the 1973 oil price shock took gas from 25.9 to 48.9 IIRC. By 1977, I was operating self serve gas station for my uncle up in Nebraska and the price was 58.9 to 62.9.

The 1979 oil shock from Iran took it beyond a dollar.

I started driving in 1978 and I remember about $.42 a gallon. But, my memory of the 70s might be a little foggy.

I do however remember the second round of gas lines where we would break out the fold up chairs, put the house speakers I had in my Galaxie on top of the thing, and make a real party out of it.

Wouldn't it be cool to relive those days?

For '78 you are probably correct. But '79 is when Iran shut the flow down. That was Jimmy Carter and the Iran hostage crisis.

Imagine gas at .42 per gallon in Cali and .58 in Kansas.

I'm playing $3.19 today. And you?

P.S. I read in a Reader's Digest in the 60s when I was a kid, that Californians would play cards during some of the hellish traffic jams you all used to have.

Yes, it some ways it would be cool to relive the old days.

I early 70s I was stationed at a military base outside of Dallas. I used to see pickups with gun racks and shot guns going down the roads all the time.

We are at near five bucks for regular, but Ca. was a much different place back then with actual oil wells pumping and a different set of rules for sure.

I really don't see any of those horses as we called them anymore for some reason. But they were everywhere.

I guess you might be old if you remember when Ca. pumped its own oil?

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It is called a donkey pump. You still have a lot of pumps working. But they are well hidden in the neighborhoods.

Factoid: The US is the world’s largest producer of oil. More than Saudi’s Arabia, more than Russia etc

Does make you wonder why our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now half empty and at its lowest level since 1983, doesn't it?

I worked at a gas station in 1970-1971 pumping gas, washing windshield, checking the engine oil. We were one of three gas stations on a small intersection. Our price was 36.9 cents. Across the street the other stations were a penny less. I could never understand why anyone would stop at our gas station when it was a penny less across the street.

Because you were there.

You ain't supposed to know that, or talk about it.
Sheeeet!

You need a Refinery and they are something else. Like expensive, undesirable and Regulated out the ass.
Plenty of oil.
Less gasoline, diesel, propane, Xylene and 300 other petroleum based solvents and fuels.

California oil is like California weed.
Oil is oil, weed is weed.
Gold is gold, silver is need.

It's not even close - drill baby drill

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Not at all. Why do we have the SPR if we are not going to use it? To not use the SPR in time of need reminds me of that old woman neighbor that mom would go visit and there, in the middle of the coffee table, was the bowl of candy that you could not touch.

Why have the SPR if you are not going to use it?

Coming off the pandemic and dealing with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the SPR was tapped bigly to keep gas prices down. Some had a problem with that; Having lived through both oil shocks in the 70s, I'm all for drawing down the SPR and then refilling it, as needed.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-does-us-government-use-strategic-petroleum-reserve

"When has it been tapped?

There have been three dozen releases from the SPR since its inception, including twenty-two sales and fourteen exchanges (loans). Five of the sales have been emergency drawdowns: in 1991, during the Gulf War; in 2005, in response to Hurricane Katrina; in 2011, during the conflict in Libya; and twice in 2022, both in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. "

https://www.cfr.org/timeline/oil-dependence-and-us-foreign-policy

" Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causes turmoil in global oil markets. Biden blocks U.S. imports of oil from Russia, and Western sanctions cause energy companies to withdraw from the country. Oil prices, already rising in the wake of the pandemic, surge to their highest level since 2008. In response to near-record gasoline prices, U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle call for boosting domestic oil production, though some in Congress urge a quicker transition to renewable energy... "

Some wonder about the usage of the SPR etc. But my mind just cannot come away from how one man, Putin, can throw the world into a very possible WW III.

Cool story bro.

Perhaps you can tell us why it wasn't topped off or filled to the brim back in 2020 when there was a huge surplus and it was dirt cheap. Or when would be a good time to start refilling it? And why would we even need Russia's oil?

Or is it now half empty or half full?

Or... never mind.

Me thinks it's someone else with a 5 letter name.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2022/04/01/no-former-president-trump-did-not-fill-the-strategic-petroleum-reserve/?sh=1bd7dbf68aee

" In fact, the highest level ever for the SPR was in 2010, when Barack Obama was president. Further, there was actually a net decline in the SPR when President Trump was in office. When he took office in January 2017, the SPR contained 695 million barrels. When he left office four years later, the SPR contained 638 million barrels.

" One thing President Trump did propose was to top off the SPR when the Covid-19 pandemic was crushing oil demand. In March 2020 President Trump directed the Department of Energy to “fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to its maximum capacity by purchasing 77 million barrels of American-made crude oil.”

That directive may be the source of President Trump’s confusion on the issue. However, 1). The directive was never carried out; and 2). The SPR was already within 13% of its highest-ever level when that directive was issued.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-refilling-strategic-oil-reserves-032524022.html

" "We are refilling as much as we can," David Turk, the deputy energy secretary, said on Bloomberg TV on Monday. "We've been doing that for the last several months. And at this price level, we'll keep doing it."

The world needs Russia's oil. All it takes is fear of disruption in the oil markets and the futures market goes crazy and starts jacking prices. Flooding the market keeps OPEC, of which Russia is a member of, in check.

Flip a coin, I guess. It is not empty.

You might be old if you have bounced from one extreme to another. For some reason or the other.

And nothing has really changed.

That’s Awesome! LOL!

Clint Eastwood is almost unrecognizable at 93…

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Looks like his movie making days might be now over.

I just saw him in one of his earliest westerns. Ambush at Cimarron Pass. And always love me some Rawhide.

And here is his first role in Revenge of the Creature from 1955.

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That's the age my dad reached. I've got nothing but respect for anyone still able to get around at 93.

William Shatner making the rounds @ 93

Still razor sharp

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The Mule and Cry Macho are two of the best movies I've seen in decades.

This bums me out as I thought he might have a few more left in him.

But thanks anyway.

Supposed to be his last film
https://people.com/clint-eastwood-smiles-while-directing-next-movie-on-set-photo-8406095

I grew up watching Dobie Gillis.

And Maynard G. Krebs along with Zelda.

4-5 years ago I was walking my dog along the backside of main street buildings. I ran into some guy I never saw before and with in 30 seconds he had whipped out his phone showing me all of his pictures. Super boring. And he was an old fart, too.

I was trapped by a truck driver who showed a worthless video snippet every 3 minutes. Insisted I watch and shoving the phone in my face.
This continued despite polite requests I wasn't interested.
It eventually escalated to the point of shouting and threatening him to keep the phone to himself.
I had to ride with this guy to manage a Site Surplus Removal so couldn't get out.

Do you remember an episode where Maynard got super powers somehow and picked up the corner of a building?
Never seen this episode again, beginning to think it was an illusion.

When this makes you happy. And there is nowhere else to put it.

No, but it's possible he did!

April 17th. Ford Mustang is 60 years old. Awww fudge, now I know I am old.

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Ford stunt, putting a convertible on the Empire State Building. The car was cut up and brought to the observation deck in the elevators.

I remember the first Mustang I saw. I was walking home from 7th grade. It was parked in an apartment complex driveway. It was white.

The first Stingray I saw was a red '63 split window coupe cruising down the turnpike. Posted speed was 80 mph. My dad was driving at 80 the the Vette blew right on by.

When modern dating...dated me!

It's a smartphone that just happens to have a woman attached to it!

After driving a lady home from a dinner date recently, she said "I passed the test!" Huh, what? She went on to say that her girlfriends approved of me and there was no need to hit the panic button for them to send her an emergency 'something important has come up and I have to go call.' All this while glancing at her phone during dinner.

Oh ffs!

When you say "can you please write your phone number down on this piece of paper?"

You mean she actually rode with you instead of driving her own car and meeting you there

Well yes, a small consolation for being neighbors in a small town but at least it wasn't an uber eats/taxi experience.

Anytime someone tries to show me crap on their phones.....I always say I forgot my reading glasses.

Works every time.

Season 4, ep 31 finds Maynard with superhuman strength after taking some experimental energy pills, whereupon he is encouraged to make money by becoming a boxer. Does that ring any bells (pun intended)?

You yearn for the days of American Graffiti .

She may be wayward but Hannah Gutierrez is a nice looking girl.

You remember going to the movie theater and thought it was forever ruined when they started making talkies.

LTW : )

You beat me to it. Remarkable that Ford sold 22K Mustangs the 1st day. Less than 1 year later number 1 million rolled off the assembly line. My Dad was a Ford tech and used to bring some home he was working on. I remember getting dropped off at school in a Boss 302. Rear seats were a joke even when I was 10.
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She’s too young for you- bringing out a phone, apparently more than once, on a date.

I'll keep this useful suggestion in mind. Since cataract surgery, I cannot reading anything unless I have my readers on.

So we have 1 last standing drive in locally here in town. This will be their last year, as the rent/lease has gone way up. Got the g friend to get our reservation for Friday night! You know you’re old when you have to nap after work for a few hours to stay up n watch a few classic movies. Also, can’t wait to hit the air horn that plays cucaracha when the wiener jumps in the bun during intermission!

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Thinking it was once called 'Hill Top Drive in'.

All this talk of Mustangs and dating...like these sweet memories...somehow makes me feel young again!

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