Mummy on Rye

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A couple of weeks ago, we visited London for the weekend and finally got to see the British Museum. That's Ella over there, perched on the lion outside the doors - more recent pictures of her here.

The exhibits really were amazing, especially the ancient Egypt exhibition. However, two things in particular stick with me from the visit -
1) Ella is using her first truly British vocabulary. She calls all coins "pounds." (though it took me a moment to realize what she was calling the huge collection of ancient Roman sesterii. )
And 2) The British Museum makes one of the finest sandwiches I've ever enjoyed. Chicken, marinated bell peppers, cucumbers and english mustard. It was a work of art. Giuia got truly sick of me expounding on the virtues of that sandwich by the end of the day, but this I learned: Yeah, the mummies are great and all, but if you're in London and have a hankering for some fine grub, get youself to the British Museum.
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Reverse Culture Shock

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So I'm back in the US for the first time since I moved. Here are the things that are weird:
  • I went to the ATM, and all the bills that came out were the same color and size, and actually fit in my wallet.
  • When I'm given change for a 20, it doesn't weigh 12 pounds
  • The lanes on the highways here are really freaking wide
  • The corollary to that is parking spaces are wide enough to park something bigger than a moped in
  • The bathtub in my room doesn't require a step ladder to get in
  • They looked at me funny when I asked for vinegar to go on my fries
  • I don't have to sell an organ to raise the scratch necessary to buy anything electronic When I balance this with the pleasant parts of living on a horse farm, I realize I don't miss living in the Bay Area near as much as I thought I did.
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