Minor things that bother you

[TheCatalyst31]

Mandatory full-serve gas in New Jersey.  I was getting a couple route clinches today along with updated photo coverage and stopped at a Wawa to top off shortly after lunch.  Half the pumps were blocked off because they didn't have a full crew of pump jockeys, requiring me to circle around to find one that was available and on the correct side of my car.  And then when the car was done filling up, I had to wait 3-5 times the length of time it took to fill up in the first place (for all 5 gallons I needed) for the pump jockey to come back and get the gas nozzle out of the car.  And of course he just left the gas cap dangling instead of hanging it on the gas flap like you're supposed to!  The only thing that didn't suck ass about the experience was that he noticed me right as I pulled up and I didn't have to wait a while for him to start fueling the car like I usually do (maybe my NY plates scared him into thinking that I would try to pump my own gas?).  Why NJ residents put up with the fascism, I will never understand.  If you hate pumping your own gas and/or want to protect unskilled labor jobs, I can see requiring stations to offer full service, but going so far as to ban self service is just cruel.  I think I'm going to have to give serious consideration to restructuring my trips so that I never need to get gas in NJ again.

Not to mention that I like to clean the windshield whenever I get gas, and with full serve, I'm never sure if I should do that myself or if I need to ask the jockey to do it, and if the latter, whether I need to be prepared to give them a tip.

I'm not sure how much time you were spending in New Jersey, but it sounds like you still had plenty of gas in the tank if you only got 5 gallons, and New Jersey isn't a very big state. Why not just wait until you're in a different state?

[vdeane]

Mandatory full-serve gas in New Jersey.  I was getting a couple route clinches today along with updated photo coverage and stopped at a Wawa to top off shortly after lunch.  Half the pumps were blocked off because they didn't have a full crew of pump jockeys, requiring me to circle around to find one that was available and on the correct side of my car.  And then when the car was done filling up, I had to wait 3-5 times the length of time it took to fill up in the first place (for all 5 gallons I needed) for the pump jockey to come back and get the gas nozzle out of the car.  And of course he just left the gas cap dangling instead of hanging it on the gas flap like you're supposed to!  The only thing that didn't suck ass about the experience was that he noticed me right as I pulled up and I didn't have to wait a while for him to start fueling the car like I usually do (maybe my NY plates scared him into thinking that I would try to pump my own gas?).  Why NJ residents put up with the fascism, I will never understand.  If you hate pumping your own gas and/or want to protect unskilled labor jobs, I can see requiring stations to offer full service, but going so far as to ban self service is just cruel.  I think I'm going to have to give serious consideration to restructuring my trips so that I never need to get gas in NJ again.

Not to mention that I like to clean the windshield whenever I get gas, and with full serve, I'm never sure if I should do that myself or if I need to ask the jockey to do it, and if the latter, whether I need to be prepared to give them a tip.

I'm not sure how much time you were spending in New Jersey, but it sounds like you still had plenty of gas in the tank if you only got 5 gallons, and New Jersey isn't a very big state. Why not just wait until you're in a different state?

I usually get gas when I'm around half a tank, which aligns with stopping around lunch and then again at the end of the day (I drive a Civic, so I only have a 12 gallon tank; the amount of gas that larger cars use astounds me).  Is this not normal?  When I'm on freeways I don't want to have to get off multiple times, though there's more freedom when I'm on surface roads.  This also helps to balance out the amount of gas that I'm getting each stop, though this can get weird for shorter trips, or if my gas mileage is higher than usual.

[Scott5114]

I typically don't stop until I get to ¼ tank, although I will stop early if I know I'll be heading into a serviceless area (I always stop in Tonopah regardless of what the gauge says, for instance).

More to the point, it seems like if you don't like getting gas in NJ, the thing to do is to fill up at the last exit before entering the state and again at the first exit after leaving the state, ignoring what the gauge says.

[Rothman]

I stop when my car tells me I've got 40 miles left on the tank...as long as I'm in civilization.  I'll fill up before heading out into the boonies.

NJ's got the Pine Barrens, but they aren't that big and it's a gallon of gas or so to get across them...

[Molandfreak]

In the winter, I never let my tank get below half empty. I don't want to get in a position where help is an hour away and I'm stranded without heat.

[GaryV]

In the winter, I never let my tank get below half empty. I don't want to get in a position where help is an hour away and I'm stranded without heat.

AI (there, I admitted it) tells me that average fuel consumption while idling is 0.2 to 0.5 gallons per hour.

[kphoger]

Tangent question: Where do you exchange dollars for pesos?

I do my foreign exchange at a bank in downtown Wichita.  You don't have to have an account there to do forex and, if it isn't a large amount of money, they typically have the pesos right there on hand.  If it's a larger amount needed (I'm typically getting enough for an entire mission trip), then it's still only a few days' wait.

[Max Rockatansky]

Tangent question: Where do you exchange dollars for pesos?

I do my foreign exchange at a bank in downtown Wichita.  You don't have to have an account there to do forex and, if it isn't a large amount of money, they typically have the pesos right there on hand.  If it's a larger amount needed (I'm typically getting enough for an entire mission trip), then it's still only a few days' wait.

The issue with domestic banks I've found is that I can get a better rate on currency exchange in Mexico.  The town grocery store has by far the currency exchange rate in town.  But then again we are consistently visiting the same place. 

[kphoger]

The issue with domestic banks I've found is that I can get a better rate on currency exchange in Mexico.  The town grocery store has by far the currency exchange rate in town.  But then again we are consistently visiting the same place. 

I've found local Mexican forex to be inconvenient due to either (a) long waits in line, (b) limits that are too low, or (c) both.  And, besides, I'm typically driving down, so I already need pesos for tolls and gas and lunch before arriving to my final destination.

[Max Rockatansky]

The issue with domestic banks I've found is that I can get a better rate on currency exchange in Mexico.  The town grocery store has by far the currency exchange rate in town.  But then again we are consistently visiting the same place. 

I've found local Mexican forex to be inconvenient due to either (a) long waits in line, (b) limits that are too low, or (c) both.  And, besides, I'm typically driving down, so I already need pesos for tolls and gas and lunch before arriving to my final destination.

The variance is pretty with all the currency exchange places in town.  We tend to stick with the grocery store since they give us the best returns.  Typically we have a family member pick us up from the airport and use Pesos from the previous trip to pay for tolls/breakfast. 

[TheCatalyst31]

I usually fill up the tank somewhere between the quarter-tank mark and when the fuel light comes on, depending on the weather and how remote of an area I'm driving in. The one exception is that I usually try to fuel up in Wisconsin before driving to Illinois, since gas is cheaper here.

[Rothman]

In the winter, I never let my tank get below half empty. I don't want to get in a position where help is an hour away and I'm stranded without heat.

Phone AAA from in car.  Have jacket on.  Will survive much longer than an hour.

[roadman65]

The latest invention to remove toenail fungus.

It's got pop up ads all over social media with more ads than greedy lawyers since last Friday.


It's a pen that you must get now in four packs or its gone as supplies last or at least so they say.

[Rothman]

The latest invention to remove toenail fungus.

It's got pop up ads all over social media with more ads than greedy lawyers since last Friday.


It's a pen that you must get now in four packs or its gone as supplies last or at least so they say.

I haven't seen these...

[vdeane]

The fact that shopping seems to end in failure more often than not.  I have to do an emergency replacement of my boots since my current ones are coming apart, but I can't find a decent fashion boot that fits my feet and will work in snow/rain.  Everything is either high heeled, suede, or out of stock in my size.  Assuming my size is even right, because finding shoes that fit my feet properly is a huge challenge in and of itself.  I found one pair that seemed acceptable only to get home and realize that the slight heel is hard to walk in around my apartment (where I have to be very careful of how I walk to avoid noise complaints) and they're an inch or so too tall, hitting my thighs when I sit (how did I miss that in the store?).

I also tried to get a throw blanket for the office, but it's leaving lint/fuzzies everywhere.  And it still doesn't resolve the temptation to sit next to the space heater in our room instead of doing work.  Looks like I'm going to have to return both that and the boots, whenever I can find time that is, which is going to be hard because I still need to find new boots.  And I don't know how that will work because I used a gift card of 2/3 of this purchase and I really don't have much else to use a gift card on (and fulfilling the boot/blanket needs will probably need to happen at a different store entirely; I really wish Mom would stop giving me JCPenney gift cards, because I've been really unsatisfied the last few times I've gone).

[kphoger]

I have to do an emergency replacement of my boots since my current ones are coming apart

My boots too.  I have a sturdy pair of waterproof steel-toed boots that I use for wet and snowy conditions.  But, while I was in Mexico in August, the upper started coming apart from the lower on one side of one of them.  They're still mostly serviceable, but it irritates me that that one's not really waterproof anymore even though they're still in good condition otherwise.  Good boots ain't cheap.

[roadman65]

The latest invention to remove toenail fungus.

It's got pop up ads all over social media with more ads than greedy lawyers since last Friday.


It's a pen that you must get now in four packs or its gone as supplies last or at least so they say.

I haven't seen these...

I have and its annoying. Scare tactics to make you buy them saying there is no cure, but this pen is.


https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1MZkGXejps/

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1874dsMM6X/

[Scott5114]

The latest invention to remove toenail fungus.

It's got pop up ads all over social media with more ads than greedy lawyers since last Friday.


It's a pen that you must get now in four packs or its gone as supplies last or at least so they say.

I haven't seen these...

I have and its annoying. Scare tactics to make you buy them saying there is no cure, but this pen is.


https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1MZkGXejps/

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1874dsMM6X/

Congrats, now you're talking about the product on another platform. The ad worked and you're now a tool of the marketers.

[Scott5114]

I have a trash can in the back yard so when stuff blows into the pool, I can throw it away after fishing it out.

In last night's windstorm, the trash can (and its entire contents) blew into the pool.

[Max Rockatansky]

I have a trash can in the back yard so when stuff blows into the pool, I can throw it away after fishing it out.

In last night's windstorm, the trash can (and its entire contents) blew into the pool.

During tonight's rain storm only one of the four dogs went to the bathroom when I let them outside.  The other three are complaining loudly from the laundry room crates.

[Beltway]

I have a trash can in the back yard so when stuff blows into the pool, I can throw it away after fishing it out.  In last night's windstorm, the trash can (and its entire contents) blew into the pool.

During tonight's rain storm only one of the four dogs went to the bathroom when I let them outside.  The other three are complaining loudly from the laundry room crates.

There is a bathroom outside your house?

[Scott5114]

I have a trash can in the back yard so when stuff blows into the pool, I can throw it away after fishing it out.  In last night's windstorm, the trash can (and its entire contents) blew into the pool.

During tonight's rain storm only one of the four dogs went to the bathroom when I let them outside.  The other three are complaining loudly from the laundry room crates.

There is a bathroom outside your house?

Why am I not surprised you have never owned a dog before?

[Beltway]

I have a trash can in the back yard so when stuff blows into the pool, I can throw it away after fishing it out.  In last night's windstorm, the trash can (and its entire contents) blew into the pool.

During tonight's rain storm only one of the four dogs went to the bathroom when I let them outside.  The other three are complaining loudly from the laundry room crates.

There is a bathroom outside your house?

Why am I not surprised you have never owned a dog before?

You don't have to own a dog to have lived in houses that have dogs living there.

I visited my sister last month and we walked her two golden retrievers, several times.

[GaryV]

I visited my sister last month and we walked her two golden retrievers

That sounds a lot like, "I have friends who are ..."   

[Max Rockatansky]

Beltway having never owned a dog is one of the least surprising things I've read on this forum.