Tuesday, September 6, 2011

More Things I Didn't Know

I am an educator. One of the reasons I was drawn to this profession is that I really, really like learning new things. Sometimes those new things make me happy, because they reinforce my Weltanschauung. Other times, they contribute to my cognitive dissonance. But in either case my mind is stretched, and I feel intellectually alive.

But every so often I'm confronted by something that causes my brain to lock up and skid to a halt. This is one of those things.
Only gas station owners or employees can pump gas in New Jersey and Oregon...
In other words:
New Jersey and Oregon don’t trust people to not blow themselves up while pumping gas, and would rather leave the job to professionals (gas station attendants), who undergo rigorous training where they learn that it’s bad to smoke while pumping gas, bad to leave the car running, and bad to put gas anywhere except a car’s fuel tank or other approved containers.
Back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I was a young man, I worked as a pump jockey in a full-service gas station.


 Not only did I fill up your tank, but I checked your oil, water, battery, and tire pressure. Then I cleaned your windshield. (No, I did not wear a cap or bow tie.)

After you paid I rewarded you with trading stamps.


I never thought of myself as a highly-trained professional working in a hazardous industry. I was just a high school kid hustling for extra dollars in an after-school job.

Thank goodness Oregon and New Jersey are protecting their citizens from themselves...

6 comments:

JT said...

It's crazy, huh? There's some job creation for you. Make it a crime to pump your own gas.

I remember my dad, living near Vernon, NJ int he early 80's, had a Ford Bronco that he had converted the gas tank intake (or whatever it is called) to accommodate the leaded gas nozzle. He had to plan accordingly to make sure he only got gas at 'friendly' stations, since it was an illegal modification.

Old NFO said...

Sigh... MORE bureaucracy...

kerrcarto said...

when the wife and I went on our honeymoon in Oregon we had a rental that we drove up Hwy 101. I stopped to get gas and some dude was standing there waiting to pump the gas. I didn't know what the hell to do. He told me the law and I went inside and paid. Came back to the car and the fucker wanted a tip! Needless to say he got a tip, put not in monetary form.

CenTexTim said...

Kerrcarto, he was only trying to keep you from blowing yourself up. God knows how you've managed to pump your own gas here in TX all these years.

Anonymous said...

Was a the Pebble Beach golf course last June. Pulled into a gas station on the property.

Even though California is a pump your own State the attendant came out and insisted he was to pump the gas and while the gas was flowing he washed the windshilels too.

AND

The price per gallon was comperable to other stations in the area.

No S&H Green Stamps though.

CenTexTim said...

Well, Pebble beach IS for the rich elites who enjoy having other people wait on them... :-)