And no, it's not just because of our lovely Canadian taxes (in fact, I'd have no problem at all with the taxes if they'd apply them to infrastructure and things that are actually transportation-related) or the fact that I wish I didn't need a car. It's not even the part where I'd love for there to be an affordable alternative to using all the bloody petroleum in the first place.
Oh, and for those who are about to say THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES!!! I'd just like to point out the word affordable up there. I'm on a pretty limited budget, and that definitely, definitely limits my alternatives.
No, what ticks me off is the mumblemumble arbitrary nature of gas prices.
And please don't start talking about market forces and delivery costs and all of that nonsense. There is no fricking way that that sort of thing accounts for nearly a ten cent difference per litre between the city I live in and a town twenty minutes away.
When I travel back and forth between my place and my father's place, I often find myself playing gas roulette. Say that I have a quarter of a tank or so, and I'm thinking that the price in the city is a little high (as it usually is). There are two towns on the way to Dad's that I could stop at for gas, or three if you count the town that Dad lives in. If the first is a cent or two lower than the city, then there's a pretty good chance that the next town will be even cheaper than that, and that Dad's town may be cheaper.
Except when it's not.
It's probably a stupid game to play, taking my chances on the next spin of the wheel, but the sad fact is that there's often enough difference in price to make playing it worthwhile. And that, folks, is completely ridiculous.
These places are all less than forty minutes away from each other. And yet there was, as I said, nearly a ten cent difference between my city and one of the on-the-way towns when I drove in to Dad's on Friday.
Unfortunately, stupid woman decided to keep driving that day and just fill in the next town.
Which was five cents more expensive.
Someone want to explain that to me?
Of course, since it's a long weekend the gas here has probably gone up to city level by now. Serves me right, I guess, for not filling on Friday. Oh, but the gas companies will tell you that they don't purposely raise the prices on long weekends...
The whole thing's just so completely idiotic, and that's all I have to say about that. I hate being held hostage to my car's fuel, but since it's not going to stop anytime soon I suppose I have no choice but to keep playing this silly game.
As much as it ticks me off, yes.
Incidentally, I had thought about calling this post Gas craps since the game's such a roll of the dice, but there was just something about the idea of gas and craps in conjunction with a day where lots of you are having a big family dinner that didn't seem right to me. You're, um, welcome.
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