There's a sort of public shame inheirent in walking down the sidewalk with a gas can. Everyone who sees you knows that your car is out of gas, it's nobody's fault but your own, and now you're late to wherever you wanted to be because you have to walk to the gas station and spill gasolene all over your hands just to make your pinnacle hunk of mechanical engineering work again.

It's the modern equivalent of a scarlet letter.

What gets to me is that if my car had enough gas to get home, it should have enough gas to at least start the next day.

PS: Thanks Karen, for rescuing me!