Out of Gas

Literally, not metaphorically...

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I keep trying to overcome it, but it pays off just often enough to remove the incentive to stop. However, it did not pay off yesterday.

I'm usually pretty good about filling my car up with gas. When I have a quarter tank left, I fill up. I get excellent gas mileage, so I can let it go for longer, but since I work weird hours in sketchy areas, I don't usually push my luck.

Thursday morning, I noticed that I only had a quarter tank of gas left, so I figured I would stop at the bank and then the gas station on my way into school. (The gas station I go to gives a discount for paying in cash.) I was running late that afternoon, so I didn't stop by on my way to class. On my way home, I decided that I was too tired and that it was late, so I decided to push off filling up to the next morning. I went home and looked for parking. Since my roommate hogs the parking spot, I had to circle the (very large) block a few times before finding a spot. I parked my car and trudged to my apartment.

In the morning, I decided to go to the library to check out some books. (Real live novels, not textbooks. I feel so decadent.) I walked out to my car and got in. I turned the key, and my car wouldn't start. My car is really old, and the battery dies frequently, so I figured that was the problem. Then I realized that the radio and the lights worked, so it couldn't be the battery. I thought about calling AAA, but then it dawned on me that I might be out of gas. Fortunately, there is a gas station about a block away from my apartment. I grabbed my wallet and trudged up the street.

When I got there, I bought a gas can, filled it with a gallon of gas, and walked back home. I put the gas in my car, and sure enough, the car started. I promptly stopped for gas before running my errands.

I'm just glad that if I had to run out of gas, that it was in broad daylight in front of my apartment complex on a day when I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. This could have been much worse. Now, I'm going to be extra vigilant about filling up when I get low.