By Mark Azali

   Is the parking lot emptying up?

Gas prices continue to go up and down, but lately they are at an all time high and the only way I can cope with this change is accepting driving as a luxury. I chose to accept a job 25 miles away from my home and so I have to deal with it. It should be noted that most of that commute is stop and go, so really, the trip, in terms of gas consumption, takes a greater toll on fuel consumption than the actual mileage number entails.

Unfortunately, my salary has not gone up the same percentage as gas prices. So how do I deal with the problem? Again, this goes back to my feelings of driving as a luxury. There are plenty of essentials that can be done without traveling too far: grocery shopping, hanging out with friends close by. Traveling only becomes more costly when I decide to do it more often, at which point, I have to evaluate the benefits of traveling. What’s more important, visiting a friend I already see often or staying home and being productive on my various projects? Do I really need to go outside and shop for clothes I have plenty of already? Is there really nothing to eat at home?

Sometimes I think that having an excuse to stay home gives me more reason to focus on my true passions, which don’t cost a penny: coding, watching my latest Netflix movie, catching up on “In Treatment”, and gunning down friends/random players online in “Call of Duty 4”.