Stapelia gigantea (Carrion Plant)

This is a cactus I have. I had a bud on the thing, once, but it didn't grow more than an inch or so before it died off. This one actually bloomed. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the bud because it was impressive too. It was a big, hollow, pointy ball. This morning before work I noticed that one side had split open, and it finished opening during the day.

I put a pencil in for scale. As you can see it's fairly big. The edges of the petals are furry. The "petals" are thick, stiff and waxy feeling. It's supposed to smell like carrion (it is pollinated by flies, rather than bees), but I don't smell anything yet. It looks a little bit like meat, with the red and white.

This is one of the few house plants I've ever had that bloomed.

EDIT: On Saturday it started stinking, so I picked the blossom and threw it out.

gas prices?

This article at CNN/Money says, "While the price of gasoline is on the upswing nationally, drivers in different states are having different experiences at the pump. Drivers in most of the Southeast region, in states such as Georgia, Florida and Alabama, the average price of regular unleaded is climbing anywhere from 4 to 8 cents, according to AAA.

In the upper Midwest region, in states such as Michigan, gasoline prices jumped by over 8 cents a gallon to $2.779 a gallon, but are still below the national average."

They didn't check our neighborhood. Gas went up exactly thirty cents yesterday.