This week, the good people of Oregon can start pumping their own gas. This has caused the Internet to explode with commentsabout Oregon.

When I moved to Oregon for my first job after college, the first thing I noticed was all speed limit signs just say, “Speed.” I feel like I noticed that because the “speed” was only 65. For quite some time, Oregon was the only state west of the Mississippi to still have a 65 mile an hour speed limit.

“That’s the way we like it,” my first boss explained to me. “We don’t have to be in a rush.”

I quickly learned there were plenty of things Oregon likes just the way they are. For instance, Oregon throws an excellent protest. That made my job easy. The protests were more frequent when I lived in Portland than on the east side of the Cascades (where people were most likely to protest being uncomfortably close to Portland). No matter what the issue, you could probably get a thousand people to show up outside the courthouse.

Then, across the street, you’d get a thousand counter-protestors.

But one other thing Oregon liked just the way it was: You couldn’t pump your own gas. That was another thing I learned quickly. When I first pulled into Hermiston, I stopped at a gas station along Interstate 84, got out and swiped my credit card.

A guy came running out, yelling, “Can I help you? Can I help you?!”

I started to panic, “I don’t think so. Everything looks okay.”

Seeing my Ohio license plate, he explained it was full-serve. I apologized, saying I didn’t see the sign.

“No,” he continued. “It’s state law. All of Oregon is full serve.” [That wasn’t entirely true. More on this full-serve situation in a moment]

I got back in my car, thinking, “Shoot, I’m a man. I ain’t lettin’ some other dude pump my gas.”

I started learning how to deal with this full-serve situation. It wasn’t even really full-serve! The guy just swiped my credit card, shoved the pump in my car and went to other cars to start their pumps. The pump had finished, and I had to wait for the guy to come back!

I feel like full-serve implies the guy will wash your windshield and check your oil. I’m sure that factored into the Oregon legislature’s decision to roll back the law.

In fact, once I moved to Portland, I noticed some stations put up signs that read, “Mini-Serve.” Do you have to tip that guy?! I’m nothing if not a gentleman, and sometimes a woman would come out and pump my gas. That felt wrong. Also, I feel like tipping her for servicing my car would have been illegal.

Loretta Lynn’s right, everybody: I didn’t just lose my heart in Oregon. I lost my mind, also.

So I started on work-arounds for this mini-serve situation. Both Hermiston and Portland are close to the Columbia River. I frequently drove across into Washington State if I needed gas.

I’ve come around, though. When I went back for the rodeo this Fall, it felt luxurious to sit in the car while someone else pumped the gas. Luxurious. Not enormous-tip-luxurious, but luxurious.

Now, though, some counties in Oregon are letting people pump their own gas. Their own gas! Just some counties, though. The small ones. I’m glad to see that guy in Hermiston is still running out to stop people because Umatilla County is Manhattan of the Columbia River Basin. [Note from Umatilla County: Do NOT call us “Manhattan.”]

I’m glad to see some people having a good time with this. I’d like to suggest that with everybody weighing in, we get a protest going at a gas station in Portland. It’d be tougher since it’s the rainy season. Maybe we’d only have 500 people attend. And another 500 to protest how it’s not rainy to their satisfaction.

New Jersey [Motto: The Umatilla County of the East Coast] is now the only state that does not allow people to pump their own gas. New Jersey is synonymous as a destination for people who want to live in luxury.