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...