Jessica McFarland

The United States of America is really, really big. Huge. I think that’s why most people never leave. I mean, what’s the point? We’ve got our hands full with our own country, thanks very much.

One can’t really get a feel for how immensely massive the place is until one makes a road trip. As I’ve said before, my family used to drive the 9 hours from Chicago to Nashville on a regular basis. This is child’s play.

Before that, we drove the 13 hours from New Jersey to Chicago when we moved house.

Get ready to see a lot of this.

The true road trip takes days and crosses mountain ranges and time zones and is a truly epic undertaking.
(more…)

This evening’s discussion begins in the shower.

In a rare concession to the even rarer hot British summer days, I was accompanied there by a can of Sainsbury’s Moisture Rich Shave Gel – Wild Berry scented.

I had purchased this particular item because it was ‘good value’ (i.e., cheap), and while it was certainly less offensive than a similarly-flavoured product procured from Northern High Street staple Home Bargains, (which cost about 50p and reeked of something between bubble gum and death), it did have the curious dual aroma of sugar and chalk, neither of which should technically smell like anything at all.

It still reminded me strongly of both, however. This is because the actual smell was that of cherry Pez. Or perhaps strawberry. It’s pink, anyway, and bears little resemblance to anything from a plant, berry or otherwise. In addition to ladies’ shave gel, the smell can also can be found in the toilet air fresheners of certain petrol stations.
(more…)