HELLO BLOGOSPHERE
I’m the gOil, I’m 23, and I’m an Oilaholic.
I used to drive a 2003 Dodge Dakota that sucked gas to the tune of 17 miles per gallon on the freeway, but it was worse in town. When I was at my lowest, I’d just give in to the addiction, purchasing $50 or $60 worth of gas each week. I don’t know what made me hit rock bottom. I guess it was realizing how much money, energy and dignity this stuff (oil, gas, crude, black gold — whatever street name you want to call it) had sucked out of my life.
I think I was looking at a magazine in a local Co-Op when I stumbled across the word “biodiesel.” This seemed like an oxymoron; in my oil-addled brain, the preffix ‘bio’ was associated with natural things, good things — things that didn’t burn holes in your pockets or cause you sleepless nights of guilt thinking about the possibility that you might be indirectly funding a terrorist organization, while missing your beauty rest.
Intrigued, I read on…
YOU MEAN I COULD RUN A CAR ON FUEL THAT I COULD POTENTIALLY MAKE FROM USED RESTAURANT GREASE??!!!?? AND IT WOULD COST ME LESS THAN A DOLLAR A GALLON???????? AND IT WON’T MAKE THE AIR BROWN NEARLY AS MUCH AS GASOLINE DOES???!!??(Adrenaline surges through my veins, my heart rate elevates instantly, and I think my eyes fall out of my head.)
I had found a new addiction, a fresh obsession — I needed to get my hands on some of this stuff that turns your exhaust pipe into an Eau de French Fry atomizer.
A year and a half later, I own a 2004 TDI Jetta, which I run on 99% biodiesel that I buy locally (I have a blender and a safely stored modicum of methanol and lye to try and make a test batch myself eventually). Seeing how much money and peace of mind I might be able to save with this amazing stuff set off a chain reaction — for reasons personal, political and ethical, I needed to evaluate energy consumption in all areas of my life; I needed to take responsibility for my use of resources and admit that I AM IN CONTROL OF THIS (and that’s where my energy philosophy diverges from the twelve-step analogy). I CAN change myself and my habits, and hopefully help others learn about their options within the coming alternative energy boom. And believe me, there will be difficult choices: Should I go for the cute and sassy nonchalance of the Tango, which would seriously impress a discerning date, or do I opt for the edgy yet mature and sleek qualities of a Tesla?
This addiction is what brought me to EnergyRushTV. I figure I know about as much as the average person…but I’m learning more every day. I promise to blog about the coolest, most efficient, best things you can do for yourself and the environment. Oh, and I might talk about myself now and then (ienjoywindywalksonthebeach).
Love,
Refined gOil
oh yeah, look me up on myspace…
