"Look kids ... Big Ben ... Parliament"

Because they let some French dude design this city, there are traffic circles all over the place.

Remarkably, they work pretty well at keeping things moving considering they were designed with slower modes of transportation in mind.

And I'm sure I'll eventually get tired of the European Vacation dialogue that runs through my head every time I get stuck in one of these circles, but for now it's an appreciated moment of levity.

Our combustible subway system, however, is a different matter altogether.

0-for-3

To the right you see a plate of shrimp scampi with linguine, which is what I wanted for dinner tonight. I ordered it at a Maryland outpost of a restaurant I have liked for many years. I did not get to enjoy a plate of shrimp scampi tonight, however.

Instead, I was first served a plate of chicken with linguine, which the bartender (I was eating at the bar) immediately recognized as incorrect and whisked away.

Several minutes later, someone I did not see (I was watching TV) put a plate of fettucine alfredo with shrimp in front of me. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was hot and tasty, so I dug in. A few bites in, the bartender wandered past and, noticing I was eating the wrong dish, insisted on taking the plate away, ignoring my (somewhat feeble) protest that it was fine.

A few more minutes (and one free pint) later, he returned triumphantly and set a third dish in front of me with a flourish. It was shrimp fra diavolo with spaghetti. But at this point I wasn't going to give any indication that anything was off, and I just ate my food.

I should note that everything was very good, just not what I ordered. And the bartender certainly gets at least a B for effort. The kitchen, on the other hand, might need a wee bit of a refresher.

Party time at work

My company is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week, and as part of the festivities today was Free Alcohol Day. (It was marketed as a reception that followed the monthly staff meeting. Whatev.)

The decent beer went pretty quickly, so I was stuck drinking Corona. And, yes, I am the type to criticize free beer. But there were a couple of things worth noting:

1. It's nice to have your boss stop by your desk to make sure you've had a chance to have a beer with your work.

2. While we were offered popcorn with our Free Alcohol, the corporate types who work on the other side of the building had actual food with their Free Alcohol. Boo.

3. As I pointed out to some co-workers, we really should be allowed to booze at work every day, considering they sell beer and wine in the lobby gift shop. Or maybe that's supposed to be for the drive home.