v41.5: Regulated Gas Prices

Morning folks,

-slurp-

It's FRIDAY!  My work week has finally come to a close and now I have a weekend to potentially look forward to.  This week has gone by quite fast for me.  I've been quite busy at work this week so my days seem so much shorter.  It's a good feeling to be working away on something and then look at the clock and see the time jump by several hours.

Here in Nova Scotia we have regulated gas prices.  Basically, that means the price of gas is controlled by a group of people who raise (or lower) the price of gas every week based on various factors.  Last night I drove by a gas station and noticed there was quite a line up of cars waiting to get gas.  Normally I hear on the radio what the projected increase (or decrease) is going to be, but for whatever reason I didn't catch it yesterday morning.  I assumed gas was going to go up, hence the line of cars waiting at the pumps.  Normally people freak out over a couple of cents a liter.  When you consider the average car has a 40 liter tank, if the price of gas went up 2 cents a liter, you're looking at an additional 80 cents to fill up your car.  Seriously people!  Is that a good reason to wait in line to get gas?  You're probably spending that much in gas just waiting to beat the 2 cents per liter increase.

Unfortunately, the price of gas jumped 4 cents per liter here in Halifax last night, which still isn't a whole lot when you consider the 40 liter tank again.  Unfortunately, my truck has at least an 80 liter tank in it and at $1.21 per liter, I'm looking at approximately $100 to fill the thing.  Truth be told, I have no idea how big my gas tank is but I know the last time I filled it up, it took $100 easily so the tank must be a bit larger than 80 liters.  Regardless, an increase of 4 cents a liter is still a lot when you look at the overall price of gasoline in the city right now.  I haven't been following the price of oil lately, but I suspect that, combined with the conflicts over in the middle east, are the primary cause for the sudden jump.

-slurp-

Well folks, just a quick musing this morning to start off my day.  I hope everyone has a great weekend and if I get some time to post this weekend I will definitely do that.  If you live in the Halifax area, drive safely today.  There is going to be a ton of rain today and then the temperature is going to drop suddenly tonight, causing it all to freeze.  Take care.

Cheers,

Al

v41.4: The Truck

Morning folks,

-slurp-

It's hump day!  At least for those of us who typically work a Monday to Friday work week.  For those of you who don't, this is Wednesday to you and could be the start of your work week or the end.  Either way, Happy Wednesday.

Last week I took a drive up to New Brunswick to visit my father and to buy a new vehicle for the family.  My family has grown a bit over the past couple years and there is no way a standard 5 passenger vehicle is going to cut it any longer.  We got by for a few months after the baby was born last year, but it is starting to take its toll on us and we needed to get something a bit larger.  Originally I had driven up to visit my father to buy a mini-van, but after arriving at the car dealership, I was surprised to see they had no mini-vans in stock.  I was a little distraught by this as I was really looking forward to getting a vehicle that day.  I did, after all, drive all the way up there to get one.

-slurp-

After looking at the few vehicles at the dealership (which also happened to be a full service garage), I finally found the one I wanted.  Normally I wouldn't look twice at a vehicle like this because they are typically very expensive.  Fortunately for us, this vehicle is a few years older than I was looking for and it was going for a great price.  It is a 2003 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer edition.  This truck is fully loaded (and I mean fully loaded) and seats 8 people very comfortably.  In fact, the middle row has 3 seats and we can easily put the two car seats  there with lots of room for a 3rd person without begin squished.  In the old Matrix we had, two car seats took up most of the back seat with a small spot for my 8 year old daughter to sit; and she was squished.  Needless to say, this vehicle will serve its purpose and there is more than enough room to take everyone out at the same time and do whatever we need to do.  The one downside is the size of the engine and how much gas it consumes.  With the prices of gas being so high right now, it is a pain in the ass when it comes time to fill it up.  Oh well, the price we pay for the convience of having a vehicle that will seat at least 6.

-slurp-

Well folks, it is time to do some work.  This week promises to be as busy as previous weeks and while it is only Wednesday, it feels like it should be Friday for me.  I hope everyone has a great day and hopefully I will get a chance to post again tomorrow.

Cheers,

Al

v41.3: Return of the Roll-up

Howdy folks,

-slurp-

It has been a long time since I've posted here.  I've been taking a break from the writing lately, mostly because I just can't seem to come up with anything new or interesting to write about.  Well, seeing as I've started a tradition of writing during the months Tim Horton's has their Roll-up-the-Rim promotion, I couldn't let day 1 go by without posting.

-slurp-

So the official kick-off for Roll-up-the-Rim started today.  Of course I had no idea this was starting today so I was quite surprised when I pulled up to my local Tim's and saw the familiar red cup with the huge yellow arrow on the side.  I was excited!  I immediately started wracking my brain for useful and/or interesting topics to post about as I began the journey of writing here again during the roll-up season.  Of course I drew a blank, which seems to be happening a lot these days.

I decided instead to make a quick post here and then think on some new topics tonight so I can start off fresh in the morning.  I still can't believe it has been almost 2 months since my last post, where has the time gone?

-slurp-

Hopefully I will get the opportunity to post daily like I've attempted to do in the past for the roll-up season.  You'll notice I've already started a new page where you will be able to follow along with me and keep up-to-date on my current winnings and losses this year.  This will be the 5th year I've been doing this and I'm excited to get a chance to do it once again.

Anyway folks, just a quick note to let you know I'm still here and to welcome the roll-up season for yet another year.  Wish me luck!

-slurp-

Cheers,

Al