Where I get quoted in a real newspaper

I was pulled up to the Costco gas pumps the other day, just filling up the tank on the family car and this woman strides up to me and says, "I see you're a biker, can I ask you some questions". Now, normally there is not a lot of chatting at Costco gas. You pull up, do your thing and move on- more like the men's room than a coffee house. But I had been stopped just the week before by a fellow who wanted to ask me about the bike rack I had (its a hitch rack) so I was less startled than I would be normally.

It turns out she had no interest in my bike rack, rather she is a reporter for the Contra Costa Time and she wanted to ask me for my thoughts on the current state of gas prices. I always feel torn in those moments, because I know that people are not looking for a full blown lecture on the impact of the recession on commodity prices, or why we should as a society be using this moment to retool in ways that make us less dependent on fossil fuels while the costs associated with that change are lower. So, I struggle to create some concise and meaningful comments that would fit into a small piece in the paper.

I must have succeeded because a quick Google News search a few day later kicked up this:

Bay Area gas prices edge down

The quote:

"If we're smart, we'll figure out ways to use less of it (gas) while the price is cheap so we're using less of it when the economy gets running again," said Gordon Gladstone of Berkeley, who said he has been getting around by bicycle more often. "The price of gas went down because people are driving less often, but at some point that will turn around and the piper will have to be paid."

Now, if I could get booked on a cable news show...