ORIGINAL FICTION: "Sixty Days Next Year" by Chip Haynes (2005)

me about it. I don't care.) Ugh.

June 22
Oh, fun, fun, fun. Saudi Arabia is mostly on fire, I think. Something about their "port facilities and oil storage areas" being sabotaged yesterday. The oil tankers that were in port all left, some with oil, but most without. The US embassy in Riyadh was shut down yesterday as well, with the last one out bringing the flag, as they say. It was a little annoying to see the news footage of the locals dancing in the streets over that. (And let me tell you: They can't dance.) By the way, where do all those bullets go when they fire those guns in the air? Isn't that kind of dangerous?

June 23
I had to laugh over the evening news tonight: They were actually tracking "the last oil tankers to leave Saudi Arabia". Where they were, how much oil they had, and when they'd get where they were going. Not all of them were headed for us, but ours had the longest trip to make. Forty-five days? Something like that. There wasn't much news about the Saudis, and I guess that's a good thing. I've heard too much already. And the price of gas keeps going up, of course. I've still got over half a tank, so I'm doing ok. I'd say I feel bad for people with big cars and SUV's, but hey: they bought 'em! Ha!

June 24
Weird drive in to work today--saw cop cars at the local gas station. Did they get held up so early in the morning? The lines at the gas station are longer now, and of course do I even have to tell you the price is still going up? Maybe someone got mad and they called the cops on them. I'm going to avoid the gas station for as long as I can. I've still got plenty of gas, and all I need to do is get to work and back. I think I'll spend my days off not driving, though--just in case. Time to dig out the sneakers. Sure glad this is June and not December!

June 25
I gave that walking thing a shot today. Made it all the way to the grocery store, but had a miserable time hauling the groceries back home. Those thin little plastic bags were not meant for that. Next time, I'm driving! With any luck at all this will all be a dull, throbbing memory by the time I have to go back to the store (next week). Found out about the cop cars at the gas station, though: some guy tried to cut in line and got beat up. Whoopsie! His bad! Bet he won't do that again!

June 26
Gas rationing? What's that? Now there's only special days I can go to the gas station? Good grief. Even numbered tags on even days, odd numbered tags on odd days? How silly is that? One more annoyance. Do they really expect this to be a problem? Well, any more of a problem than it already is? I am so over this. Still, if I do this right, I can go another week or so before I have to play that stupid reindeer game at the gas station.

June 27
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Somebody stole my gas!!! I went out to get in the car to go to work this morning, and someone had pried the little flap off the side of the car to get to the filler cap (which, by the way, is long gone). I had less than a quarter tank of gas left. Drove to work anyway, but it stunk. Why does gas have to smell so bad, anyway? Made it to work and back, but I was in no mood to be trifled with today. No gas in my car? This is serious. And now I need to get a gas cap before I fill up the tank--AND fix the stupid bent flap.

June 28
I stopped on the way home from work last night and got a locking gas cap. (The last one they had, apparently.) Spent almost half an hour in line at the gas station. (Lucky me--it was my special day!) Spent entirely too much to fill the tank, but that should keep me until this mess settles down. Backed the car in to the driveway so the filler cap faces the window. Like that might help. I hope whoever stole my gas got sick on it.

June 29
You're not going to believe this one: