Let's talk Jaguars. Not the team, not the cats. The cars, people. The. Cars.

What do you get when you combine one amusement park, multiple drivers including one very excited car-loving blonde and a bunch of sleek new Jaguars?

 Answer?  A whole lot of fun. Also called The Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience.
  It wasn't easy to find my way into the closed park. Thank goodness a Jaguar passed by me slow enough to follow. We made a nice little parade. My XKR following his XF.
 The check-in at the hospitality suite was quick and painless, and soon we were ushered into the outside tent (drizzly weather had just stopped) for an introduction to the vehicles, prices, models, features, all the stuff a brochure would tell you more succinctly than I.  Check it out here.

 Next up was a quick talk about Jaguar Technology, like Dynamic Stability Control, AWD and three separate driving modes, plus the one no one wanted to hear about.... the Automatic Speed Limiter. But talk wasn't enough. You have to drive it to feel it. There were car choices of the XF and XJ, both with AWD.
I teamed up with my new Jag loving pal, Tyrone and we got to run through some hazards in different modes, testing the accident avoidance features. There was a slippery hill, a skidding turn, a bumpy road and some twists and turns. All fun, and in the extra long XJLR, it was a luxurious way to enjoy backseat driving, unless I'm driving, then hold onto your cucumber water!

 Tyrone said that last year at the same event there was more driving, both on the track and around town,  and more cars. Later we learned that due to some sort of internal costs things had been cut back. I wondered if anyone ever tried or succeeded in stealing a car from the event— then I wrote a story in my head where someone did.

We made our way to the next tent for JAGUAR DYNAMICS, where we were able to drive two cars, XKR and XFR all 2014 models. I drove the XKR coupe.  It was pretty cool to hear, "OK. Now floor it! Pedal to the ground!" instead blue lights and sirens. That was one smooth trip from 0 to 60, and a few heart pounding turns back to the tent.

Where I went along for a two-fer ride in the XFR with Tyrone at the wheel first.

This is my face after he told me he gets his "ya-yas" out by driving race cars every weekend. It was probably also his face when I drove one-handed and got yelled at by the instructor.

This is the dash and the backseat. I love the two tone interior and clean dashboard.

By the way, no one had to tell Tyrone to put the pedal to the floor.

 Next up was the one we were both waiting for: PERFORMANCE and a bevy of F type convertibles to choose from. ( it's what's under the hood that will really make the difference.)
*From Jaguar site:

YOUR F-TYPE

There are four models in the F-TYPE range. While each offers its own distinctive characteristics, all are equally at home on mountain switchbacks, on the highway or in the city.
The F-TYPE is designed to deliver pure driving pleasure.
The F-TYPE S adds greater power and sophisticated suspension technologies for increased balance and performance.
The F-TYPE V8 S Convertible provides exotic-car performance and greater levels of dynamic capability and control.
The F-TYPE R Coupe delivers supercar levels of performance combined with advanced dynamic technologies for the ultimate driver focused experience.

Most impressive non-performance feature? The z-fold bootless roof. I drive a convertible, but mine has a boot and the roof takes a little more than 12 seconds to go up or down. Not in this baby. Course, mine is also a bit larger... Here. Hold my purse. Leave the golf clubs at home.

 WHEW. That was awesome. Then it was back inside for goodie bags and snacks.
Of course, they had to pull me away from this beauty.

Yes, You're seeing the JAGUAR XKRS GT.
 Here she is up close.

Don't get your hopes up. There will only be 25 of them released in the USA. You will probably never see one in person, and definitely not be allowed to lean all over the spoiler.

Thank you JAGUAR ALIVE. I had a wonderful day on the track, enjoyed meeting new people, and learning what's new for this brand that in my opinion NEVER went out of style.

 Hey, this has been on my Christmas list since I was two.

 Are you listening Santa?

The headline said: Literary Porn. Of course I clicked on it.

It was a collection of a shop of stuff for the book lover, the reader, the writer, the man who wants to make his date believe he is one of the above.
 and I thought cool...
 until I looked at some of the prices.
 Fancy book markers made with imported crystals, reading glasses with real gold embellishments... automated page turners with a 4 figure price tag...what was this? Literary porn from SkyMall?
 I skimmed down a few pages, drawn to this:

okay. Nice back, but it was the caddy I liked- a solution to my I wanna soak, but I gotta write dilemma.
Look closely, it's a piece of WOOD. A few planks nailed together and laid across a pretty darn expensive tub.
 I looked at the price tag.   $100, plus $20 shipping...
 for a piece of wood?? I have a sheet of plywood under my workbench I could rip and sand. I have a shelf sized leftover piece of MDF that would be exactly the right size, and could be painted to match my Venetian/ hotel style whirlpool tub.
 So, uh, yeah, thanks for the "wooden caddy" idea. But I think I'll send my money on a bottle of wine to drink IN the tub.

 

The love of all things small and automotive.

SAM_0817
Originally uploaded by Another Good Thing

There's nothing like a trip to Europe to make one appreciate small cars. We saw more Smart cars than you'd imagine, and lots that looked like this one.. kind of clown car-ish.
Seriously. Isn't it CUTE?
I have grown tired of the bigger is better American mentality for years, regarding our automobiles, and having recently moved from a 7 person Domestic SUV to a 2+2 European coupe, I speak from experience.
I can make a Costco run in my little car just as well as in the SUV. I did have to rent a truck at the Home Depot to bring back yard products, but that was 20 bucks well spent. Every day that i don't visit the gas station, I pat myself on the back for going smaller.
Needless to say, without the large dog in the mix, this automotive decision is easier, and I feel a bit hypocritical, as we still use the SUV for long trips and carting extra children, but the beast has long been paid off and refuses to die a natural death.
So, until then, I will continue to admire and push the smaller vehicle. A smaller, SAFETY conscious vehicle to my children. Better yet, a smaller, safer, greener vehicle.

Don't I know you?

I started off my month of shoe blogging with some new shoes I recently purchased, some have made it out of the closet.. and some are still unsure of their sexuality. Remember this shoe ?
She had a lot of issues, and now I think she may be the evil twin to this shoe.

"Ah-hah!" You say. "Oooh," I say, noting the purple 60% off sticker. "Hmm," you add scratching your size 10 foot, wondering if they might run a bit on the large side.
SLAM! That's the sound of my door closing as I run out to see if the black twin is still on the racks.
And speaking of racks, which sounds a bit like rackets.. here's an idea that might actually work for me, as I actually have experience selling shoes. It would be just another something for me to do, I mean, if there were another five hours in a day, I could.
Imagine, me- making money- reselling shoes. This gal did.

Yes, I know that it would mean I have to give away shoes. But I could do it for men, or for ladies with tiny feet. Like a charitable thing. Right?

Your regular programming is interrupted to bring you this botox update.

We all knew Mary did it. But when she made fun of herself on live TV, we loved her even more.
You go girl.


2009 Mary publicity shot

The original Mary we all loved to scream with.


She looks so good, am thinking of making dermatologist appointment myself.

Shopping Advice, Ladies.

Probably doesn't need to be said, but for the record: ROSS has some of the cutest and some of the nicest sundresses I've seen for under $15.

At my local stores (2) I scored a cart full of dresses for me and my daughter, 5 pairs of sandals for her, and at least 4 pairs of shorts and 3 tees for the picky teen boy. All items are well made and nothing cost more than $14.99. The most expensive maxi dress was only $12.99 and most of the shoes were $8.99, with more markdowns on the way.

It appears the recession is good for some of us.
Check it out and tell them Linda sent you.

Let's all bitch about our HOA.

....sung to the tune of MY DICK, from Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...

My HOA wants me to change my blinds.
Your HOA says your payment's running behind.

My HOA drives around in Caddies.
Your HOA will fine you for noise on St. Paddy's.

My HOA tells what color to paint my door.
Your HOA is run by a whore.

My HOA says don't park in the street.
Your HOA says you ain't fuckin neat.

My HOA closes the pool when kids pee.
Your HOA thinks your yard is weedy.

My HOA told me to hide my trashcan.
Your HOA gives it to you in the ass, man.

My HOA charges too much for too little.
Your HOA's covenants read like a riddle.

My HOA says no to sheds.
Your HOA wants you to prune your beds.

My HOA is run by Nazi finks.
Your HOA is full of MILFs and DINKs.

My HOA took down the basketball nets.
Your HOA won't let you park your jet.

My HOA won't answer the phone.
Your HOA won't toss you a bone.

Shoe Math

If Linda goes to DSW with:
One coupon for 30% off
a birthday reward of $5 off
and a purchase return- without a receipt- one pair of unworn too tight metallic peep toes
(original price 59.99 on sale for 30%off)

What will it cost her to buy the $80 ( compare at $105) Italian leather stiletto bootie pumps?

ANSWER:
-9.52

Yes, that's right. They owed her money.

So, of course, she brought her daughter back later, gave her the 20% off friend coupon and the store credit, and the little bunny scored a new spring shoe for under 20 bucks.

sweetness.

It appears my bottom line may be a great deal higher than other people's bottom lines

As I sit down to pay the monthly bills, organize our files and accounting information, I glance at the dusty budget book shoved behind the seldom used fax machine.
I used to be so good at that.

When we lived in NH, where most everything was cheap-- probably their way to entice people to move there-- I was on a budget/money clinging kick. I kept track of every penny that came in and went out. I had a household budget book with designated categories of expense from frivolous entertainment to fuel. I kept every receipt and was able to submit my husband's travel expenses within hours of him deboarding a plane.
It was early in the marriage, and we had agreed that each of us would do the things for the family that we were good at. For me, it was being the Mom. It was organization, decorating, shopping, and planning- from meals to trips to birthday parties. I'm like a mini-Martha who doesn't cook as much.
For my husband, it was earning the paycheck, dealing with corporate assholes and generally anything that had to do with large machinery.

Since NH, and CA, and CA and PA... we have had our share of financial ups and downs, and even when it it took every bit of our savings to move to GA, we still never worried. We never went hungry and we never thought we wouldn't or couldn't succeed. We may have had a few battles about what was budgetarily important, but in the end, we never stressed about something as stupid as money.
After all, it's the world's most renewable resource. You can just make more. (says the woman who has not held a "real" job since 1993, worked 3 jobs so she could take 2 months off and backpack through Europe, filed bankruptcy after an ex- beau ripped her off and left her with a house and a dog and 2 Iguanas, and has been through 2- count 'em 2- tax audits)
Yeah, what the hell do I know?

Recently, it came to my attention, that our lack of stress and lack of concern about money means we have more of it. God is mysterious like that.
Not balancing the checkbook, not cutting coupons, not being the guy in the grocery store with the calculator figuring out the best value per ounce... NOT doing those things allowed the positive energy of wealth to flow our way ( f you want to go all new- agey on me). Whatever the case. I am free from the money worry. Either it's there or it isn't.
We pay off any credit cards monthly, have one car loan and are paying down the house. We put money aside for kids and school and odd bills. We don't think about retirement funds or shitty stocks.
We are hopeful for a future chunk of change that will foot future bills and buy us into a better area, but we aren't sitting around thinking it will come from a lottery ticket or a casino trip... or from some tax change/government help.

Know this. You can't buy love or happiness or health. You can buy the way TO them, you can even buy "band-aids" that look and for a short while might seem to be the same thing. But at night, alone in your bed when you take that minute to rewind your day... it isn't hard cold cash you'll remember.

I know people who are so focused on their money that it constantly eludes them. People borrow and don't repay, people steal and people owe. The money is scared to go back. All that negative energy... that kind of person will always struggle, and probably not just in their finances. Some people are so conscious of their bottom line, of their gross and expenditures, that it cramps them. They are like the woman who waits so long to wear the fancy dress, that it no longer fits her. Me, I'd mow my lawn in it.

Sure, there are real money issues, and we have some concerns with Obama in office. Seems like we may be penalized for our 'free' money values, for my husband's hard work in a growing and quite lucrative field. For our restraint in incurring senseless debt.
In these belt-cinching times, our pants are hanging loose, but that doesn't mean we're bending over and asking for it.
I just know that when I pulled out that dusty budget book and read the entertainment column, I wasn't ready to give up my $19 Blockbuster membership or the $26 gym, but in May, after my year is up? I may feel okay about dropping the $39/month massage.
Because it will be sandal season, and girl? Everyone knows shoe shopping cures all money woes. Especially when there's a two for $39 sale.

"Boy Marries Dog to Avoid Tiger Attacks." or, I couldn't make this stuff up!

By Jatindra Dash Jatindra Dash – Wed Feb 18, 12:55 pm ET

BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) – An infant boy was married off to his neighbors' dog in eastern India by villagers, who said it will stop the groom from being killed by wild animals, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday.

Around 150 tribespeople performed the ritual recently in a hamlet in the state of Orissa's Jajpur district after the boy, who is under two years old, grew a tooth on his upper gum.

The Munda tribe see such a growth in young children as a bad omen and believe it makes them prone to attacks by tigers and other animals. The tribal god will bless the child and ward off evil spirits after the marriage.

"We performed the marriage because it will overcome any curse that might fall on the child as well on us," the boy's father, Sanarumala Munda, was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.

The groom, Sagula, was carried by his family in a procession to the village temple, where a priest solemnized the marriage between Sagula and his bride, Jyoti, by chanting Sanskrit hymns, a witness said.

The dog belongs to the groom's neighbors and was set free to roam around the area after the ceremony. No dowry was exchanged, the witness said, and the boy will still be able to marry a human bride in the future without filing for divorce.

Indian law does not recognize weddings between people and animals, but the ritual survives in rural and tribal areas of the country.



I wonder if I get my son to marry my YorkiPoo, will the IRS get off my ass?

My son sprinted out of the awkward stage- from crooked teeth to pierced ears.

Like most parents, we are warned at the outset how expensive our bundles of joy will be. No one ever factors in anguish, mental health or the gallons of sanity reviving alcohol you will need, but one thing most folks agree on is the huge cost of medical and dental care.

We were lucky to have easy pregnancies, healthy kids and generally a carefree attitude about viruses, immunizations and doctors in general. If it ain't THAT broke, don't spend hours where sick people go.( you will defintely be sick after that, and maybe so well informed about the things you DON'T have, that you may find yourself self-diagnosing to the extreme.)

A recent trip to the pediatrician was eye opening when we figured out my 10 year old had not been to the doctor since she was 5. Oops. And the 14 year old would be needing a different practice.
I blame my parents. We weren't real big on doctors then either. As a matter of fact, I broke my arm when I was 5 and walked around with a fracture for 2 weeks, until they finally figured out maybe I wasn't kidding. I still remember the talking to the doc gave them, and the drama of getting the cast off the day before kindergarten began.

But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When my 2 year old tripped over a Pringle's can and fell headfirst into the tracks of a sliding closet door, i had to call the nurse neighbor to ask her what to do, to have her come take a look. When she told me to "take her in for some stitches", I had to have her explain that meant going to the ER, and then I had to have her draw me a map to the hospital.
I know. I'm a horrible mother.
So, when the dentist told me my son would need orthodontia, and recommended the guy next door. I jumped at the chance to do all the right things.
Never having worn braces myself, and only having heard the horror stories of my husband's experience- end result for him broke parents and not so pretty teeth, I needed a bit of cajoling.
The handsome young Elvis-looking dentist twisted my arm, and we were in for about 3 grand, and almost 3 years... from xrays and spreaders to an expanding device with a key you can swallow- yikes- to top and bottom braces, all kinds of rubber bands, buttons and teeth removal, even some gum slicing along the way and finally retainers- one which will be bonded permanently to the back of the lower teeth, well, until we get it removed.
My kid's a trooper.
Here he is at 11 years and 10 months.

And here he is today, at 14 years and 9 months. Almost entirely braces free. (rest of lowers come off next week with new retainers)
The orthodontist gave him soft chewy candy and a balloon. What did I get? Satisfaction.

Where did that little boy go?

Being spoiled is a good thing. When you're the Mom.

My husband says I'm spoiled. I am. And it's mostly his fault.

He gives me more than I deserve and tells me I've earned it, when I think I am just doing my wife-mother-homeowner job. From expensive clothes and jewelry to a new car and trips away... he is a good good man.
This weekend he took me here, to this suite, to see the Atlanta Falcons kick some Panther ass. Meow.I say my husband is mostly responsible for spoiling me, because I grew up with three sisters and my parents gave us alot, but let us know what a lot meant, and later, I had boyfriends who spoiled me in their own ways.. usually that meant me getting my way, and them sacrificing their needs before mine.
God, put that way, I do sound spoiled, selfish even.
Let me say, I am grateful for everything I have ever received and like to give in return. My husband and I are alike in that way, and we hope we are raising children who think similarly.

There may be a difference in "spoiling" when it comes to guys and girls. I never really figured out the whole boy thing- which was very confusing when my son was born and I was new to a strange town, living 3500 miles away from family. Those were some long phone calls.
I still think I favor him more than my daughter, because I grew up knowing that the woman has to handle a lot more than the man. The man, he goes to work and does work things. He comes home and has his drink and his dinner and his TV. ( yes, yes, I am exaggerating.. relax)

The woman- she does all the rest.

So, when I tell my son to do all his chores, sure I check on him, but I also give him some slack- not expecting perfection or even great attention to detail. With my daughter, who is four years younger... I come down much harder, asking her if she thinks she's completed her task well or merely good enough. She needs to learn good enough isn't always enough, if you don't have a woman behind- spoiled or not- you picking up the slack.

For All You Armchair Quarterbacks Who Called For The Replay.

After the Steelers/Chargers Sunday game fiasco, the NFL says it's going to look into ways to eliminate future officiating mistakes. Is that like fixing broken men?
And I only say men because I don't see any women wearing stripes on the football field.
Thing is.. human eyes, human errors. Even sometimes the angle of the shot/s doesn't give us a clear picture of what really happened. Wouldn't it be great if players were honest? No, sorry, I stepped out of bounds before I made the touchdown. My bad.
It wasn't only the fans and the players who were affected by the bad call, but more importantly... the gamblers.
Ruling the play a touchdown and then reversing the decision because of an illegal forward pass, caused an approximate $64 million swing in winnings.* OUCH.

Yahoo sports gives the play by play better than I, as my report includes grass stained knees, package sizes, tight asses and ugly cheerleaders: what women see...
Here's what happened:
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers flipped a short pass to LaDainian Tomlinson, who turned and flipped a lateral to wide receiver Chris Chambers.Chamber then attempted to lateral backward but his errant throw bounced off the turf and was scooped up by Polamalu, who carried it into the end zone for an apparent 17-10 lead.
However, as the teams lined up for the extra point, the replay official called for a review of the play. Following the initial review, referee Scott Green announced the ruling on the field stood and that the touchdown counted. However, the referees huddled again and determined that one of the laterals was an illegal forward pass, which would have ended the play and the game.

The problem, as Green explained after the game and the NFL expounded upon in its statement, was that the officials applied the ruling to the incorrect lateral.“The officiating crew mistakenly determined that the backward pass that Polamalu legally recovered and returned for the touchdown was the pass that was reversed in replay to being forward and illegal,” the league said in the statement. “Therefore, the crew ruled that the ball was dead when it hit the ground and the play was over. (The actual illegal forward pass - Tomlinson to Chambers - did not hit the ground and therefore the play is allowed to continue.)

“If the situation had been handled properly, the defense (Pittsburgh) would have declined the penalty for an illegal forward pass from Tomlinson to Chambers and taken the touchdown.”

*RJ Bell of Pregame.com, a Las Vegas-based sports information service, estimated that $100 million was bet on the contest, in which the Steelers were a five-point favorite.

My idea two weeks ago of implanting a webcam and a chip in the football itself doesn't seem that stupid now, does it my beer slugging armchair pals?

So You Think You Can Dance? I can watch. All night.

Teachers in Purgatory

New York City has the largest school system in the US, with enrollment of over 1,100,000 students and employing approximately 80,000 teachers.
At any given time 600-900 public school teachers, on full salary, are spending their days--not in their classrooms-- but in the RUBBER ROOM.

I heard this story earlier this year on a podcast from This American Life and was stunned.

The true story of little-known rooms in the New York City Board of Education building. Teachers are told to report there instead of their classrooms. No reason is usually given. When they arrive, they find they've been put on some kind of probationary status, and they must report every day until the matter is cleared up. They call it the Rubber Room. Average length of stay? Months, sometimes years.

Jeremy Garrett is making a documentary about The Rubber Room.
check it out.

and there's this-- how the system that was designed to bring teachers into a classroom to educate, guide and model proper behavior to students ends up creating teachers who are put in a situation where they will undeniably end up like their worst students. And paid the whole time.. to the tune of more than 36 million dollars a year.

Teachers Imprisoned In "Rubber Rooms" by Polo Colon

For years, teachers have been dreading the specter of having been relegated to the rendition of persona non grata personified in the prisoner-in-the-rubber-room condition (video produced by Norm Scot at the September Panel For educational Policy meeting, showing Betsy Combier and Polo Colon).
As captive of this euphemistically named "temporary reassignment center", or "TRC", some have entered into depression of various depths and intensity, so much so, that some even entertain thoughts of suicide. Others can no longer sleep well anymore and their personalities have changed so dramatically that their relationships with others have been negatively affected. Marriages have collapsed while a spouse is imprisoned in a TRC, simply because of emotional instability caused by the restrictions in the room.
Rubber Room inmates have squabbled with one another as they have become both more defensive and more paranoid than ever. As undiagnosed newly paranoid schizophrenics, the damage done by the demoralization of being subjected to this psychological atrocity is manifested and/or responded to in diverse ways.
Some good and well-meaning victims of this incredibly dastardly plan called "reassignment" have answered back with apathy and a sense of futility in a mental mode resigned to allow whatever happens to happen, which usually means that they get "done in" , in due time, by Principals in collusion with the Department of Investigation, who always come up with 'evidence' and 'witnesses' that are never verified.
And on a whim from these incompetent administrators-gone-wild, the Rubber Rooms are over-flowing with victims from a system that chews them up and spits them out, so much so that the latest reports are that they (the DOE) are now keeping teachers at their schools, while awaiting hearings on incompetence charges, because they have run out of room in the Rubber Rooms.

Wanna go for a drive with me?

Turn up the speakers and grab the wheel. Northern Italy never looked so good.

I declare this week: EAT FROM THE FREEZER WEEK!

After trying to stuff one more package of on-sale chicken breasts into the freezer, I took a quick calculation. Behind the 3 half gallons of ice cream and frozen yogurt was a ten day food supply. From ground beef, chicken breasts and wings to assorted frozen vegetables, bread items, organic potatoes, hotdogs, salmon patties, shrimp and california burgers, I could feed my family and never leave the house.
It sounded too good to be true, but I ticked off the days and figured I'd give it a run. Avoiding the grocery store will have its own rewards: no video store side trips, no costly Starbucks coffee or "necessary" magazines, no pricey premium gas expenditures and no forced small talk with the aging cashier.
So that's my plan.
Tonight from the freezer: ground beef and chicken,veggies and tortillas. Ice cream for dessert.
pix to come.

Get New Carpet Now- Pay Later.

Ok. I'm going to sound like a salesperson, or a real estate agent, or a perfectionist homemaker...
But ...
I just carpeted 2 kids bedrooms, one guest room, a hall, the main stairs, my office ( which is technically a living room) and a master suite for free.
At least for now, it's free.
Mohawk has this great 12 months no payments, no interest deal that makes it very easy to say yes to carpet.
Sure, it was a pain in the ass and took 4 days to move all the stuff off the floor of the closets and clear the tops of dressers, desks and tables...
but the installers moved all the heavy stuff, even took apart beds and desks and didn't complain once- at least not in English. The whole job was finished in 9 hours, looks fantastic and with the family's help and a few football players, I had everything back in place by bedtime. And threw out a few bags of stuff along the way--organizing was an added plus.

Imagine how much better my house will show when the market bounces back and the buyers come traipsing through. And yes, we get to enjoy it now...instead of dealing with the 7 year old stained Berber and the 13 year old "neutral" unpadded synthetic stuff.
I feel smart enough to be VP.

Got a nice car. Can't find premium gas. Is this the 70's?

Okay. That's it. I will vote for whichever candidate can promise me premium gas in my little Georgia town.
I feel like the fairy tale guy that went to sleep under the tree and woke up in the disco era.
WTF?
I thought we had the gas, we just wanted our wonderful citizens to pay out the ass for it. Which I was willing to do, thinking of all the cars that WOULDN'T be on the road. But some folks think it is more than "political", more than greed.
In Nashville they say..
The Southeast is still facing gasoline supply shortages caused by storm-related refinery shutdowns on the Gulf Coast. Drivers watching their gauges are have been finding shuttered stations and dry pumps. Ahmard Hall, a fullback with the Tennessee Titans, calls it "really ridiculous." Hurricane Ike shut down or reduced work at more than a dozen refineries in coastal Texas, an area that accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's gas and diesel production. And the supply situation won't improve until the refineries boot back up and start filling the empty pipelines.In the meantime, gas station owners are selling whatever shows up from their suppliers -- be it regular, premium or super unleaded. A Raleigh, North Carolina-based gas station operator says "You take what you can get."

Around here, in the Atlanta suburbs I had to go to 6 stations to find premium gas last Saturday and today I saw lines for regular unleaded and closed stations up and down a busy 6 mile route.
Word is we'll have gas by Friday or Saturday... guess I'll have to wait and see.
Wish there was a website/ phone number to call that would post current supply and stock.
It just seems silly driving all over to try to find gas so you can drive all over.

addendum;
found premium gas at the BP station on Meadow Church at Sugarloaf

I'm never paying retail again.

Today, I shopped here.
You should too. If you want fantastic new Fall clothes at last summer's prices.
I scored a sweater dress, 2 long knit tops, a funky long-sleeved mini dress, a pair of slouch boots for my daughter, a jean swing jacket and a sweet ruffle fronted sleeveless blouse all for less than $147.
I also spent a few bucks here. Where everything was $8.99. Because clothes wear out, and fads are just that, even if celebrities are behind the design.

Imagine how much money I saved my husband today.