And what comes next?

Oh, gosh, where to begin. Not that I think anyone is reading this, I'm just hoping that I'll remember to come back to this someday and check out what it was like coming back.

Usually, it's been the grocery stores where America really hits me in the gut (no pun intended). Of course, my first trip out of the country was to Soviet Russia, so the idea of there actually being food in a grocery store was stunning. Now, it's more of the idea of size and wait.

Now there are a couple of big grocery stores in London, but one of them is Whole Foods, so that doesn't really count as it's just an American import. By and large, though, they're just smaller. Or at least they feel that way.

Then there's the expiration dates. In the UK, things pretty much expired while you were walking home with them. Here they last forever. They need to, since they come in jumbotron sizes. But, one must wonder what kind of preservatives are involved. Maybe Americans die pre-embalmed. Then again, Americans have a pretty good life expectancy, so can't really complain.

Finally, there's the schizophrenia. Forgive me if I've previously mentioned this, but I'm somewhat flummoxed by the preponderance, the emphasis, on organic on the one hand. And on pre-fab, fat injected, deep fried, unnaturally colored. I wonder how Hostess is doing, but then I see that Wonder Bread (best known for it's putty-like qualities) is making a comeback.

Ok, that's it for now. I suppose next I should talk about the actual job search.