Nothing new

I got a bike! It is a shiny new red bike and it has a little wicker basket in front. I look so cute on my bike and nooooooooooo helmet. Only squares in Cambridge wear helmets. The commute from the edge of town is not bad at all now, much faster than walking. Yesterday though I had to bike home in the pouring rain. That kind of sucked, and I was soaked by the time I got back to the flat. I have to admit, I hate rain. Obviously that's going to be a common thing living in Britain, but nevertheless, I hate it. Correction: I hate the rain when I have to be out in it, not when I'm inside during it, drinking tea, reading a book or watching a movie.

In other news: we have been checking out and watching old episodes of Scrubs--a very humorous American sit-com--from the library. We are enjoying it. Did you know in British libraries you still have to pay £2.20 to check out a DVD?! Outrageous!

Matt and I have been enjoying the ready availability of take-away food here in GB. The other day we bought Cornish pasties and ate them in front of the gate of King's College with a nice cold Coke. (More about Coke later.) We have many times availed ourselves of the beautiful ready-made fresh sandwiches and fruits in the grocery stores. And recently we discovered a salad bar at Sainsbury's grocery store which has literally 20-30 different fresh pasta, fruit and vegetable salads that you can mix and match and get in a take-away box for pretty cheap. No wonder Britons are so much more healthy than Americans, look at their fast food options compared to ours!

And now about Coke. In the past, Matt and I were never able to share foods, or split foods because a.) he is a vegetarian and I am not, and b.) because Matt was a picky eater with a narrow palate. Thankfully, over the years, I have expanded his appreciation for different foods and although he cannot ever know the joys of a beautiful, fragrant panang chicken curry, or eat a truly full Irish breakfast, or experience my mom's cooking at its best, he and I have always agreed on this: to our knowledge, Coca-Cola Classic is the best drink in the world; if it is served cold, it will always be satisfying; and there is nothing more disappointing than a flat or warm Coke, simply for the knowledge of the loss of its potential. We also agree that at this point, when nearly everyone in the world has tasted Coke once in their life, all those fancy commercials about the inside of vending machines etc. are superfluous because frankly, this shit sells itself. Please understand, these statements do not apply to Diet Coke or any other form of Coke or any other Coke product. Diet Coke sucks.