A good report

My second functional visit to the Post Office was very smooth.  I had, indeed, saved the queue slip from the last trip, so I knew which queue to enter.  Surprisingly, it was easier to recognize it from the Hebrew than English.  I must be getting better at this.  I needed to pay ~$32 in excise tax, which didn't surprise me because this is my box of gifts from Kansas City (UMKC and Wizard of Oz things) to give my colleagues and hosts.  So, they're not wrapped like birthday gifts, and there are redundant quantities (like 10 yellow UMKC kangaroos).  The customs slip categorized it as "souvenirs," which is correct.  I'm so glad this box is here - I don't want to be a boor.  Only one casualty in the box - a Scarecrow statuette broke, but if I can find some Superglue, it's an easy fix.  All that remains now is the bag of books.  When that comes, I'll probably have to take a cab back from the post office.  It's heavy.  But, who knows when that will arrive?

A little progress in the grocery store, too.  I found the express check-out lines (10 items or less).  Used it today.  Good to know.  And I stumbled through a little conversation with a Russian immigrant woman, who spoke only Russian and Hebrew, so I feel just a little better about my listening and spoken ability.  And you might be vaguely interested to know that whole-wheat pita is about $3/bag, but white pita is about $0.50.  But whole-wheat is better for my waistline.

And, if I needed more evidence to support the decision not to drive here (the cost, the parking, the traffic (which moves very quickly - a great entreprenuerial idea would be to open a chain of brake shops.  These people are all about jackrabbit stops and starts.  But they don't seem to run red lights, like we do.), the repairs), when I saw a really odd thing.  (Phew, long sentence)  A small car like a Cooper mini hopped the sidewalk, and drove slowly across the grass.  There was a truck unloading, and I thought the truck was blocking a curb cut, but there was no curb cut.  The little car moved down a paved ramp, but it was a pedestrian ramp, with a bollard in the middle, which the car negotiated around, and came out in the back of the store to the parking.  My, my.  No, I'm not driving.  I sure didn't like driving in Boston, and this is worse.