Ah! Here we are once again, (Steven) filling-up at the local Bedford Shell en-route to work downtown. Now that we’ve reached USD$4.75/gallon for premium – far few cents less than what is offered on Canal Street (currently $4.97/gallon) – we happily pay given that for one, though gas prices continue to rise (Crude Oil hit over $135/barrel this week) we still pay far less than our neighboring UK, EU and Asian drivers, who fork over a far larger sum compared to…let’s see milk, water and food overall.

So, of course, it’s a pain to see gas prices rise steadily every few days, but again, it’s the pace at which these prices are rising, not so much the price itself relative to other consumer products. Paying GBP1.32 or more per liter of petrol in the U.K. (or on average GBP6.00/gallon, about USD$12.00/gallon) is still a much higher percentage of one’s income relative to other staple items consumers seem to demand. We still have bargain prices relative to the price per gallon of water and milk, especially when compared to paying $12.00/gallon, which we’ll take $4.75 any day! Gee? Reality is, there’s still a way’s to go. The summer’s just getting started.

Admittedly, we’ve yet to change our driving habits, but what does one do when you require a 06:00 arrival (overseas market closings) for work when driving is the most efficient method even without a hybrid, or Tesla (electric) vehicle? Do I smell USD$5.00/gallon by mid-June? 30May08.