Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Somebody stole my gas!

I know gas prices are high, but this is just ridiculous.

Lemme break it down for you, in the hope that I will understand it myself. Here's what happened: I filled up my car's tank on Thursday. Like always, I tripped the mileage counter so it was back to zero. I like to keep track of my miles per gallon just to see if the car's doing okay and all that.

So skip forward to Saturday. I drive to the disc golf course to hook up with some friends and throw 18 holes. Afterwards we drive to the bar and run into some friends. After drinking and playing some pool we move decide to play another 18 holes. At this point I look at my gas gauge. It reads 1/4 full.

I assumed that something was wrong with the gauge. It's electronic and only reads accurately when you turn the key. So I figure maybe there was a glitch and it will read correctly when I turn it off and turn it back on again. So we throw a round and I check the gas level again. It still reads a quarter tank.

Now I know I didn't drive that far. I check the trip mileage and it reads less than a hundred miles (normally I can expect well over 300 miles per tank). I forget about it for awhile, thinking that maybe the gauge is stuck for some reason and I'll be able to drive on it for 300 miles. I checked for a pool of gas on my driveway that might indicate a leaky gas tank and found nothing.

But on the way home from work yesterday the gas light came on, signalling the tank was almost empty. Not wanting to risk it I swing back into a gas station and put the pump in. The gallons start adding up. 2.... 3..... 4.... WTF?!

I fully expected it to stop before 3 gallons. My tank was empty. The mileage counter read almost exactly 100 miles since my last fill up.

The thought hit me like a flung portion of pudding -- Somebody stole my gas!!

I can't think of any other explanation. I checked this morning and the gas is still there. My tank is not leaking. I know I hit the mileage counter at the last fillup; I remember doing it and it was only a few days ago.

There's only one possibility: Somebody siphoned my gas out of the tank while I was playing disc golf! Now, I've heard of some fucked up shit in my time, but who the hell goes around siphoning gas out of peoples' tanks? I don't want to unfairly smear the good names of my fellow disc golfers, but I don't think there was time at the bar. And it was very busy around there.

I know there were a lot of kids hanging around the disc golf course. I don't know why anyone would decide to fill up their tank at the expense of mine, but selfishness is certainly not unheard of on this planet. Still, it's disappointing from a group that's usually above such pettiness. I thought the only people who stole gas were in the Bush Administration!

Has this happened to anyone else? I know gas prices are getting out of hand, but I hadn't foreseen this. Bastards got me for like 25 bucks worth of gas!

I need to put a padlock on my gas tank cover.

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5 sick little monkeys said:

Blogger Chris screeched...

Your kidding right? Getting gas stolen is pretty common, even more likely overnight if you car is not in a garage. During the oil crises of the 70's the same thing happened. More recently, at my part time job gas kept getting stolen out of the delivery vans so we usually only about half filled them. Then someone didn't have a long enough hose so they cut the rubber boot between the tank and the fill neck and got it that way. We have since made room in the warehouse to lock up the vans when not in use.

You can get locking gas caps, but then they are likely to vandalize your car.

11 September, 2007 16:23  
Blogger Vemrion screeched...

I guess I've just never run into that particular brand of theft before. Perhaps I'm sheltered (and too young to remember the 70s), but the idea that people would do this seems really cold.

I guess I should be glad they left a quarter tank to get home. I wonder if that was kindess on their part, or if their tank became full.

I also have to wonder what my own reaction would've been if I would've caught them in the act. I don't know what I would've done.

Damn. That shit is cold. It's like taking my blood, man! If you could get shot for stealing a man's horse back in the old west, I wonder what you could get for stealing horse feed.

11 September, 2007 18:42  
Anonymous luminaria screeched...

I'm reading more posts on your blog now and ROTFL and ROTFCrying at the same time. Your stuff is some of the most bitingly honest I've found yet. I don't know where you linked me, but I'm adding you to my links as well as giving you a mention in my blog tomorrow. Brilliant!

11 September, 2007 20:27  
Anonymous tekno geek screeched...

Hey Vemrion, I like your blog. Would you like to trade links? I've got a story about how it sucks to go to the gas station. Check out my blog at teknoidiot.blogspot.com

And by the way, I need to get a locking gas cap for my truck.

12 September, 2007 14:41  
Anonymous david bass dancy screeched...

the saddest part? Nikola Tesla elminated the need for gas and wires one hundred years ago. Indutrial control has been here a long time.

15 September, 2007 15:05  

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