life as a dog…

I hit a pretty significant birthday last year. It really didn’t seem to matter much…until I started thinking about the time distance from various things in the past. I remember nearly all of these things…like…

10 years ago…

I moved to the DC area.
Will Smith was gettin’ jiggy wit it.
Diana had been dead for around 6 months.
Hillary made her “vast right wing conspiracy” comment on TV.
Bill admits to “improper physical relations” with Monica.

15 years ago…

David Letterman moves from NBC to CBS.
The first WTC bombing.
Waco.
Cheers ends on TV.
The Fugitive.
Michael Jordan retires for the first time.

20 years ago…

The Cosby Show is the #1 show.
Jimmy the Greek fired.
Die Hard
The fall of Jimmy Swaggart.
The fall of Jim Bakker.
Pan Am 103.

25 years ago…

Apple Lisa.
Lotus 1-2-3
M*A*S*H ends.
Thriller.
The “Pine Tar Incident”
AT&T broken up.

30 years ago…

Camp David
Laverne & Shirley is the #1 show.
Diff’rent Strokes premieres.
Jonestown.

35 years ago…

Dark Side of the Moon.
Secretariat.
Six Million Dollar Man premieres.

Are gas prices ever going to stop going up? I mean, there is ridiculous, and there is ridiculous. Right now, the lowest I can find is about 3.45/gallon. Just down the street from home it is 3.59/gallon. I’ve even seen a couple places where it’s 3.79/gallon. That’s for the cheap stuff!

The Iranian president says oil prices aren’t high enough. Right. Whatever. But one of the OPEC guys said that they would raise production if it was needed…that prices aren’t being determined by supply and demand. Thing is…he’s right. It’s the damn speculators. At some point, their speculation is going to cause a complete collapse of the ENTIRE economy. I personally think it’s close now. Think about it…truckers are now paying over $4/gallon for diesel. Nearly everything gets shipped by truck (if not entirely, at least at some point). That cost is starting to get passed on to us.

On the other hand…outside of the impact it could have on the economy as a whole, it doesn’t bother me as much. I moved at the right time. I just sat down and figured out how much I’m saving on the commute. Basing gas on 3.50/gallon, I am saving $425 per month. Yes, you read that right. $425. I am now officially SAVING money by paying a higher rent. And the savings are just going to be going up at this point.