What's with that?

There are some things about this continent that are so different from the US, sometimes I just stop and look at something and think "what the heck is up with that?"

The light switches are in weird places. Usually outside of important rooms. Like the bathroom. I don't get it. I have a younger sister, and let me tell you, she would have been all over that light switch at the worst possible moments. She would wait until I was shaving my legs and then plunge me into darkness. Are European children simply better behaved than we are?

The metric system. This one, I like. Why don't we use it? It just makes so much more sense. Temperature, distance, weight. It's all terribly logical. While I generally approve of one's right to stand out from the crowd, I think in this particular case the US needs to get with the program.

Imported American stores/advertisements. What bothers me about this is the fact that a) so many ads are in English (why?) and b) they perpetuate the really stupid stuff that also bugs me at home. If you're trying to sell clothing, why do you have a picture of a shirtless guy in your posters? I mean, I get that sex sells, but is nudity the only way to be sexy? Abercrombie, I'm looking at you here.

A lot of the time when you go to any kind of sit-down cafe or restaurant, you just walk in and sit down and assume someone will come help you. Of course, they do come, because that's how it works here. But it still seems really strange to me.

Black coffee. Why advertise it and then fail to deliver? I know, when in Rome... And I have stuck mostly to the kind of coffee they do well here. Cappuccino, espresso etc. But being away from home for 2 months now, sometimes I just really want a nice cup of black coffee. And when I see it written on a blackboard an uncontrollable hope wells up in me, only to be crushed by yet another Americano.