My first blog for 2010

I have just completed a month in the US. My first impressions of this country are varied. When people describe US as one of the biggest polluters I was just wondering what was the reason. Now I know. Most people here own large gas guzzling vehicles. Except for offices, universities etc most residential units are happy with incandescent bulbs. I was shocked to find in my bathroom 6 large incandescent bulbs on top of the mirror.

Other than that, groceries are pretty cheap. Here even 1 cent has a value. Contrast that in India where the old 5, 10, 20 and now even 25 paisa are not accepted even though they are legal tender. It has been snowing for the past few days. This was my first experience with snow and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The snow looks nice but it has its downside. Walking is risky as you tend to slip once the snow melts and driving on the road is even more riskier when the snow starts melting due to sunlight and then due to the sudden change in weather it again freezes this time partially giving a glass finish on the roads and making it slippery. That was one of the reasons that has led to a rash of road accidents with some proving to be fatal.