Monday Update

We are still having gas shortages here in the southeast. The worst places seem to be the Carolinas, followed by the larger metros like Atlanta and Nashville. There is gas locally, but not as much as usual and most stations are out of at least one grade. Many are still out entirely. I shall have to get gas tomorrow and I’m not looking forward to it. One thing is for sure: if it comes down to camping out to get gas, I’ll just stay home. Today is my last work day for a while, so hey, I can do it.

The area I live in is going to suffer severely from the effects of Peak Oil. This is your typical car-centered metropolitan area, complete with suburban bedroom communities. There is a small urban core but everything else has pretty much been built since 1950. The whole area has about 250,000 people in it, which is 200,000 more than I’d like locally. I don’t live in the city per se –I live on the outer periphery. But I am lucky in that the nearest grocery stores in only 7 miles from my house –most people live farther away. There are strict zoning laws and everything is kept separated. How long that will go on remains to be seen.

I still have not found a full-time job. My little PRN job at six bucks an hour has given me a lot of hours this past week, but that won’t last and the amount of money I make is almost laughable. All told, between that and my odd jobs I’m bringing in about three hundred bucks a month. Not nearly enough to support a household. Or even part of one, here. My house hasn’t sold and at this point I doubt it will do so. The credit markets have frozen and pretty much everyone is running scared. As well they should be.

It is time for all of us to begin making alternative arrangements.