I am becoming increasingly convinced -- sold, actually, on the fact -- that the worst part of being a motorist in America is going to convenience store gas stations (i.e. Speedway, 7-Eleven, and the myriad of other gas station food marts popping up on every street corner). Not because of the high price -- and it seems to get higher for no reason, but that's another topic -- of gasoline. Not because of the jockeying for pumps, or trying to fight my way out of the parking lot. Not even because the city of Indianapolis seems to force right hand turns our of every corner station by putting large concrete dividers in the road making it impossible to turn the way I really want to turn when I leave.
All of those are highly annoying things -- yes, more annoying than being cut off on the highway for this frustrated motorist -- but none so annoying as standing in line at practically any American gas station food mart. A very recent experience comes to mind, but this could easily have happened to any person in any city at any gas station on any day -- it really is, I'm convinced, that common. If you live in one of the thirty Powerball states in America, you will no doubt relate to the situation.
As I headed out of the house tonight to satisfy my wife's craving for a cold Coke Zero and a salty snack, I drove to the nearest corner gas station cum food mart. It could have been a Speedway, one of British Petroleum's AM/PM shops, a Thornton's, or practically any of the other cookies made from the same cutter, but in this case it was a GasAmerica. I entered the store and began browsing for a salty snack that my wife and I both would agree upon. I chose two -- we just can't agree on some things -- and headed for the fountain to grab a couple of Coke Zero's to drink.
With two large bags of chips and to 44 ounce styrofoam drinks in my hands, I headed for the checkout line. This is where my frustration multiplies. Every time I get in line at any one of these gas station food marts, on the rare occasions when they actually have more than one (which, actually, means exactly two, since there are never more than two) cashier, no one seems to know what to do. Do you form a line at each register, like you're at a grocery store? Or do you form a single line with the next customer in line always advancing to the first available register? (if you have an opinion, share it with me)
I am of the opinion that one line should be formed, with the next person in line advancing to the first available register. I seem to be the only person in America with this opinion, as no matter what gas station I go to, or which line I stand in, the other register is always faster, and other bad mannered patrons walking in long after I did always approach the other register before I can make a move. Is this what our society has come to? Are Americans in such a huge rush that we have lost this last, most basic thread of common decency (there's a paradox for you)?
As I stood in line tonight, hoping not to drop my super sized beverages or crush my chips, I clearly stood in the wrong line once again. My first clue should have been the guy who bought four lottery tickets -- two for the Hoosier Lotto and two for the PowerBall -- followed by the second guy who purchased the same plus a selection of scratch off tickets. That's another annoyance for another time, but if I didn't have my own moral oppositions to playing the lottery, I would be opposed to it just for the amount of waiting time it adds to gas station checkout lines.
As customer after customer displayed their bad mannered tendencies (and apparent impeccable timing) by walking in and straight to the counter at the other register just as it came open, I waited. And waited. And waited. Until finally a customer nodded at me to go ahead, as if doing me some great favor that would secure her a special place in eternity.
Happy to escape from there with my chips and drinks intact after what seemed like thrice as long as it should have taken, I tell myself I would have been better off going to a grocery or department store -- as long as it isn't Wal-mart, but I won't go into that one right now. It would just be bad mannered of me.
Your comments?
Joe
Maddy's Cancer Battle
I've been paying a slight bit of attention to the many ways in which (I think) Barack Obama is screwing up America. I've been watching, and I've been wondering why, as a country, we allow the person holding the highest office in the land to run for reelection. I find myself wondering if much of what Barack Obama does is designed to earn himself reelection.
Over the past week or two, it seems that my commute to work has been quite dangerous. Traffic on Indy's Interstate 70 can be quite dense at times, but lately it seems that cars are moving at sixty and seventy miles per hour with mere feet between them and the cars that surround them.
And one more thing, and I think this one could be a product of the way our country has been headed over the past two months or so. What is it with everyone who expects everyone else to pay the price for their mistakes? I'm not just talking about things like bankruptcy and welfare, or panhandling (which has become even more common in Indianapolis recently). At work, I find people who come in and expect my company to actually help them to pay for services that they have to pursue elsewhere because we are unable to provide them. People who have actually tried to falsely claim that my company was responsible for damage to their property -- and when called on the carpet about it, they don't even apologize for their deception after confessing their guilt.
The comments with the YouTube video say that this was recorded in someone's home. The woman leading the children is a music teacher. From a school. What else can they poison our children's minds with?
The situation started shortly after the 
Today was an interesting day off, and not much time wasted today. I expected to find myself wasting lots of time just hanging around the house relaxing, maybe on the computer, but we spent most of the day out of the house doing things together as a family.
My computer, which has been repaired numerous times and just returned from Toshiba's technicians less than two weeks ago, has had the same error pop up again. When Toshiba had it, they said they could not duplicate the problem. As the image shows, it still exists.
I received my "repaired" Toshiba notebook computer back from the Toshiba Authorized Service Provider Friday afternoon, just four days ago, with a new system board and USB board installed. It was the THIRD replacement system board and the SECOND replacement USB board.
I'm writing this from one of two Toshiba laptop computers we own. Probably the very last Toshiba computer I will ever buy. The warranty on this computer expires on February 1, 2008: less than one month away. While one computer has been quite reliable, this particular computer (a Toshiba Satellite A135-S2276) has frequently been in for repair.
Microsoft Windows Vista, of course, blamed the problem on hardware. Naturally, I didn't believe it. I assumed that the problem was caused by Vista and Microsoft was just trying to pass the buck.
Until tonight. The computer is exhibiting the same symptoms tonight that it did just before having the second motherboard and USB board replaced. I called Toshiba Technical Support at their published number of 800-457-7777. Knowing that my warranty is due to expire in less than one month, and that the track record has not been very good so far for this computer, I was determined to press for the computer to be replaced rather than repaired. I was immediately told that Toshiba's policy did not provide for a replacement unless the repair has been performed for the same problem 
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