How to tell you're in an Israeli market

There is an Tel-Aviv equivalent to the immortal 7-11 chain, it is called AM-PM (not the same as AM-PM in th US which is a gas station/convenience store with horrible junk food), it is open 24/7 even on Jewish holidays and I am extremely lucky to live a block away from one, although you can;t really NOT live a block away from one in Tel Aviv as they are as ubiquitous as Starbucks in any major American city.

I walked in the other day to get some Coke Zero and milk (you know, the bare essentials), and realized a very telling difference between Israeli and American shopping.

Let me set the scene: as I walked around the store, got my Coke and my milk, I headed back to the cash register (which had no line) and wanted to place my items on the checkout counter, when lo and behold I realized there was no room to put my stuff on. The reason being that there was a seemingly orphan pile of groceries already on the checkout counter with an AM:PM member card placed on one of the items.

It turns out the items belonged to a man who was still doing his shopping but would get an item and bring it back to the checkout counter and then go out and get the next one.
Why would he do this, I ask you?
was it:
a) there were no little baskets left to carry his things in?
b) he kept thinking he was done shopping but then kept remembering something else?
c) he wanted to solidify his place as first in line even though he was not done shopping, in hopes of saving time and not being the victim of some poor schmuk getting in line before him and checking out with their own groceries, even if he himself had not finished getting his own yet, because then he would be percieved as being a sucker.

My Israeli readers will immediately know the answer to this one.
It is C, of course.
I realize that to an American this would seem like very curious behavior. But to an Israeli reading this I am sure it makes perfect sense.
Thoughts?

A present for Jesus

Did you ever stop to think that when the Second Coming occurs you might want to have a little gift for Jesus? You know, just to shmooze him a little bit in case he thinks you've been a naughty boy.

Well Disney Land has the perfect gift! A personalized Mickey Mouse Keychain just for him:

Cuz I bet even Jesus loves Mickey!!!

The Office V

Have you ever encountered those people who have jars of candy or bowls of chocolate at their desks in their cubicles?
What the hell is up with that?
They're obviously not going to eat all of it, since they would not be able to fit into the chair behind their desk. So one must assume it is meant as some sort of offering for the people around them. One must therefore also question why it is they feel they need to feed the sugar habits and sweet-tooth of their office-mates?
Is it because the were unpopular in high-school/college and attempt to make friends by offering candy? Will no one like them or come talk to them unless they can, at the same time, bite into a Mars bar or a Tootsie Roll?
Is it because they have a sinister hidden plot to make theor colleagues fat so as to feel better about their own lack of positive self image (just for the record, this is why I would do it if I were to do it).
I dunno but it strikes me as unnatural and evil. As it is the cookie jar in the break room is bad enough.

Ugly Car

Just back from a visit to the US for a little work and a little R&R and I have some things to bitch about soon, but first I wanted to share a picture of what I think has got to be the UGLIEST car ever designed. I mean really - who looked at the design for this thing and said "it looks GOOD!!!!"?
It looks like they had two different bluprints for a car and finally decided "oh well let's merge them into one by placing one design on top of the other".
















Serious ugly.