The average price of a gallon of no-lead in the five-county Philadelphia region was up today to $3.69.

In South Jersey, a 2-cent increase put the average at $3.52.

At the national level, an increase of - you guessed it - 2 cents put the average at $3.67.

Diesel also was costing more today, mostly 2 cents more. The five-county Philadelphia area was averaging $4.54. The national average was at $4.27.

And South Jersey, not to be outdone, saw an average that was 3 cents higher at $4.23.

We were complaining a year ago about gas prices but didn't realize that we had it so good.

A year ago, the average in the Philadelphia area was $3; in South Jersey it was $2.82. At the national level, it was $3.04.

Meanwhile, crude oil prices continued to trek into uncharted territory, keeping Wall Street's inflationary concerns alive, the Associated Press reported this morning.

In premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude futures topped $125 a barrel, after closing yesterday at a record settlement of $123.69, AP said.