And what’s the deal with airline food?!

Oop. Sorry. Hang on. Wrong script.

Gas prices, am I right? Here is a page of dumb jokes about gas prices that I found by Googling “dumb gas prices jokes.”

This weird person uses the controversial “two hands” approach to pumping.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

But, seriously. Gas prices in California have just hit an all-time high for the third day in a row, reaching $4.67 a gallon. Which is pretty crazy. It means that you can get a day pass to Universal Studios Hollywood for only … 17 gallons of gas. (Goddamn, that tour’s expensive.)

Why? The Los Angeles Times explains — and has some good news.

California drivers may soon catch a break.

The Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, which shut down Oct. 1 in a power outage, resumed operations Friday. Analysts blamed the closure, as well as reduced production this summer at a major Northern California refinery, for much of the state’s price hikes.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“Reduced production this summer” refers to that Bay Area refinery that exploded in August. Like how there was reduced production in Hiroshima in 1946.

The spike is dramatic — and unique to California. Here’s what gas prices have done over the last 12 months in Los Angeles (red), Corpus Christi, Texas (green), and nationally (blue).

Sure enough, about a week ago L.A. went crazy. Notice, though, that Corpus Christi generally tracks with national prices pretty closely. In fact, California’s unique gasoline requirements — intended to clean up its famously dirty air — mean that it’s more often subject to unique price changes.

Here’s L.A. (red) compared to generally as-expensive New York (green).

New York tracks with the national average (blue). L.A. jumps around — usually to the detriment of consumers at the pump.

Which is why I propose we move entirely away from using gasoline in any context. I suggest we instead fly everywhere — if they can do something about the meals!

Try the veal.