Trigger

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The folks from Massachusetts may say, "Why is she barehanded? Where are her gloves? Doesn't she know it's winter?"

And the Texans among us may say, "Why in tarnation is she holding the gas pump nozzle?"

And that, folks, is the culture gap between MA and TX. You see, in Texas, there are these clever devices called trigger locks. They enable you to fuel your vehicle without constantly squeezing the gas pump handle. Instead, you spend those very important few minutes surfing your iPhone or checking the state of your cuticles or (as I often do) making goofy faces at your children through the window.

In Massachusetts, these fuel pump trigger locks have been disabled. No longer can I start fueling, lock the trigger into place, and let the fuel pump do its merry work. At first, I thought this was simply a product of New England's Puritan history. No slacking off! You must work for your fuel. Squeeze. SQUEEZE!

I was wrong. This is apparently for my own protection. Spark-induced fires have been caused by folks getting back into their cars, building static electricity by rubbing against upholstery, and grasping the nozzle again. Now, I've lived and driven in Texas for well over 20 years, and I've never seen a single gas station fire. However, I have to admit that New England seems to be far more staticky than Texas. (See previous blog about static.)

So you Texans, enjoy your hands-free fueling. There are Americans out there who don't have this luxury.