# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 150
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2982 "2023-03-26T14:09:18Z")
I let the gas pump go until it stops on its own. I always get gas right when the indicator is down to one tick and it takes almost exactly 11.3 gallons every time. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2983 "2023-03-26T16:04:29Z")
I still do that arm-pump thing when we’re at rest stops on the New York Thruway. There are enclosed pedestrian bridges from the parking lots to the restaurant/bathroom/tourist info hubs, and you can watch the big trucks drive underneath you. More often than not, the truckers will sound their air horns in response to your gesture. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2984 "2023-03-26T16:32:38Z")
“Disconcerning”??? I had to force my Swype keyboard to accept that. I don’t know that I ever can. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2985 "2023-03-26T16:47:01Z")
What? No option for the people that top off their tanks a penny at a time until they get a round number? Or the ones that lift up the far side of the hose because they think it will drain the hose contents into their tank? I still see people do that occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2986 "2023-03-26T17:11:49Z")
I don’t drive very much (though I’m starting to a little more since moving; still don’t have a daily commute). When I get below half a tank - typically every 2 to 3 months - I’ll stop and fill up when it’s convenient. I fill until it clicks off, then give it one more squeeze until it stops again. I’m not generally concerned with price. I’m usually putting in about 6 gallons, so I’m not going to bother waiting for the price to go down 20 cents so I can save $1.20 every couple months. That way lies madness. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2987 "2023-03-26T17:27:35Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > No option for the people that top off their tanks a penny at a time until they get a round number? Is that still even possible? The prices have for years been high enough that even the fastest click I can do on the pump is nearly always more than one penny. – I refill the tank whenever it’s significantly below half full and I’m at a convenient place to do so and I’ve got time to do so. I fill it all the way because I don’t want to be bothered having to do that more often than necessary. For people living right near a gas station and/or doing nearly all their driving close to gas stations, that’s probably not an issue. But if I tried to refill only when the tank was almost empty, I’d run out of gas a lot; and also be late even more than I already am, because of having to stop at an inconvenient time or otherwise run out of gas; and would sometimes have to drive out of my way to get to a station because I wouldn’t otherwise pass one in time, which not only would take up time but would also require using/paying for extra fuel. ETA: I don’t mess around trying to get more fuel in after the pump clicks off; I take the pump’s word for it, unless it’s obviously clicked off way too early, which hasn’t happened to me in years. Plus which, I had a mechanic tell me that the car’s fuel pump is in the tank and is cooled by the gas, which shouldn’t be allowed to get below a quarter full too often because then the cooling doesn’t work as well. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2988 "2023-03-26T17:38:50Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > the ones that lift up the far side of the hose because they think it will drain the hose contents into their tank? Before or after feuling? Because I’ve had gas come out of the nozzle as I was putting it in the tank ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2989 "2023-03-26T17:40:22Z")
My stinking state doesn’t permit self-service gassing, so beyond the basics I’m at the mercy of the Gas Guy. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2990 "2023-03-26T17:51:55Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Is that still even possible? The prices have for years been high enough that even the fastest click I can do on the pump is nearly always more than one penny. People still try. That’s where most of the spilled gas stains on the sides of cars come from. I’m like you. I have a rough idea of how much I need and just let it run until it shuts off. My car often sits for months at a time in a unheated garage during really cold winters so I always keep it towards the full mark. > [@Zyada](#): > > Before or after feuling? After. They leave the nozzle in their tank, then start lifting the hose at the dispenser until they lift the whole length of the hose. Seems a lot of work for two ounces of gas. I don’t see it as often now because most places the hose is already high up instead of laying on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2991 "2023-03-26T17:52:32Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I refill the tank whenever it’s significantly below half full and I’m at a convenient place to do so and I’ve got time to do so. I’m between you and @DCnDC . I start looking for a convenient time to fill the tank when it gets to a quarter. That may not be often enough, because i often end up filling it at an inconvenient time. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2992 "2023-03-26T18:04:03Z")
Wow, I have never seen that. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2993 "2023-03-26T21:02:00Z")
Poll lacks an option for “I live in New Jersey and someone fills my tank while I sit in my car like a gentleman.” ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2994 "2023-03-27T03:15:30Z")
I once showed Pat DiNizio, of Smithereens fame, how to operate a gas pump. He was on his solo “living room tour” in 2000 and had rented a car to drive through the Southwest, but he hadn’t used a self-serve gas pump before. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2995 "2023-03-27T03:58:52Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > “Disconcerning”??? I have always considered it a typo. Maybe it means: this no longer concerns me so I am stepping out of the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2996 "2023-03-27T04:05:12Z")
I’m a little dyslexic, i had to read it a few times to realize it wasn’t disconcerting. Then i assumed it was a typo. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2997 "2023-03-27T04:30:04Z")
I answered the shower question for what i do at home, with my wonderful hand-held shower head, which is just use my hand and a bar of soap. At hotels, with a fixed shower head, i usually use a wash cloth, too. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2998 "2023-03-27T11:40:00Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Seems a lot of work for two ounces of gas. When I was 16, I worked the overnight shift at a self-service gas station. I kept a 5 gallon gas can in the booth with me. After each purchase drove off, I’d go out and drain the few ounces left in the hose into my can. That entire summer I never bought gas and always had a near full tank. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/2999 "2023-03-27T15:24:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Poll lacks an option for “I live in New Jersey and someone fills my tank while I sit in my car like a gentleman.” In that case, which one do you ask the attendant to do? I assume you either ask them to fill it up or put in $X worth or something like that. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > No option for the people that top off their tanks a penny at a time until they get a round number? I consider that basically the same as filling it up until the pump clicks off. Whether you just stop when it clicks off, or add a tiny amount to get a round number, you didn’t have a specific amount in mind when you started pumping. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3000 "2023-03-27T15:30:20Z")
I checked “washcloth”, but the poll really needs multiple options. I wash my body with a washcloth, my hair with my hands, and sometimes use a bath brush on my back and/or a nail brush on my fingernails. I have been on a cruise, many years ago. Under current circumstances, I’m really unlikely to go on one again; but if multiple circumstances were entirely different, I might. Voted other. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3001 "2023-03-27T15:57:14Z")
Even though it’s not necessarily a binary choice, I voted “good” on the concept of gap years. I went to college after High School, because that’s what people did, but I never really had a plan or a reason to be there. If I’d taken a gap year (wasn’t really a thing in the ‘80s), I might have figured out what I actually wanted out of college and it likely would have been a more successful experience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=149) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=151)