24th Feb. Yesterday's weather was yet in another string of mild, sunny days. People were walking around in light jackets and coats; even saw one convertible with its roof down zipping along Miklabraut, the 4 lane motorway not far from the post.

On several occasions I've spoken about the Bonus supermarkets which many Icelanders use, often the butt of jokes. They have signs plastered everywhere, "ekkert bruðl" or "no extravagance." Certainly true and welcomed in this expensive-to-live country. They carry a lot of Europshopper items, a relatively new company which mass produces all sorts of foods: frozen, canned and other things such as toilet paper. The quality seems okay and certainly cheaper than name brands. Yesterday a co-worker and I were talking about this company, and quipped that soon we'll be walking around in Euroclothes driving Eurocars and living in prefab Eurohouses. Maybe he's not far from the mark. I've tried one frozen Europizza: never again!

People here follow American politics quite closely...not just the Iraq debacle but the pre-pre presidential campaign. From what I've gathered, a lot of folks favor Barak Obahma (did I spell the correctly?). Also found out recently that "Desperate Housewives" is extremely popular.