Sleeping over with my pseudograndkids while my brother and his young wife are in Vegas. Went to bed early but was up early too. There was just a 4.5 earthquake, well about a half hour ago now, felt all over the bay area. Checked in with the missus. Huh, apparently it was centered in Berkeley where it measured 4.7 Glad Lia is okay.

Enjoying the snow day.

On the ferry to Canuckistan

Watching Guardians of the Galaxy 2, for the 6th time.

(January 3, 2018 at 9:18 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Indeed. It's fucking stupid. Every time an initiative comes up to allow self-serve the hand-wringing ninnies come out of the woodwork and it gets shot down.

Self-serve works just fine in neighboring Washington state. Go figure.

And California, and Idaho, and Nevada, Utah, Colorado... Need I go on?

It's not like "full" serve is unheard of in these states. It's just a premium service available at some of the stations.

(January 4, 2018 at 6:07 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote:

(January 3, 2018 at 9:18 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Indeed.  It's fucking stupid.  Every time an initiative comes up to allow self-serve the hand-wringing ninnies come out of the woodwork and it gets shot down.

Self-serve works just fine in neighboring Washington state.  Go figure.

And California, and Idaho, and Nevada, Utah, Colorado... Need I go on?

It's not like "full" serve is unheard of in these states. It's just a premium service available at some of the stations.

I particularly love the claims you hear that "only trained, qualified" people should be allowed to pump gas. How much training do these people think the average gas jockey receives? (Having been one, in my case, the answer was close to zero.)

In addition, if only highly trained and qualified people should pump gas, where are the cries to requiring, you know, training for all those out there pumping gas without training and certification?

(January 4, 2018 at 6:11 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote:

(January 4, 2018 at 6:07 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote: And California, and Idaho, and Nevada, Utah, Colorado... Need I go on?

It's not like "full" serve is unheard of in these states. It's just a premium service available at some of the stations.

I particularly love the claims you hear that "only trained, qualified" people should be allowed to pump gas. How much training do these people think the average gas jockey receives? (Having been one, in my case, the answer was close to zero.)

In addition, if only highly trained and qualified people should pump gas, where are the cries to requiring, you know, training for all those out there pumping gas without training and certification?

But, come now. I routinely spill gallons of gas and usually mange to set light to the whole damned place!

Seriously, though. It's a fucking pain on my ass every time I drive out to see dad and have to sit and wait, the only car at the pumps, for the guy inside to finish ringing someone up/taking a shit/wanking to the latest Penthouse, to finally deign to come put some gas in the tank. With self serve and pay at the pump, I'm usually in and out before the gas jockey can even ask what I want, and then proceed to fill it with premium after I asked for $10 in mid-grade.

Programming the local repeater towers into my ham radio. I'll chat with some other hams here in North Carolina before I bed down for the night. My life is exciting, lol.

Did a bunch of tidying and odd jobs around the house -- cut and bagged a piece of drywall that had sustained water damage while sitting in the garage; sanded and painted a section of the living room wall that I had patched.

Also used up some ingredients left over from the holidays by making a mincemeat pie and a pot of mushroom soup. (I would have also started a pot of Boston brown beans, but *snif* we're... out of bacon! *sob*)

New Jersey requires petroleum transfer engineers (that's fancy talk for gas station attendants) at all gas stations. The law provides jobs in the state. Besides, in the winter, I'd
rather stay in my warm car and let someone else pump my gas.

But the main thing is the employment it provides.