Jessica McFarland

I have escaped London for Somerset (see figure 1). As I write this, I can feel the stress of living in the capital letting go and drifting away through the open window. Good riddance.

So today I’m going to write about something nice. I feel I need it. For the past several days, every time I look at the news it seems there is some new and previously unimaginable horror in the world. I continue to be, well, frankly impressed at how awful we can make life for ourselves and for each other.

So I’m taking a stand against it. The revolution starts here:

Right now, it is late May, and therefore, early summer. Contrary to all my previous experience of this country, it is pleasantly warm today. There are quite a few clouds, sure, but the air is still bright. There is a gentle breeze blowing. The trees are in full leaf, and they are swaying gently to it, as if it is a song they love but haven’t heard for a very long time. (more…)

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thine mp3 player shalt surely be incompatible, and thy printer shall lose functionality.” (Genesis 2:17, King Jobs Version)

The ipad hit Britain yesterday, in a flurry of wall-sized ads at Underground stations and a wave of general lust. This seems like as good an excuse as any to weigh in on the minor religion that is Apple.
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There are those who would consider the London Underground to be a kind of hell; certainly it is hot, crowded, and inevitable.

But I’ve just this week been awarded a fully-functioning line in the form of New Cross Gate station and the newly-opened East London branch of London Overground. It’s not precisely the Underground, but it does connect seamlessly to the Jubilee Line, as well as going under the ground (and under the water). It’s on the new maps and everything. Six of one, half a dozen of the other: I’m satisfied.

And to celebrate, I’ve decided to make a list of ten things that don’t suck about the London Underground:
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This evening, I couldn’t get inspired. I stared at the blank TextEdit window, and nothing came. Words, music, ideas-all eluded me. All the meaning and glory of the universe drifted aimlessly through the air, past me, on its way to a trendier post code. So I…

…started cleaning. I didn’t want to. I had been putting it off for days. But I put on my 80s playlist and went to it. I vacuumed the hair (I shed like a cat) and grit off of the hardwood floors. I ironed my skirts (I can do this without mishap now). I put the bath mats in the laundry. I put my Oyster card and house keys next to the door to avoid morning panic. (more…)

Summer is approaching; the days are getting longer.

When I was younger, in Illinois, this was sort of background to the main event, which was that the days were getting hotter. Much hotter. (I would go so far as to say, too hot, if there is such a thing.)

Yes, there was a big difference in the amount of sun in the evenings, once we made the switch to Daylight Savings Time, but other than that, the increasing length of the days was something to be casually noticed.

Not like here, in Britain. (more…)