Today I was going to write about our fantastic weekend and seeing both branches of our family, but something this morning ended up being a little more pressing. Here we go.

When I got in the car today I found that I needed gas.

I know there's nothing new to this phenomenon, in fact after living in Dubai it seems to be one of the universal constants, along with loving your family, wanting to sleep in occasionally and thinking that your favorite sports team really is the best. At some point in his or her life, everyone in the world finds they only have thiiiiiiiiiiiis much gas left. Well, everyone with cars, at least.

Anyway, over by the Naval Air Station there are a couple of stations, so I drove that way. The first one, an Exxon branch, was at $3.659 per gallon. That's a bit higher than I was hoping to pay (damn you Ike!) So I kept driving toward the Mobile station.

I round the bend to see a glorious $3.539 on the sign - twelve cents lower than their corporate sibling up the road! Glory be to whatever deity you're hep to!

Then I saw the Mobile station attendant crossing the pavement, and she has an arm-full of plastic numbers and one of those long metal claw devices.

Shit! She's gone to change the price!

The race is on!

Of course the first pump I pull up to has a yellow Post-It note taped over the credit card slot - "Pre-Pay Only".

What? I have no time to pre-pay! The attendant has already removed the "53" and is readying the new price! Speed up, man!

The pump aside me frees up. Of course to get there I have to back around in a fifteen-point turn that makes me more than slightly embarrassed. It doesn't help that the large sky blue minivan that evacuated the pump is idling in the middle of the parking lot. Move, you pirate!

I back in. Almost a little too close, I can't get between the car and the pump. That's fine. I can stand behind the car and pump.

But the gas tank cover! I didn't pop the gas tank cover! What a rookie mistake! This is no time to get sloppy, Edwards, you're on a deadline!!

The price on the pump still reads $3.539, but the woman has finished renumbering the sign out front. New price? $3.659! That's the same as Exxon! Collusion!

No time to argue - I've got to get that gas pumping!

Well, I did. And that's why this is a happy ending. I ended up saving about $1.47. That's actually not a whole lot, really. I mean, it's much more dramatic to say there was a twelve cent difference and leave it at that.

But still, it was a victory.

Huzzah!