So here's my latest adventure, also called "How Smart is Mary Kay, really??" So the government cars these days are newer cars that take E85 gas. One of the ways the government is helping "save the environment" and save money at the same time. Turns out E85 gas is cheaper than even regular unleaded. So I'm driving the Blue Malibu (which I have nicknamed Ol' Blue) down to Danville for a meeting and when I picked up the car it only had half a tank of gas. Now...the Iron Mountain facility has thier own E85 pump but could I wait to get it filled? Of course not. I figured it would be easy peasy to stop somewhere along the way and fill up. That's what I get for figuring. Luckily, the wonderful guys in the Boiler Plant at work put a list of all the E85 stations on the road down to Chicago. So I stop in Manitowoc, WI to get gas...well...that gas station NO LONGER EXISTS! Of course. Why would it still be there. So then I have to pull over and look up the other E85 station. Thank heaven there are two in Manitowoc. So I get to the gas station and pull up to the pump. Now here is where the genius that I am comes out. I get out and go around to the gas cap side and there isn't a little place to pull open the gas cap door. So I get back in the car to look for the button that opens the door. Nothing. I searched everywhere: console, glove box, floorboard by door, dashboard by gauges, visor (hey! You never know!) and then I searched all those places again. So getting more and more frustrated, I call for backup. I called the Director's secretary back in Iron Mountain and asked her. She named all the places I looked and she was confused. So she suggests I pull out the owner's manual. Which of course, was no help at all. So, she puts me on hold and calls the guys in the Boiler Plant to find out. She gets back on the phone with me and, God love her, says that we both can be embarrased together. Apparently, all you have to do is push the gas cap door in and it pops open. SERIOUSLY?????? So I felt like a complete bonehead!!
After filling up, I continue on my way. I had to stop in Chicago to see my boss and as I'm driving down the toll road, I was completely oblivious to the toll station that I just flew by. Now mind you, I had managed to stop at all the other toll stations. Not sure what happened there. So I guess I will tell the guys in Engineering that they may get a bill from the Illinois Department of Transportation for me not paying a toll. Oops!!
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. I got to Danville and got to spend time with my friend Tracy who I only see once a year or so. That was fun. Meeting was good. Drive home was LONG. Except, as I said, I did get to have lunch with my bro. Living closer to him and having to go to Chicago for work is going to be GREAT!!! I get to spend next weekend with him and then he is bringing my cat up when I move it and then I will get to see him that next week when I go back to Chicago for work!
In other news, my training is going well. Still no hip pain though I am hesitant to get too excited about that for fear it may come back. I have decided this week that I really need to get back to running in the mornings because it is so much easier! Trouble is getting up that early. We shall see.
I can't remember if I told you all that I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity a couple of weeks ago. So fun! I will definitely do it again. Here's me in all my safety gear!
Hope you all had a great week!!
Note from a safety professional...the hardhat doesn't work as well with a ball cap under it :) Love the E85 story!!!
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