Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Today has been a very long day for me. The title is a song by Jack Johnson. I thought it was appropriate for my mood today: sitting, waiting, wishing (it was time to go to Scotland...)

Instead of having Senior Sem today, we met with a member of the House of Lords (equivalent to meeting up with a Senator, its a big deal) named David Alton. He was a really nice guy. He talked, a lot, which is fine because that's basically his job so I don't blame him or anything. A bunch of people were leaving straight from this meeting (it was at Parliament) to go to the airport and catch a plane to Ireland. All of these people were restless. I was too. I wanted to get out on time so I could leave and go to 12:30 mass. There was a mass at 7:30 pm also but I wanted to go to the 12:30. Anyway, David talked about human rights. He put it in a greater context though. Not just human rights for the millions (yes, millions) dying in Africa but also for embryos who are being tested on and aborted babies and people being euthanised. As he put it, "Protect people from the womb to the tomb". So it was an interesting talk. He talked about how in the US people are being integrated into the society pretty well and stuff. I brought up the wall being built on the Southern border as a little realism. He just said that the wall should not be built and we should build bridges instead, allowing people to enter legally. He said that people entering the country illegally are never fully integrated into the society, have trouble finding jobs, get exploited, etc. Something to ponder anyway. He definitely had a message of helping people who need help, no matter where they are.

After the meeting, I went to church with Rachelle for Ash Wednesday. It was a quick mass with no singing. It reminded me of some masses with Father Stillmock back home (Stillmock did have singing however). After mass, I ran a few errands (got AAA batteries, cash, more disposable cameras, etc.) to prepare for Edinburgh. I am very excited about going. So much so, that I didn't know what to do with myself this afternoon/evening. It was kind of annoying. I was like this before I left for London too. I just wanted to go. It's not that I don't like being here (or didn't like being home), it's just that once I knew that I am going and that everything is set, I want to move. I feel stagnant or something. Like a floating branch caught in a slow part of a river. Oh well, I am going to leave soon enough. The obvious sites to visit in Edinburgh are the castle and the Royal Mile. I also want to go to the waterfront. There are a ton of museums as well.

There is a computer at the hostel so be prepared for a post or two while I am up there. There will be a full recap when I get back however maybe not until Monday. Other than that, I guess I hope everyone has a good end of the week/weekend!

Adios!