Thoughts from a Week in England

Lady on the plane next to me complains about being a broke college student and proceeds to tell me about her frequent trips to Brazil.  I thought she was going to say YOLO.  She tells me I should run a half marathon.

I tried to order a coffee but they asked me what kind. I had no idea. Apparently, regular is not an option. He throws out a few options, and I go for the americano. I make a note to learn more about coffee, but I probably won't. After a few tries, I was able to get a Starbucks order right. The way you can tell is if they write your name on the cup.

Every time someone complains about the US sticking with Fahrenheit, I ask them when they will start driving on the correct side of the road.

Crosswalks don't blink red to tell you they are about to turn, they just turn off.  So you see green, then halfway across the street, it just turns off, and you freak out and start running.

Biking in London is crazy.  The streets are already too small and I saw multiple instances of cars running bikes off the road.

I learned the difference between a Pub, a Bar, and a Cafe. A Pub serves mostly beer and is similar to what you might call a neighborhood bar in the States, but no food. A Bar serves beer and liquor, same as most bars here, some apps. And a cafe serves drinks and food.

Pret-A-Manger shops are everywhere. Worse than Starbucks in Seattle. As of January 2012, there were 168 in London.

Tipping: Don't tip unless something exceptional happens. At the bar: 1 pound max, and only if they help you in some way. Cab: Nope, unless they save your life, then 1 maybe a pound. Waiters and Waitresses make minimum wage which is around $9.50 an hour.

Many shows (including MythBusters) have the narrator replaced with someone British. Also, for the seeing impaired, many of the movies and shows have a creepy voice in the background that describes exactly what is happening onscreen.  I didn't realize you could turn it off until halfway through the trip.  And even when I did turn it off, I could still hear it.  I couldn't figure out if it was on TV or in my mind.  Probably both.

All men are required to have a drink at the pub on the way home from work.  Also, if you want to do a London pub crawl, you might only make it 3 or 4 blocks.  There is literally a pub on every corner.

Getting Rid of GoDaddy

Another 4 domains transferred away from the scum that is GoDaddy.