C’mon Nashville!

September 19, 2008 at 11:05 pm | Posted in In the News | 26 Comments
Tags: Gas, Nashville

Guess where the only city in the nation is without gas?

Yep, my beloved Nashville. 

Natural Disaster? Act of Terror? Oil Spill?

No. No. No.

Rumors of no gas? Gas Hoarding? People who panic way too easily?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

People, we down here in the South are living up to our reputation. 

We are stupid. 

The same people who run out and pillage the bread and water bottle aisle on the one winter day a year when the forecaster call for 1-2 inches of snow have transferred their natural disaster panic mode to the gas pump.

All it took was for one loudmouth somewhere in the city to say, “Go get gas, due to the hurricane we will be out by the end of the day.”

This one statement set into motion a range of panic and an every man (tank?) for himself mentality. 

AND WE ALL FELL FOR IT.

As I was driving out to meet friends tonight, Hubby and I were met with a line of cars dissecting our little town and stopping traffic. Now, we have had one station without gas most of the week, but no one panicked. But one statement about being the “only station west of town that had gas” sent our little town into pandemonium. My phone rang and Mae informed me that there was no gas to be had in town. Lines stretched for miles. Motorists were stranded. People literally fighting for their turn at the pump.

“They are saying that there won’t be gas for over a week. People are worried about getting back forth and to work next week.”

Well, since Hubby and I both commute, and we were both under 1/4 of a tank, we knew we had to join the frenzy because my job depends on my showing up. No choice to not get gas. We joined the line. I got to be in the short line because my tank is on the right side of my car-thank you and your German engineering Volkswagen- and I still waited over 45 minutes and I was third in this pump’s line! 

When my intial wait was over, it took me over 15 minutes to pump 3/4 of a tank of gas. The pumps were so slow. Teach a two year old to count to fifty and that would be faster than the ticker on the pump’s meter. Ridiculous. I had to switch to Premium during the course of my pumping just to keep it moving. Hubby was not so lucky. Well over an hour he waited only to be told her could only get a certain amount once he reached the pump. Let the rationing begin. 

Excuse me, do we live in a Communist country now? Apparently so. Ok, so I was wanting them to ration the guy in front of me who filled TWO of what had to have been 20 gallon gas cans, his tank in his car, and I think his jet ski. It took him over thirty minutes, I kid you not. So, I am torn on the rationing. 

And why all of this drama? Because people are silly. Some loud mouth preaching economic doom and shortage sent us all into hoarding mode. Some poor people tonight are still stuck on the roads, forced to stay home, and all around adjusting to having no transportation for who knows how long. Newscasters went on air telling people not to panic, instructing people to stop hoarding, and requesting people to only get what was necessary.

What did the people of the Mid-State hear?

“THERE WILL NOT BE GAS FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS AND WE WILL ALL PERISH SO DO WHATEVER YOU CAN AND AT WHATEVER COST TO AQCUIRE AS MUCH GAS AS YOU CAN AFFORD.”

And what happened? Yes, No Gas to be had. Anywhere. Yeah, we are not proving people wrong on our stupidity.

Not our best moment.

Don’t come thru Nashville wanting to get gas. You will enter the vortex of stupid and not be able to escape, unless a TDOT truck shows up and gives your empty tank a handout.

Oh wait, I am pretty sure they said they are out too. Guess we are all screwed.