As gas prices have risen and risen and risen some more, the “lightbulb” in my head didn’t flicker on until the other week.  It’s been depressing enough seeing a gallon go up 10 cents at a time every few days.  Even worse though?  For those borderline OCD people like myself, there was a subtle shift in my pumping habits.  Ever since I’ve been pumping gas as a teen, I find the need to have the total amount end in ‘0’ or ‘5’.  This means that if the pump automatically stops at $38.88, I need to quickly pump the gas price up to $38.90.  If I accidentally jump from $38.89 to $38.91, then $38.95 is my next target.

With gas hovering near $4 a gallon, those quick “squeeze and release” moves we use don’t go in penny increments anymore.  They typically are jumping 3 or 4 cents at a time now.  If I get to $38.88, my only hope is I can get to $38.95 or $39.00.  Believe it or not, if I can’t round it up to the next multiple of five, I “let go” and let the amount be what it is.

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My 4 ½ year old daughter is quite the handful when it comes to mental games and trying to stay one step ahead of her requires a lot of mental energy.  We did have to lay the law down last week though when, in the middle of me reprimanding her, she starts to walk away from me while loudly saying “BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH”.  Once again, it was a combination of me not trying to laugh out loud but trying to be stern on the outside to let her know that is never an acceptable behavior to do when her parents are talking to her.  Obviously kids mimic what they hear so I must have said that at some point(s) in the past and she parroted the phrase.