At a Chevron gas station in San Francisco, it's a warm sunny afternoon. We get dialed into the driversat the pump.
"So, how do you feel about paying over $3.47 for unleaded gas?," we ask Lisa Jacobs, as she fills up her mini van.
"It's terrible. I can't believe that gas is so expensive. Eventually, it's going to prevent a lot of people from driving. I don't drive as much as I use to because of the gas prices. I just pick up my kids and go grocery shopping, and that's about it."
Lisa Jacobs is not the only one feeling the gas crunch because many of the people that come to gas stations like this one are really upset with the whole situation in the Middle East, which seems to be the cause of the spike in prices.
According to Jackie Farwell, AP Business Writer of, Oil Prices Rise Above $64 A Barrel: "Iran [,] one of the biggest oil producers [,] is located along the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large portion of the world's oil is transported. Traders worry that if unrest escalates there, oil supplies could be disrupted. Falling U.S. inventories of crude oil, gasoline and distillates added to supply concerns, keeping prices high. Rumors about a military confrontation spurred panic buying in after-hours trading Tuesday, sending oil prices above $68 in a matter of minutes. Rising tensions between Iran, a major oil producer, and the West have created a potentially dangerous situation in the Gulf and markets are jumpy."
Tom Petersen, pulls into the gas station with his 2006 Porsche. "Gas prices are definitely outrageous, but it's all about Darwin's theory -- those who have the income will not be affected by the high gas prices and those who don't will be impacted -- it's just the way it goes."
As Tom continued with his statement, we were interrupted by the thunderous roar of a red Ferrari. As the Ferrari pulls into the gas station, all eyes lock on to it -- Tom, the Porsche driver, looks with amazement and envy, as he rushes back into his Porsche pretending as if the Ferrari didn't make an impact on him. He speeds off out of the gas station.
We watch the driver get out to fuel his Ferrari, and I approach him. He is nothing as I expected. He appears to be younger than what I imagined, lean and athletically built, with an amazing smile -- nothing of the typical Ferrari driver who is usually the antithesis of this driver.
I identify myself, and he, with confidence and with a stance that somehow exudes the same kind of visual presence of his Ferrari, responds by saying, "Hi, Tori Jorgensen! I am Alfonso Faustino."
I reply, "This is definitely not a gas economic car...it's beautiful...tell me, how has the gas prices affected your ability to drive this amazing car?"
Smiling at me, he lifts up his Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses and locks into my eyes and says, "It hasn't. I didn't buy this car thinking about the cost of gas. Rather, I bought this car strictly on an emotional and passionate level because Ferrari gives me a driving experience no other car can give me. I just pay what I gotta pay, smile, and thank God I am fortunate to be impervious to the fluctuations in the economy -- like, gas."
He continues, "Hell, I'd rather put money into fueling up my Ferraris than paying some shrink because driving my Ferrari rids me of any stress and makes me feel great."
He pulls down his aviators shielding me from his world and pops the door open, looks at me with a smile and waves, as he climbs into his steed. He starts the engine and with a thunderous primal roar he exits the gas station as customers and I look in awe of the low wide stance rear end of Alfonso Faustino's Ferrari merging into the flow of traffic.
Well, there you have it...there's always two sides to every story...the mere mortal everyday driver side and the Ferrari side.
Tori Jorgensen is a student journalist at USF.
Source: www.articledashboard.com
