what a gas

this has never happened to me before. this morning i got in my car at the end of my driveway, started the engine, turned on the stereo, ejected the cd and started looking for a new one to put in for the ride to work. so far so good. after less than a minute of shuffling through cd's, my car engine shut off! i knew i was running low on gas, but i thought i would have at least enough to get to the gas station on the way out of town. i couldn't believe it- i though maybe it was the fact that the driveway is inclined, and that the gas that was left was just all on one side of the tank. i tried to start the engine again, and it started, but then quickly sputtered and died again as i tried to back it up. i thought quickly, and went around to the garage to get the gas can i just filled up for the lawn mower. thank goodness i filled it last week. there was more than enough in the can to get me to the gas station. it took me a minute to get the gas cap back on, but then i was on my way. i wondered if any neighbors saw me filling my tank with a gas can in the driveway? so then i was driving down the street, and thinking of the fastest way to a gas station, that was also in the general direction of my office. i picked my usual route, and after cursing at a few people who were going too slow, i got the gas station and got $20 worth. in conclusion, that little red light on the dash board comes on now and then, and i always tell myself, 'i've got enough to get me to the gas station!', but it finally happened today- i ran out of gas. one thing i did think of as i drove on to work, was that if i had not idled in the driveway for a minute to change my cd, i probably would have stalled at a nearby traffic light, block away from my garage and gas can. that would have been a pain in the ass. however, i never ended up picking out a cd. at the gas station i stared listening to 'morning edition' on NPR/WNYC, and i got hooked and listened the whole way to work. that happens a lot.

later on, i passed a school that's a few blocks before my office. a crossing guard stepped into the road with his "stop" sign and signaled me to stop. then he let some minivans pull away, and let some kids cross the street. little kids with little backpacks, skipping along the crosswalk, under the watchful eye and outstretched arms of the man in the orange vest. i thought to myself, "god bless the crossing guards".