I also got a phone call from a friend of mine to tell me that he has cancer. This is the second friend in a few weeks that I have heard this from. It is also one of several cases amongst people whom I am acquainted with over the past year or so. I hate disease. I understand why in Romans 8:22-23 the Bible says, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." I am saddened for these people.
I took my truck in for repairs and maintenance yesterday. It was ready today. The garage supposedly fixed an oil leak, stopped some pulley noise, did an inspection, replaced the tailpipe that was rotted out, and replaced some bearings that were shot. I don't know about the bearings, but I do know about the exhaust, the inspection, and the oil leak.
The pulley noise was supposedly fixed. As I was leaving the garage to come home, it was there. Obviously it was not fixed, and if it was silenced, it was only temporary. I will try something else, too, that may work. The oil leak is an unknown as to its solution. It still smells and smokes a bit, but that may be the residual oil on the engine.
After leaving the garage, I took the truck to a gas station. I went to the Shell station in particular, since I have a Shell account. I put in my card, chose the grade I wanted to pump, and nothing. I retried and nothing except $.03 showed up on the display. The pump would do nothing. I went inside to talk to the counter employee. A young man with a goatee was inventorying the lottery tickets with a pen and clipboard. I was ignored for about three minutes while standing there waiting. An Indian man walked over to the counter (I take him to be the owner) and he stepped behind the counter, looked around, and walked away. Still no attention from anyone.
Finally the young man looked at me and asked in a low voice if he could help me. I inquired as to a malfunction with pump 10. He asked what I was trying to pump. I resisted the temptation to say "gasoline", and said "regular unleaded". I explained that the pump would not do anything but did register $.03, that I had used my card at the pump, and that I did not get anything more than the $.03 worth of gas. He said that they just ran out of unleaded low grade, so that is why the pump will not work. Somebody got the last tankful and I got the last six drops available, which amounts to $.03? I don't even think that a single drop made it into my tank. I asked the man, "So...let me get this straight. I swipe my card to pay at the pump. You are out of gas, I try to pump some, and three pennies is going to be charged to my Shell account?" I was informed that this was indeed the case.
I went home and took a nap.
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