It could be a good “retirement” job, which it seems more and more people need to have these days. Most of the cool attendants I have met are older and at smaller filling stations, where they are probably family run and not too busy. They also are the ones that would know about junkyards and other customers with…

Added to the list of other neglected Pauls: Paul Wall

Yeah, he definitely should have made a list of notable Pauls, but unlike the other Pauls - he actually has skill and talent.

Oh, yeah - I was not saying that my experience is typical. Again, since I drive diesels (except for motorcycle and EV), I don’t often have to wait for the attendant, except at a couple small Portland stations that sell biodiesel full serve and are generally not that busy (like Jay’s Garage in SE).

But if as you say, the computational effort required is increased as the number of transactions increases, that seems like a terrible currency!

Oregonian here, and I’ll admit that I have poured fuel everywhere like an idiot before, but it was not entirely my fault.

Yup, fellow Oregonian here and you are right on. For diesel, there is an exemption because truckers don’t have time to wait for some attendant to fill them up, and diesel is less flammable than gasoline anyway. However, some stations in the city still insist that they pump the diesel, and get a bit weird if you just…

It makes it an option for rural counties, where it has really been a complete pain to have full service required. The cost of staffing leads to a situation where sometimes in small towns you can’t find a station open past 10:00, or you have to drive back to a main highway.

I’ve had pumps malfunction before, but my guess is that she re-squeezed the handle AFTER pulling it out, which let to the liquid everywhere.

Seriously - I went there for a week and was amazed at the tire size combinations I saw running around there. I was also introduced to a whole range of Japanese/Korean 4WD vehicles that I had never heard of. As a rental I got a super cheap Daewoo Korando, powered by a Mercedes diesel! It was awesome, even though we…

Yeah, your take is correct on all levels. I have yet to see someone who is not in the Ball family wearing anything from the so called “Big Baller Brand”. The hype machine is simply not working.

But it was directed hurtfully at his nephew...that is part of the issue.

The future is autonomous blobmobiles. They are just seeing it first.

Ah - so that is what is going on with the wheels! That makes some sense in a bizarre way.

Oh, yes - I spent about 6 months in Freiburg, right around the Alsace area. The town of Colmar on the French side of the Rhine looks and feels more like a historic German town than many of the towns on the German side of the river (mostly because they were not bombed out during WW2)

There are so many strange things about this car, an it leaves me with questions:

Yeah, there are also something called “shaved keys” that I guess work particularly well on Subarus and Hondas...I am on NextDoor and every day there is another posting about someone in the neighborhood getting their mid 2000s Subaru taken.

Yup, you nailed it - the appropriate counter-quote to Colin Chapman is: “Complicate, then add weight”

I just want to say that it is awesome that Michael sent an expense request for Yugo-related expenditures. How much was it for? I want to see itemization...

Sure looks like it! I can’t think of worse footwear for the occasion.