The heat is oppressive. 113 degrees in the shade. The metal roof of my vehicle, despite the white paint, heats up and radiates about 140 degrees from the headliner downwards like a hot griddle being held above one's head.

The AC has been recharged completely less than two weeks ago and yet the R134 refrigerant is incapable of dissipating the intense heat as efficiently as freon and cabin temperature as I idle is about 85-90 degrees from bottom to top. A freon equipped vehicle would push that down to 75-80 degrees without much strain. The parking lot is near capacity as the evening rush hour traffic fills it with shoppers eager to shop and return to their air conditioned homes.

I look around me and a glistening black H2 is parked across from me with its triple plated chrome grille, tow hooks and roof rack reflecting the intense desert sun. To my right an H3 is parked. It is less dressed up and in white, an infinitely smarter choice for the desert. To my left a Ford Excursion in red. All of us are idling, keeping the ACs running and the interiors as cold as possible. With my vehicle sandwiched between all these, it suddenly occurred to me I was participating in an orgy of fuel consumption.

Like the latter days of Rome, with a smorgasboard of imported delights from across the empire awaiting consumption, here we four sit in a circle, consuming black gold from all corners of the Earth. And like those days with the odor from the vomitoria to remind one of the excess, here the faint smell of burned hydrocarbons wafts through the air and even the charcoal filtered A/C system can't keep all of it out.

I wonder if the others know it. There seems to be a shared awareness of our position and in this close proximity it seemed to magnify the impression. The rest also seem absorbed in thought, and my thoughts are simple ones at this moment: How long will the glorious orgies last when $60 only buys 14 gallons and $130 is required to fill one's tank?

;-)