i'm not going to name names, but i just have to get something off my chest without mincing words or trying to be "diplomatic." 

the thing i need to get off my chest is this:  a lot of British people (Londoners to be specific) are self-important assholes.  from the pushing and shoving strangers on the tube to the snobbish Oxbridge-educated crowd to the smattering of random, inconsiderate people that surround me, the British folk in London have done nothing to prove that they are the proper, civilized beings they walk around believing they are.

when i can get through a single WEEK without being pushed around either physically or metaphorically, perhaps i'll amend this view, but for now i must state that the British people living in London are just as much a bunch of poor-mannered animals as any of the so-called "ugly Americans" they love to so publicly hate.

after nine months of trying to live a new, married life in London, my negative feelings about the people of the city haven't eased up one bit -- even with the benefit of a loving English husband.  if i may be extra-catty for a moment, i'd also like to add that the "ladies" of London are the coldest, most unwelcoming bunch of gals i've ever come into contact with.  when i moved here i learned quickly that there's no use trying to make friends with them -- they're 100 times worse than anything you'd find in, say, Hollywood.  in fact, i recall my very first night in L.A. quite vividly:  i heard no less than 10 genuine "welcome to LAs" and probably collected as many new phone numbers.  was life in 1997 really that much friendlier, or is this truly a culture thing?

believe me, Londoners, if i could afford to pack up my husband and house and leave Britain tomorrow, i would. 

please note:  if this blog offends you, stay tuned.  i'm taking my first trip to France in a few weeks and who knows?  maybe the Parisians will make Londoners look like saints.