Odd Days

Shift into "L" for limbo

This morning, following the example of New Jersey, gas rationing goes into affect in New York City and on Long Island. So knowing whether your plate ends in an odd or even number or letter (I've always felt "K" is the oddest letter), joins other long forgotten or repressed gas-crisis habits: paying close attention to which gas stations are open and which are closed; checking your wallet to make sure you've got a goodly supply of cash; and driving in ways that (you believe) use less gas. Yesterday, as I crept along on the BQE, I found myself slipping the transmission into neutral when a slight downhill allowed me to maintain speed. Am I saving any gas? Who knows? But I've got that 1979 feeling all over again. (I can still tell the exact location of the Lehigh station in North Stonington, Conn., where I had good luck filling up.)