Arbitrary respect Oct 7, 2011
In Italy I wasn't allowed to take pictures of certain landmarks and works of art, and this caused me some mental anguish.  It's not that I have a problem obeying arbitrary rules; I'm a functioning member of society after all.  It was more that I couldn't understand the reason those arbitrary laws were put in place, i.e. no one benefited from my feigned respect.  In the Sistine Chapel, there were no pictures allowed at all.  This makes sense because people are stupid and don't know how to take indoor pictures without using their flash, and since flash harms painted works of art, it's probably just easier to forbid all picture-taking.  That's fine.  But at a cemetery in Venice, I couldn't understand what was preventing me from snapping a few shots.  Surely the dead people don't care.  And I have enough common decency to not take paparazzi photos of mourners at a funeral.  The only thing preventing me from taking pictures was a silly little sign asking me to not take pictures.  There was no obvious reason.  There was no enforcement.  Nobody benefited.  And I think intent plays an important role in all this.  None of the pictures I took, whether legal or illegal, were done for the purpose of showing disrespect.  If somebody felt disrespected in the process, I kind of feel like that's not my problem. #psychology
Idling parked car (1) Oct 5, 2011
I stopped by the library yesterday, and I parked next to an idling empty car (with open windows).  I've mentioned this before, but there was very little stopping me from stealing this vehicle.  And I thought about doing it just to prove a point -- that there's really no reason to leave your car idling in the parking lot while you enter a building to do something.  You're certainly not saving time, unless your vehicle requires a hand crank to start.  And if you think you're saving gas, think again.  I saw the vehicle's owner come out of the library just as I was entering, and I thought about asking her what ridiculously stupid ideas were going through her head when she made that decision.  But my social anxiety took over and I stared at the ground while walking away nervously. 

Related:  Idling SUVs, Idling planes #travel
Renting liquids Oct 4, 2011
I heard recently that you don't really buy liquids like coffee and beer.  You really just rent them.  They go in, and they go out, and aside from some stimulants and depressants, your body doesn't really get much in return. #food
Italy trip review part 3 Oct 3, 2011
Previously there was part 2, now some commentary on miscellaneous things: 

Public water fountains were located throughout many of the cities, which was awesome.  But there were no public bathrooms, which was not awesome. 

Rome Airport is pretty much nowhere near Rome.  They should probably call it something other than Rome Airport. 

Everybody smokes.  Even on the plane.  The "no smoking" signs were there and everything, but people just disregarded them.  If that happened in America, they would've kicked those people out mid-air. 

You can drink alcohol in public from an open container, which really isn't that big of a deal when you think about it. 

They sell alcohol everywhere, from cafes to pizza places to convenience stores.  But there was very little beer, and none of it came in multi-packs. 

Hotels often had tiny rooms, tiny bathrooms, tiny showers, but 10-12 foot ceilings.  Personally I would've liked 6-foot ceilings and a shower that could fit a normal-sized human being. 

Dogs were well-behaved, didn't bark much, and seemed hardly interested in human affairs.  They were often leashed, but seemed kind of independent. 

There were no screens on any of the windows.  And while the bug problem wasn't as bad as say, Africa, screens aren't exactly a new or expensive technology. 

We used Fodor's Essential Italy guidebook, Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book, and Rick Steve's audio walking tours. #travel