In Which reldnahkram Is Christened as a Bridge Inspector

I'm now a first level bridge inspector. My starting equipment is a vest of blinding and a helmet of protection, which also has a minor blinding bonus. Of course, my first encounter involved boots of water protection and a stream. The -2 DEX penalty they gave to those with small feet was amusing for a while, and then, well, I failed a detect deep water check and later got attacked by a first level branch; thankfully I'm not particularly vulnerable to dirt, rocks, or water, and I think my pants will survive the encounter (I only fell once).

Anyway, work will be good, but involve early days (typical bridge dept hours are 7.30-4 w/ half-hour lunch). Oh well, leaves plenty of time for evening fun. Also, Siddiqui's wife works there (not sure yet which dept).

Gas Prices, Update

State Tax Rates:

CA: 18 cents/gallon
NJ: 10.5 cents/gallon
PA: 26.6 cents/gallon

Assuming all other factors equal, if you have a 19 gallon tank, it's cheaper to pay the 3 bucks to cross the river and get gas than to buy it in PA. But other factors are not equal. IIRC, the gas stations at the intersection of Montgomery and City Line were at 2.05, and there's something out Henderson in the 2.05 range, and I didn't see much in Jersey below 1.95 whenever it was that I was over there.

From FHWA Highway Statistics, Oct. 2003
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs02/mf121t.htm