popular habits of Russians I find utterly useless

- walking down the street with your cell phone blasting music... the 2009 version of an 80's boombox on the shoulder - with much less of a statement.

- the use of monkeys, hawks, and grey foxes as tourist traps near sites. Who really wants a photograph with that absolutely depressed, skinny monkey in dirty old kids' clothes? Give him a good home, in a zoo if he needs it, where he's not tied to a pole on Nevsky Prospect.

- 4-inch heels for grocery shopping. You really don't look that good when you have veins popping out of your ankles and you can barely put one foot in front of the other.

- DILL on every single plate of food you could imagine. sure, it has good enough flavor, and we don't use it in America much so it's nice as a change of pace... but really, no, I don't want spoonfuls of the stuff. thanks.

- not having change!!!! At most any small store, restaurant, vendor, or any sort of sales environment, don't try to give them a few dollars more than your total - Russians don't believe in keeping change in the drawer, and will give you the nastiest, meanest look in your life if you try to pass them a R500 for something that was 250. Getting a 1000 out of a bankomat (ATM) ruins my day. Where the hell am I supposed to use that??