June 2004 Archives

Piccadilly Circus is one of the busiest spots in London, a non-stop swirl of traffic, flashing electronic billboards, and pedestrians. But amongst the whirl is an enduring symbol of constancy: the Odd Erection Guy.

When I first moved to London, a friend of mine gave me some good advice: "Notice things now, while they're still strange." All too soon, London ceased to be alien and exotic; it became, simply, the place where I live. I missed the sensation of vague disorientation, of living in a strange land whose customs are not quite my own.

Fortunately, I recently discovered a place where I can once again feel like a foreigner: the United States of America.

I'm sure that British people find American English absolutely hilarious. No doubt some of our most common phrases strike them as bizarre, or possibly obscene, but no British person would ever be so rude as to put up photos on their web page of signs that made them giggle.

Thank heavens I'm an American and have no such scruples. Herewith, my photo essay on Funny Signs of Britain. Warning: some of the signs are NSFWUYWIGB ("Not Safe For Work Unless You Work In Great Britain.")

Lately, I've been shockingly bad about delivering on my promise of "Something Interesting Every Monday" (unless you find it interesting to discover that I haven't been updating the site.) My apologies to my loyal readers. Expect a new entry within the next 24 hours, and then a return to my regular Monday schedule.

I've returned from my travels jetlagged and with a bad cold and a mild fever to boot, not to mention a few deadlines for freelance jobs. As a result, there will be no Something Interesting this week; my apologies.

But to tide you over, be sure to check out the participants in International Write Yankee Fog For Me Day. Roger Peng wins the prize for Best Entry Via Trackback, and "JK" wins for Best Entry Via Comments. Judging was made easy by the high quality of their entries, and by the fact that they were the only two entries I received.