How often is it that you arrive in London from Italy and are thankful for better weather? I just got here from Milan, where it's been raining for days on end. Serious flooding conditions are beginning to prevail. Over here, it's actually dry. Amazing. On my flight out of Amsterdam this morning I without getting my ID checked. The Italians were more assiduous in checking my credentials upon departure. The most thorough security check I've had recently was upon departure from Dulles last Sunday. They were taking the display of security quite seriously and they were even timing how long it took people to move through. The security guard actually made some conversation with my about my digital camera (pictures of the Giant Parking Chickens of Dulles to follow), which is a dangerous thing to do with someone with a nerdly past. I wonder how they deal with passengers who don't speak English though. I did enjoy how the guy in line in front of me, who was flying Saudi Airlines, was stopped at the metal detector by a female guard. I guess it was not done on purpose, but he did not seem very happy.

Time for dinner.