(post by BT) I used to say “how can anyone in a city like NY run out of gas”? You have to be stupid! There are gas stations everywhere. How would someone let that happen? Well, I guess being a real estate agent helps. Yes, I can now consider myself one of those ‘idiots”. And no, it had nothing to do with NYC’s rising gas prices!

My car tells me “30 miles till empty” on Friday night. On the way, home I passed a dozen gas stations without filling up. I was too tired and just wanted to crash. I was going to get gas the next morning. Plus, I remembered an episode of 20/20 when John Stossel said that when your car is empty, it may still have up to 60 miles before it really crashes (maybe he meant highway miles, not city?) I wake up and already the calls are coming in. I need to run and open a property for another agent. Skipped breakfast (as usual!), then got a call from another broker who wanted to show the same house. I needed to pick up a key from Dee, and then run to my next appointment. Late 10 minutes to that one. I got there and the freaking keys didn’t work. Damn, rushed for nothing! People calling me, need to make another appointment, stomach rumbling as it’s already lunch time… Man, when will I eat? I needed to make a stop at the bank, then eat, and feed my car, too. Another call distracted me again while I was driving, right pass the gas station. About 30 seconds later I was going down the hill and all of the sudden the steering wheel locks up and the brakes lock up! “Holy crap, don’t panic”, I told myself. The next thought: “WE DID IT!!! WE RAN OUT OF GAS!!!” Oh man, this is what it feels like! Sure it’s dangerous (at least I was not on a highway) but what bothered me the most – I really believed that only an idiot could run out of gas in the city. 90+ degrees outside, and I had to walk to the gas station, sweating bullets and really coming to terms with how I let this happen. It was a moment of truth. Next time the gauge shows empty, I won’t listen to 20/20 – I’m going to fill up!

I lost more time walking in the heat than I would by stopping for 5 minutes to fill up. It sucked. On the way to the gas station I imagine people there will look at me funny, think I am a schmuck for running out of gas. It bothers me but when I get there, they hand me a 3-gallon container. “Here you go. Happens all the time.” Really?!