Saturday, 12 March 2005: Sad to say, but you won't see any updates on here for a little over a week. Katie and I are leaving for sunnier climes tomorrow. Yep, Florida, here we come. Don't worry, once we get back, I will update each day in between with what happened on that day so, eventually, it will look like I never missed an update. 'Til then, though...

Friday, 11 March 2005: I seem to recall a time when, if the big three gas stations (Shell, Mobil, and BP Amoco) were really overpriced, we car owners could hit up a certain lower-priced gas station known as Speedway.

My question is, what the hell happened to Speedway? For the last two years, they have been just as expensive, if not moreso, than the big chains. When and why did this happen? I don't even consider the local Speedway as a viable fueling source anymore because it is consistently more expensive than the other stations. I refuel regularly at BP Amoco these days.

The other thing that I've noticed is that Speedway is very quick to jump the gun on fuel price increases. They usually bump their prices up over the smallest thing that their corporate headquarters feel will result in a crude oil increase from OPEC nations. A U.S. contractor is kidnapped in Iraq, gas prices go up. A U.S. soldier is shot in Iraq, gas prices go up. Bush says something stupid about the Middle East, gas prices go up. And not just some piddly little increase either. I remember one time they increased the price 25 cents per gallon in one hour's time. Then, by the end of the day, it settled back down to a level where it was only 10 cents higher per gallon. However, the other three stations didn't budge their prices at all. It's pretty ridiculous.

Go BP.

Thursday, 10 March 2005: Ah, more good news for us TV buffs. And this one I regard even higher than my previous coo-worthy announcement for American Choppers.

It is ABC's Lost. And I love this show with a passion.

It's been years since a TV show attracted as wide a cult following and elicited more fan speculation as to what is truly going on as this show. In fact, I think the last show to do so was probably The X-Files. However, I don't think X ever had as wide ranging a viewership as Lost. This show truly has it all and keeps you wanting more.

And the complete first season will be released on DVD on September 6. I'm all over it.

For those of you into some of ABC's new shows this season, Desperate Housewives, season 1, is coming out two weeks later on September 20. That'll be a rent and rip for me. Lost is a purchase.

Tuesday, 8 March 2005: It's the time of the year (well, one of two) in which my allergies start to flare up a bit. My prescription of Flonase has come pretty close to running out, so I asked Katie to refill it for me. Great having a pharmacy technician for a wife, but that's another story.

When I got home tonight from the gym, I asked if she had refilled it. She said she did, but forgot to pick it up. No big deal. I just wanted to check because I had gotten e-mail confirmation from Walgreen's that the refill had been completed.

Then Katie tells me that "$43 later, your allergies will be better" or something to that degree.

Forty-three dollars!?!? My Flonase has never cost more than $25 in the past! Then Katie reveals that Blue Cross/Blue Shield is on some three-tiered prescription plan now and that this one is part of the upper tier. Flonase, without insurance, costs about $80 per bottle. How long until insurance coverage brings the cost up to the same as the friggin' cost without coverage?

Geez. I know we're still saving money, but it has gotten so much worse in recent years and exponentially so. This is painful. I need an aspirin. How much will that cost via insurance?

Monday, 7 March 2005: After a few months of looking at some horribly generic cover art accompanying the advertising for the new Harry Potter book (to be entitled "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince") scheduled for release in July, the actual cover art has finally been revealed. And it's pretty cool.

It continues the downward spiral trend of cover art into darker territory. And it's very stunningly simple.

So this is book six of seven. It's hard to believe that the series is almost over. J.K. Rowling is really going to have to end it with a bang, that's for sure. Maybe literally.