Not to worry, I'm happy to bring you a few gallons in a pinch.
Its weird, Beale, but on my way home from buying hay, I noticed 4 scooters in the Springfield area. Prior to this gas crunch....zero scooters. I was actually happy to see that.
I was going to suggest you borrow one of JP's scooters, but I see you're OK. 
It's not just Nashville - when our town flooded and all roads out of here closed, there was a huge rush on milk and bread. My husband actually bought 4 or 5 4-litre jugs of milk. Two days later the roads opened and we still had a fridge full of milk.
Being dodgy about my id because my borg frowns on public comments about our work, but...
I am working on the US DOT's current National Household Travel Survey. This involves calling homes all over the country and persuading them to fill out a diary of every single trip they make by any means--car, public transit, bike, foot, etc--on just one day.
Got a lady the other day from Franklin. Her travel day was, iirc, Saturday and she was going to the store. Left home at, say, 1:30 a.m. Arrived at Kroger at 4:30. Distance: 2 miles.
Asked about this she explained that she had passed a gas station along the way and saw a line, so she got in it. Of course I then had to rewrite her travel matrix, as we specifically tell people that they need to include any stops along the way, so instead of Home to Kroger it should have been Home to Gas Station and then Gas Station to Kroger. But I digress...
Almost THREE HOURS out of a weekend afternoon, just sitting in a line to top off a tank. It sounds, as I said over at JP's place, Soviet-esq: you see a line, you get in it, and ask what's being sold later. Because a line means something valuable and rare has briefly become available, and if you don't get it now you won't get another chance.
Sure glad we won that Cold War thing, aren't you? I'd hate to live like a Commie.... 
dagnabbit, that should have been "left home at 1:30 p m" of course. And I meant to add that I live 100 miles west of Nashville and swear I saw an unusual number of vehicles of unusual size at my local station on Tuesday...in a town of 200 that's 6 miles or so north of the Interstate.
Price is down to $3.89 though from a post-Ike high of $3.99, so in a couple of weeks when I need gas again for the first time this month it may be back to the pre-storm $3.55.
It sounds, as I said over at JP's place, Soviet-esq: you see a line, you get in it, and ask what's being sold later.
Dang, that sure is an astute observation!
Price is down to $3.89 though from a post-Ike high of $3.99
Saw $3.94 (regular only, no premium) and $3.99 today. Line out onto the street.
Hopefully supplies will stabilize soon. People like that lady in Franklin need to stop topping off their tanks and just buying gas when they really need it.
With a car in need of expensive repairs, I've been walking and ride-sharing a lot these days. Reducing my carbon footprint, but not entirely by choice.
I work 6 miles from home so some days I walk 12 miles. If things get much worse, I expect to see some fellow pedestrians along my commute. On the bright side, if there are fewer cars, then I'll feel safer riding my bicycle along Elm Hill Pike.
As a native Tennessean, pushing the half century mark, I have witnessed this pattern of communal panic disorder in our populace all of my life. If you are not from here and believe it to be an exaggeration, forget the present lines at the gas stations, try going to any grocery stores in our state during rumor of even the slightest snow accumulation. It is nothing short of surreal (of course, global warming may now have cured us of this specific anxiety)!
I work 6 miles from home so some days I walk 12 miles. If things get much worse, I expect to see some fellow pedestrians along my commute.
Dang, that's a lot of walking; the time factor alone sounds problematic. What time do you have to get up in the morning, and are you walking home in the dark?
Have you thought of getting a bike? That might be faster. Unfortunately safety is an issue in this town ... I've been run off the road more than once, but depending on where one lives the city has built some nice bike lanes that make things a little more management.
I'm definitely getting myself a bike. Even though I live at the bottom of a huge hill, it's ridiculous to be driving places when the weather is so beautiful and the store is close enough for a bike ride.
I'm definitely getting myself a bike.
Good for you. A little advice from a rider:
First thing is to find yourself a good shop. Second thing is to assess the skills you or Mr. have to maintain said bike. There will be things you can do, but the most expensive repair usually begins "I tried to fix this myself...".
Third thing is to define your riding style and limit yourself to the right form. I break plenty of spokes on my hybrid, so there's no need to go on a skinny-tire road machine. Plus, my back doesn't easily bend down to meet drop bars.
Don't know your budget, but if you go to a big box store you'll get something trendy; that's what they're there for. Unfortunately, trendy today means faux-mountain, so it'll be cheap, bad steel or aluminum, and heavy, usually with some half-ass pointless suspension. It will look like a good bicycle but will have been assembled by an untrained dolt (for which you'll pay ~$20) and will have very cheap parts which will fall out of alignment spec very quickly. Or it'll be "grey market".
There's been a boom market for bikes in Nutmeg land, but that may have something to do with many fewer instances of "almost being run off the road" stories. They sorta go together, I guess.
If the price of a new, good bike makes you blanch a bit, a good store will be doubly important in the used bike market. Of course, I have no idea what that is in Nashville; my local store was on the TV news in June about their record unit sales. So maybe in your area people haven't scoured all the good used bikes yet.
Do this right and you'll find yourself a ride you can keep for 15 years. (And counting.)
I break plenty of spokes on my hybrid, so there's no need to go on a skinny-tire road machine.
ACtually I was looking at a hybrid. I had mountain bikes in the past but honestly for riding around the city they just require too much leg work. And no, a skinny-tire touring bike isn't for me.
I'm going to be on city streets, going to the gym and the store and the bank, etc.
I was looking at a Trek 7200. Know anything about them? Unfortunately it's made in China but it fits my budget (under $500) and I was told US-made bikes are over $1,000.
The last two bikes I've owned have both been stolen within a year. I really don't want to pay a lot of one that may end up in a pawn shop in 6 months.
Strictly speaking, I don't know about the 7200, but I took a quick look at the Trek website. The aluminum they use for the hybrid series should be no problem. The parts mix seems fine, with some useful component upgrades over the 7100. The angle-adjustable handlebar stem is a useful thing to have.
I trust you've sat on enough bikes to make sure the frame is a good for you. Frames are like shoes: The right size numerically in one model just may not fit right. This goes doubly 'cos you're a girl. No, really, bikes frames have been designed around mens' bodies for decades, and a woman of height X has different proportions of torso, arm and leg length than a man of the same height.
Speaking of fittings and comfort, the time to get a different seat and handlebar is when you buy the bike, not afterwards. A good shop will install the new bits free or nearly so, and maybe give you a discount on the parts. (Shops do not want you buying stuff on the internet and then bringing it in. Feel free to do so up until the point that your shop goes out of business :-0.) Think of a straight bar and bar ends; the more positions you have for your hands, the less your hands will tire from bearing the same load all the time during a long ride.
And whatever lock you've used, it sounds like you should buy a heavier one; many national brands sell ones which come with a theft warranty. On a related note, you may wish to buy a little anchoring device which keeps the seat and post in the frame; there have been thefts of suspension seatposts, but I don't know how common that it in Nashville.
Thanks for the tips, Thresherk! All very useful.
And whatever lock you've used ..
Heh heh heh ..... well, sad to say, both bikes were stolen from my house and therefore like an idiot I didn't have them locked up. Once it was stolen from my backyard; so the second bike I put on my screened in porch.
I know, stupid. Lesson learned. USE THE LOCK AT HOME TOO!!!!
On a brighter note, I've since moved and have a garage and also am in a less crime-filled neighborhood. So hopefully a bike will last a little longer.
Seems the gas problem may be moving south - we got a call at work today from a customer warning us that Charlotte, NC is dry.
It's so glorious though to listen to the sports-talk station my boss has on and hear the commercials for the local Hummer dealership. How much of a total moron would you have to be to buy a Hummer at the moment?
How much of a total moron would you have to be to buy a Hummer at the moment?
No kidding! I have been amused to see Hummers get smaller over the past few years ...
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