Pain at the Pump*

*Yes, that's a corny title. No, I don't have any qualms about doing the asterisk thing in the beginning of a post.

I whined a little bit yesterday about how sad I was to be nursing a sore hamstring. I get antsy and bored and a little bit sad and maybe just the tiniest bit gassy, but lost in the minutiae of my low-grade, injury-related depression is this sobering fact: Until I pulled the hammy, I hadn't driven my car since June 2.

Between May 15 and July 10, I put a total of 22 miles on my car. It was great. I never once had to fill up with gas.* A precariously overthrown Frisbee and an elongated tendon later, that streak has come to an end. Yesterday, for the first time in months, I had to put gas in my car.

*The no-driving, no-gas streak saved me way more money than that crazy tuna tracker ever did.

Now I'm not sure if you've heard about this or not, but gas has gotten really expensive. I mean really, really expensive. Like $4.20 expensive. For the cost of two gallons of gasoline, I can get a really good* meal at the sushi place in Brownsburg. For the cost of a full tank, I could purchase a really nice pair of slacks. And for the cost of just one month's worth of gas, I could purchase either a decent guitar or a decent bike.

*Seriously. Really, really, really good. This is my official plug for the Tegry Bistro's lunch menu.

Or I could purchase the bike, ride around the next month and then buy the guitar. It's known as the cost of convenience, and it's getting higher.*

*I'm aware that this post wasn't funny. I need to get well so I can get back on my bike so I can go get hit by a truck again. You people eat that up.