Anything can have a process wrapped around it and it turns out I am living proof of this. I am not talking about the process of my conception, but rather my life has many activities that I treat as a process and I follow that process regularly, but not religiously.

For instance filling up with Gas at Costco is one of these activities. Costco has a slightly different approach to gas pumping than most. You can only enter from one direction and you can pump all the way to the other side of your car. For instance if you own a Ford your gas cap is on the driver’s side and if the pump is on the passenger side it will reach! Now, some Costco members have yet to realize this, but that isn’t the point. I realized it and I use it to my advantage. That isn’t the only thing that is interesting about filling up at Costco Gas. They also stack you two deep. Now this isn’t completely atypical, but it does cause for some interesting situations like when car park a little too close to each other.

So why does all this matter to me? Well, as I stated, I like to stay cool. Staying cool means I need to be in the shade when filling up. I drive a Ford truck and the gas is on the driver side of the vehicle. But I don’t care about that usually. I look for a rear open position rather than a front. If I am in the front and it isn’t morning, I will be in the sun. So I will go to either side of the pump to just get behind someone. Now sometimes this takes some thought and planning. If there is a line you really need to count the people to ensure that you will be the rear position.

So where does the process come in? Well that was just the start. Once parked in front of the pump I hope out and open the gas door and the cap comes out. I then turn to the machine and swipe my card and press the appropriate button. I grab the pump handle and hit 87. I place the handle in the truck and wait for the pump to realize that I am actually there to pump gas. I then squeeze the handle to start the flow of gas. I then stand and wait for the gas to pump.

When the flow of gas stops I tap the tip to ensure I don’t drip gasoline on myself and place the handle back into the pump. I return to the cap and screw it in. I close the door. At this point I could remote start the vehicle, but I don’t think that is safe just after pumping. I know that isn’t a logical thought though. I walk back and collect my receipt and hop into my truck. I pull forward, clear of the pumps into a parking spot and record the mileage.

I am up to 17.2 MPG in the truck after adding synthetic oil. Interesting.

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