The High Cost of Living


Gas in Atlanta is hovering at $3.69 a gallon. I was beyond empty today and, like many people, I'm only putting in enough gas to get me from point A to point B. Luckily, that's not far since the office moved closer to my apartment. I put in $15 and it didn't even give me half a tank. A gallon of milk is nearly $5. The dollar is worthless overseas. My $600 check courtesy of Dubya and Co. will not be stimulating the economy, but paying bills. Several polls taken in the last week indicated that most people will either horde their "free" money or use it for debt. Sigh.

I'm still trying to figure out the Europe trip this fall. It's looking less and less likely. The back up plan is doing a series of readings here in the states in the run up to the election. After the Poison's political arc is perfect pre-Nov. 4 refresher reading on what this administration (and those like it) have done to the country in the name of "freedom." 

Here's a review of the Lynch anthology, We Don't Stop Here, by a fellow blogger. I'm confessional even when I'm writing persona. Ahhhh...consistency. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Duuuude. I only drive to and from GSU. I don't go anywhere (like readings). It costs me $10/day to drive to and from school, which is also work. This month is the tipping point where I park the car and try to arrange my sked around the horribly limited Southside bus service because it's become cheaper. I'm waiting to see how my fall work sked will or won't mesh with my class sked so I can figure out how to commute. Wish we could get someplace a little closer to town. It's still cheaper to stay where we are for now.
Anonymous said…
Gas is about 3.86 in some places in LA, although there's a place up the street selling it for $3.67. I've tried taking the bus and the trolley, but most of the time thats just not possible.

GAV
minus five said…
i've never been so happy to live in ny. the only time i see gas prices is on the news. then again, we also pay 20 times as much rent and seem to lose dollars with every step on the sidewalk.

i dare you to walk to work every day for one whole week. if you do it for two weeks straight, your next tank is on me.
Kate Evans said…
You may be confessional but you "read quick and hard." Oh, maybe that's confessional too?!
kurt said…
gas is really awful here right now, and i am sure my $600 check will be for bill, too.
kurt
kurt said…
*bills ;)
Collin Kelley said…
MF, I do walk over to the office sometimes if I know I'm going to be in the office all day long, but the majority of time that doesn't happen. I have to go do interviews, take photos, go to meetings, etc. and it's just not convenient.

Kate, I like to take it nice and slow personally. :)
Anonymous said…
nothing like a little gas price woes to make a non-car owner like myself feel smug.

only ironic that someone who lives in an expensive urban area can afford not to own a car.

that said, it's a bloody mess out there. i worry about the price of food, which will only go higher as gas prices rise, demand keeps increasing, and the insanity of ethanol remains national policy.

everybody realizes that we're hurting, except for one man. and he happens to be the president.
Anonymous said…
I think we should all go back to horses. If everyone had to feed and care for a horse, we all might be a little more responsible, as well. And think of the compost!!! :))
minus five said…
i don't blame you collin. i know how it is. still, i've been trying to think of ways to get rid of the gap between people outside of ny and public transportation. or other creative forms of getting from point a to point b. i'm trying to think what might have gotten me to do things differently, or if there is anything that could.

the hardest part isn't that people are lazy, i think it's ridiculously difficult to get anywhere without a car. cities just aren't set up for pedestrians. not at all. they weren't made without cars or horses in mind.

but i'm still trying to think of something. there's got to be a way around this and i'm pretty sure drilling for more oil in our country isn't going to fix much of anything.
realitywrites said…
I wish my office wasn't on the other side of town so I wouldn't have to drive to and from so much, too. It also doesn't help that my freelance checks won't be coming in after today, which was kind of my cushion money for gas, food, and entertainment.

My solution to the gas crisis is everyone should be allowed to work from home for tasks that involve just a computer and a telephone!
Collin Kelley said…
I'm with you on that Reality Writes. I sometimes work from home, but not often enough.
Anonymous said…
It's totally depressing, but it's inevitable. We're not going to get out of this and return to some heyday of the dollar. It's only going to get worse and we're going to have to adjust our lifestyles to be able to keep up. We don't need cash, we need good policy. Unfortunately, cash is easy, and good policy is hard, and the good ole USA has never taken the hard road.

Sigh.

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