Before gas pumps had little TV commercials blaring out of them, and before smartphones, I used to play a game to pass the time.
- Look at my trip odometer
- recall my historical miles/gallon
- calculate the number of gallons used
- multiply by the price of gas
- make a guess at the expected price of the fill-up, plus or minus twenty-five cents (1-3 percent), in my head
One day when I was at the gas station filling up my red Isuzu pick up truck, I realized that most people don’t do this. I don’t really know where to take this thought from here. There’s a difference in connotation between “weird” and “strange”, but honestly even both those words sound like I might be implying a form of self-pity. That story could be perceived as a humble-brag, or an outright brag, and it’s not. Being naturally math-y is like being naturally tall. If a basketball player brags he can reach the top shelf, they’re just being dense.
I wish I could explain why I wish I could explain this better.
I’m sure some of you have “superpowers” or physical or mental games/tricks that you took for granted for years. Would you care to share them?
To those of you who read the “game”, and say “Yeah. I get that. No biggie”, let me just say what a pleasure it has always been to be your friend. I wish we’d been more nerdy together when we had the chance.