Driving Test

So I have decided that it would be a good idea to take the Illinois driving test. Not only does this mean I'll be able to drive legally, but it'll also be a good souvenir (because it's not like I actually have a car or anything). Anyway, prior to this event, I thought it would be useful to find out how much it would cost. The helpful website www.cyberdriveillinois.com tells me it'll cost a goodly $10. I was rather surprised by the smallness of this amount, remembering that when I took my test in the UK almost 10 years ago (god I feel old...) I'm sure I paid more than that. So out of curiosity I thought I'd find out how much it currently costs to take a driving test in the UK. The DSA website informs us that to take the combined theory and practical test will set you back the rather large amount of 70 of your British pounds. Seventy! That's more than an order of magnitude different from the US. Crazy.

And just incase anyone hadn't noticed, it's f**king cold in Chicago right now.

$2

Of course, the other commonly occuring theme in my blog over the last year has been the demise of the American currency against the pound. And for those of you that don't spend all day reading the BBC website, here's a pretty picture. Or not so pretty, if you're looking at it from this end.

The Bay

North California is pretty... and has weather quite unlike Chicago's at this time of year...

A year later...

So, I have now been living in the USA for one year, and reading through my blog, this seems to be pretty much the limit of what I have learnt about the country:

1) The weather in Chicago is weird.

2) The motorists here are crazy.

3) Americans speak funny.

Enlightening, isn't it?

Happy New Year!

That's a Happy New Year to everyone in Britain, and a Happy New Year's to everyone in America.