Guess What I did Today?

I had a liberating experience today ... please post your experiences as well ...

I paid for gas in cash. Yes, that means I had to trot into the station and give them my $40 for unleaded, regular gas to fill up my itty-bitty 14 gallon tank but I did it. No signature, no swipe - just cash. Wow. It felt good!

Does feel GOOD, doesn't it!!!
Only thing bothers me, "IS PAYING $40.00 FOR 25.00 WORTH OF GAS"!!!!!
IS THERE NO END TO THE PRICES GOING UP............????

Minny

Tell me about it! We just hit $2.79 here - national avg is something like $2.52. They were talking about it on the news this morning how we complained last Monday at $2.43 and now we want those prices back!

I can still remember the first time I filled up - gas hit the low of .99 a tank (I was a late bloomer on the drivers license thing), I should have stock piled it!

I remember a free car wash in Oklahoma at .17 per gallon in 1970, YES 1970. I remember "Gasoline wars" on various corners, cases of coke (wooden crates) being sold at rock bottom prices with a fillup. And Min I'll bet you can remember the Ol' Rebel Flagged Dixie Stations that sold the toy gas station for about 3 bucks with a fillup. i remember gas topping 50 CENTS A GALLON! Outrageous. I remember skipping school in 77' for one of several road trips to Immokallee, the armpit of Florida's world at the time (now, the $35,000.00 per acre armpit), but you could break 120 mph on the two lane highway 27 (blood alley) and not get caught. Yes Min, 27 runs all the way down here. The point was that the Gas station at the junction of 27 and Tamiami Trail was getting a SHOCKING .80 per gallon.

I remember the world of Bell Systems, America's largest employer and my parents both worked there all their lives and NEVER heard layoff or breakup. My mother was an operator supervisor and my dad was a systems engineer. Blue Cross paid everything. I remember the cold war, Sgt. Rock fighting the Nazi's or Nazees as us kids called them. I remember playing war all day from early morning til supper call at nite. Fighting battles all day across porches, yards, bushes and never being chased away or told to leave a yard. Me and Bobby Newport played "Dutch-Indian War one day (we new the name of it, nothing else), we fought our way all day up the hill at Percy Drive hiding around every house, garage, car, bush. This was in Nashville before we moved to Miami Beach.

Miami soured in 1980. The May riots, Mariel, Hatian Boatlift, white flight, Miami Vice, that program did alot of damage. If you don't believe me I can tell you a story about my car breaking down in Tifton Georgia and the hassle from the Cops. I had short hair no drugs and was on my way to memphis to see my grandmother. Car broke down in the Mcdonalds lot and I even took a cab to get parts. It was the Dade County plates that made the Officers VERY concerned about what I had and whether I would be hanging around. I got stopped in Memphis to but since i was local they were pretty nice. It was a good place before 1980. The different cultures got along and alienation was not so bad. Hialeah was FULL of small factories, they are in China and Malaysia now and Motorola is leaving Sunrise after 30 odd years now. And Wal-stinking-Mart is the nations largest employer. Are we really a SuperPower any more? Militarily maybe, economically, yes maybe but waning. we still have amazing production capacity but when the shut down factories are beyond repair we will be in trouble big time.

Sorry to get off thread but talking about gas prices just jarred a bunch of old crusty brain cells loose!

Robivi3,
We need to start a thread of Old memories, buddy......and let the younger generation know how lucky they have it....
Minny

As a member of the younger generation, I know we are all spoiled :) I love hearing stories about the good old days because it makes us realize how much trouble we get ourselves into - for instance, being 24 and having to declare bankruptcy.

I started a thread of "old memories" Herekitty.......
Please tell us about what you remember!
You said it was hard to claim bankruptcy at 24 - well, its even harder at 57.......
But we do what we have to do to survive.....
We're just fortunate that society still gives us that right - it may not exist in the future....

Minny

Herekitty,
I have pictures of all the deviastation that took place in Japan during the 50's. What "Hiroshima" looked like (up close and personal) after the A-bomb was dropped. My uncle was one of the "escort pilots" for the Nola Gay...which dropped the bombs!
I also have pictures of the "burning chambers" in Germany - my dad was there during WWII...when all the Jews were killed. He was on the beaches in Normandy, helped liberate France and Italy, and helped free the Jews..
I have been in the test chambers at WPAFB when NASA was there instead of Florida.... (my dad was head mechanic at the base on the flight line).
My dad worked on "test planes" for Gus Grissom and John Glenn - astronauts... he knew them personally...
My past and my families past is full of history.....
As a teenager, my dad took me to the base to see and go in and look at - AIR FORCE ONE... Kennedy was President then... and the plane was at the base temporarily. Very interesting.....

Look into your past - I'm sure it has it's moments too.

Minny

Minny