Updating Mail and Gas

[dr_phil_physics]

The New Post Office

Following the post on the coming new Allendale post office, I received the following letter in our Allendale P.O. Box:

ATTENTION PO BOX CUSTOMER:

Subject: NEW FACILITY INFORMATION

Boxholder:

On Monday, June 29, 2009, the Allendale Post Office will be relocated to 6370 Lake Michigan Drive, Ste. 800. The new facility is located at the West end of the new Family Fare complex. Your mail will be transferred to the new facility into the new PO Boxes. Your PO Box number should remain the same. However, some of the PO Box sizes may change due to the renovation of the older style combination PO Boxes. Also, all of the new PO boxes will be lock type boxes and will require new keys. There will be a key deposit of $1.00 per key for up to two keys for each box. If you would like extra keys the fee is $6.00 per key for each additional key. If you currently have a lock type box at this facility, you will be allowed to exchange up to two keys for your new PO Box.

If information on your original PS form 1093 (Application for Post Office Box) is outdated, you will be required to update the card. If your physical address or telephone number has changed you are required to notify us with the new information. If additional people are receiving mail in your PO Box, they are required to provide valid identification to receive their mail. After the relocation, please come to the service counter with valid identification to verify your current physical address and phone number and to obtain your new keys.

Sincerely, Jane Stewart, Postmaster

Bottom line, it'll cost us two bucks to get our new P.O. Box for the key deposits. And Yet Another Key To Carry. Plus we don't yet know whether the new box with our number is the right size box. Uh, can't they figure that out ahead of time? Or do they not know what boxes they have in the two locations? (grin)

I really don't want to have to do an address change on my P.O. Box -- the one I use for all those writing submissions which take months or years to come back. Either I worry too much or I've gotten through my first half century by anticipating problems.

Memorial Day Gas Pains

My previous comments on Memorial Day gas prices need some updating. Going into the holiday weekend, all the local gas stations were $2.49.9/gal. On Sunday the price dropped to $2.41.9/gal, just in time for Memorial Day (Observed). Cynical much? Oh, read on. Then there was yesterday -- Tuesday 26 May 2009. By the time I was coming home, the five local gas stations were either $2.69.9/gal or $2.59.9/gal. Excuse me? 28 cents in twenty-four hours? What happened to the world oil market overnight?

Or are they just slipping in the price hikes before we get to the next eight cent drop just before the Fourth of July? (sly grin)

Dr. Phil

Comments

[stonekettlestation.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Here in Alaska they just jacked the price up, and kept it that way. They don't even make a pretense of not gouging the crap out of us.

A while back we elected a Governor who swore she'd look into the matter (you know, like why Tesoro Gas, refined here in Alaska, sells for $1.00 less per gallon in Hawaii than it does here were it doesn't have to be shipped anywhere). Then that governor decided to run for Vice President and got a nice big campaign contribution from the Alaskan Oil Industry - and her office suddenly found that her interests are elsewhere. Coincidentally the investigation was dropped.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Gosh -- what a surprise. How did that happen? (grin)

Dr. Phil

[steve-buchheit.livejournal.com]

Gas? Price hikes to gouge the consumer and rape the economy? Why surely no, this must be a mistake.

Last I heard gas for July delivery was hovering around $60. Maybe with all the monetary marketing getting skittish over our debt the dollar will fall again and we'll get cheap gas.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Of course today gas jumped up in some places -- running $2.59.9, $2.69.9 and $2.75.9 per gallon. Guess they didn't get the same gas gouging memo... (grin)

Dr. Phil

[wendyb-09.livejournal.com]

Did you really expect the USPS, specifically your shiney new postal oraface, was going to let you get through the move without sharp pointy sticks to the customers?

Oh, you silly, silly customer...

And just think - for all that lack of service you get to pay extra!!!!

Just sayin'

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

I keep telling you we have a pretty good post office staff. I may rail against some of the changes, but the old place is just too small and the terrible little strip of parking just off a busy highway is just too dangerous any more.

Dr. Phil