On rare occasions, I do wonder why I’m not living in the Midwest …

LINCOLN, Neb. - One gas station manager’s mistake paid off for Lincoln drivers who were in the right place at the right time Friday. For 30 to 45 minutes, three of the Kabredlo’s Convenience Store’s four pumps sold premium unleaded gas for 29 cents a gallon. Gas hasn’t been that cheap since 1955, according to AAA Nebraska.

As news of the cheap fuel spread, lines formed at the store at 2305 R St., said Max Wolfe, who was doing landscaping for Kabredlo’s. Wolfe and his co-workers took time out to fill up. “I was on E, and I filled my tank up for $4,” Wolfe said. “It made my day.” Nathan Olson said he usually pays $72 to fill his gas-guzzling 1998 Ford F-150. Friday, he filled the tank three-quarters full for $3.50.

The store manager who said she made the mistake didn’t give her name.

Day-um.

Oh, and to add to the already extreme randomness in my life, I got a bit of a fright this morning when I checked my messages on Facebook: “hey there, your job sounds pretty neat! Isn’t it crazy how hectic it gets?! If you’re ever in the northeast, give me a buzz, seriously, [phone number]. [name]. x.”

I assume this wasn’t just a mistake on her part - I’d find it difficult to send a message to the wrong person on Facebook - but considering we’ve not said a word to each other since October, this is a bit out of the blue, really. I don’t know quite what to make of it, but … okay.

I love three-day weekends, but I seem to have come down with a cold, so that’s a bit of a bitch.

I’m thinking of running away to New York City. Anyone wanna come with me?

You don’t expect this kind of thing to happen in my neighborhood, but it did … thankfully, ended very well!

There’s a family down the road from me that has a pair of twin 10-year-old girls, both of whom have been studying martial arts for some time and are now up to the rank of blue belt. A few nights ago, they awoke to find a masked intruder in their room, armed with wire and gags in an effort to tie up the family and, presumably, abduct the children. Obviously, this man made a mistake. Recognizing his voice as that of their martial arts instructor, the girls - and their parents, who were alerted by their shouts - thwarted his plans and karate-chopped his ass instead, leaving him bruised and battered and easily identifiable by the police.

That greasy-haired, balding loner should have known better than to pick on girls he trained himself. Props to the girls for applying what they had learned!

After chatting with Christina about this, I’ve decided that I’m going to continue seeing my Turk, though I’m still a bit overwhelmed by his height. We do get along famously, and he’s got a great sense of humour; basically, I just have a good time with him, even if I’m not completely smitten yet. And Ness told me that I absolutely have to keep dating him until I catch a glimpse of the ‘Prince Albert’ that he claims he has. Haha. We shall see.

Due in part to my completion of Bill Bryson’s book Into the Woods, wherein the author details his encounters on the Appalachian Trail during the ’90s, I dragged Christina out near the border to West Virginia and we wandered up and down the trail for a few miles. I love hiking; it’s a very peaceful activity. I’m definitely going to try and go hiking whenever I get the chance on the weekends. Now all I need to do is quit smoking and all will be well in the world (I’m down to Marlboro Ultra-Lights, which is a start, right? And it’s good to know I’m not the only one having issues with that). I miss being fit. My ass still hurts a lot from the walk.

The hot chocolate in our office takes me back to my seventh grade French class trip to Nice. Wow. Pretty good for instant cocoa!