Yesterday I had begun to write about other things when Brad came over to discuss the changes that are taking place between us. I thought I would revisit the topics I wanted to discuss yesterday and put off any feelings I may have developed in the last 24 hours.

Yesterday I stopped off at the gas station to fill up my tank with gas. I usually don’t let my tank get below 1/4. But this time I let it almost reach the bottom. I know I wasn’t near empty because I have a little light that comes on when I reach close to empty. I’ve never seen the light come on because I’ve never let my tank get that empty. Hmm…makes me wonder. How do I know the low gas warning light actually works if I’ve never seen it come on. And I never want to see it come on because then I'd be on empty. Kinda of a catch 22. hahaha Anyway, the last time I filled up, about two weeks ago, the price of gas was $1.63. I only need to fill up about once every two weeks or so because I have no life and I don't go anywhere. So, remembering that I paid $1.63 a gallon last time, I figured it would be maybe 5 cents more this time. However, when I pulled the nozzle out and hit the button for regular, I noticed the price was $1.75. I was shocked! I couldn’t believe in two weeks that the price had gone up that much. I guess that's why I am hearing so much on the news and between the Bush and Kerry about gas prices going up. Then I heard this morning that OPEC has agreed to cut their production target by 4% even though prices keep going up and up. What's that about? Won't that raise the prices even more? And hey, what happened to all that oil in Iraq? Why aren't we taking advantage of that? Baffles me.

Also yesterday, I went to pick up my shirts for the cleaners. When I pulled out my slip I noticed the price was $8.75 for 7 shirts. Quickly doing the math in my head, I realize they have charged me $1.25 for each shirt. That really pissed me off. No one told me the price was going up. Nothing was posted in the store saying it was going to go up. What was up with that? I asked the asian guy behind the counter if they raised the price or was this a mistake. He said they raised the price. I said that I wasn't notified about the change. He said, “Well, we took the 99¢ a shirt sign out of the window.” I told him that was not sufficient notice of a price change. I then paid for my shirts and said, “You have now lost a customer.” Didn't phase him a bit. He's probably the owners son or something. He could've cared less what I thought. Of course now I'm going to have to find a new cleaners. I refuse to pay more then 99 cents for my shirts to be cleaned and pressed. I think $1.25 is outrageous.

I was in the middle of writing a post about how high the price of gas had gone up when I went to fill up today and how my dry cleaners raised the price of doing my shirts without telling me (and I won’t go back there again), when Brad called. He said he wanted to come over and talk. So I saved what I had already written and waited for Brad to arrive.

I could see it coming over the last few weeks. Brad has been absolutely stressed with work. He has a major project going on and has been very busy. He is completely stressed out. We have spent very little time together over the last few weeks so I knew something would happen soon. So three months to the day that I met Brad, he decided tonight that he shouldn’t be my boyfriend anymore. He feels he can not devote the time that is needed to develop a relationship. He feels it wouldn’t be fair to me to string me along with the thought that this was going somewhere in a positive direction. He did not use the famous dating line I want to be friends. He said he wants to continue to see me from time to time but without the commitment of being boyfriends. He said I was a free agent to date other people. I’m sure I won’t do that. I probably need time to myself anyway. In the past few years it seems I’ve had boyfriend after boyfriend. Maybe I need to be on my own and just go out from time to time without any expectations. Who knows. I’m not mad or disappointed with Brad. I’m not an emotional mess. I actually completely understand where he is coming from and respect him for explaining it so thoroughly. He’s not saying it’s completely over. He just can’t give a relationship the time it needs. He said he still likes me and wants to see me but just can’t deal with the whole learning curve (sleeping patterns, emotional needs, etc.) that is needed when you are in the early stages of dating someone. I know that some of you reading this will say I’m crazy and that Brad just broke up with me and I should see through his words. But I don’t agree. Yes, in a way he did break up with me but not in the traditional gay sense. I’m actually going to be okay with the way we left it. No tears were shed. No raising of voices. It was a mature discussion with specific outcomes. We will still see each other but just not as boyfriends. We already have plans for Friday evening.