It's a Curse, I Tell Ya!

I love Facebook!  It's so much fun to reconnect with people and it's a nice, quick way to keep in touch.  Some people make fun of this, but I like knowing that my friend, Rachel just canned 40-something cans of figs and that Patti wants to trade her kids in.  I enjoy hearing what one friend is hearing the guy next to him at the airport say about the Illuminate and I just love knowing that Matt loves his wife, Felicia.  Most of our friendships in life are nurtured during the mundane times.  They may become rock solid during times of crisis, but most of our time spent together is in the mundane.  I treasure those mundane posts.

Yesterday I reconnected with a friend that I haven't talked to since I was 15. It was so nice to reminisce and remember all those funny things we did as kids and to see how we have changed.  It was nice to hear what he was like as a "grown-up."  But mostly it was just nice to be connected again.

We instant messaged each other on Facebook for awhile, but I had to put a bit of time in at work today.  Once the kids were all ready and begging to leave, I asked him for his cell number and gave him a call.  We talked while I drove on my way to the gas station.

This is when I should have hung up.  Gas station...cell phone... You would think I would have remembered.  But no.  In fact, Robert (my old friend) and I joked about how I was "living on the edge" to use a cell phone while pumping gas.  Something about static electricity.  I even told him about how I drove off with the gas pump three times.  He didn't laugh.  He paused for a second and said, "...three times?"

I laughed, ran my card, turned to put the gas pump in my car, then realized I had forgotten to take the gas cap off.  Now, I'm holding a cell phone in one hand and the gas pump in the other.  I could have said something like, "Hold on," but that would have been too obvious an answer to this dilemma.  I'd never figure that out!  No, I put the gas pump under my arm and then unscrewed the gas cap.

I secured the pump with that little thingy that holds it in the "pump position" and continued my conversation.  I like to wash my windows while I wait for the gas to pump.  I cleaned the back window...and yes, I'm still talking on my cell phone.  I turn to check and see if my gas was done pumping and was surprised to see that it was done so quickly.  How nice!

I put the pump back.

Let me say that again.  I PUT THE PUMP BACK!!!  You're proud of me, aren't you!

I just have to say it one more time.  I put the pump back, screwed the gas cap on, got in my car, and drove off.  All the while, talking on my cell phone.

It's about 10 minutes to my work from the gas station and when I was oh, 3 minutes away, I glanced down to see a little orange light.  WHAT?  I'm out of gas?  Impossible!!!

That's when it hit me.  I forgot to pump the gas!!!  I didn't intend to (ok, who would actually intend to), but apparently I put the gas pump in the "pump position" and didn't make sure it was actually pumping gas!  Uh.... oops!

Robert got a bit of a chuckle out of that one!

So, as I told myself I would, I have to ask, "So, Rachael, what are you going to do about it?"  That's an easy one...

No more pumping gas while talking on the cell phone!