weekend, and will begin posting them tomorrow, when I get the pictures uploaded.
* Some of you may recall, the last time I returned from Las Vegas, I hit a massive pothole on the way home from the airport and broke one of my rims.
** It once took me 2o minutes to get home from a friend's place. He lived about 1 mile away. THAT takes talent.
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3 comments:
Welcome home!
that does take tallent! i think i might walk faster than 20 min per mile.
can't wait to hear the rest of your stories!
(1) I hope it wasn't our house, we're only 1/8 mile from you.
(2) Another annoyance is the higher gas price you paid for those 7 gallons than in the good old Lehigh Valley. Did you see the Redners was at $2.219 today?
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