is this even possible?

We were discussing discursive essays. I want them to write about something that matters to them. Well, maybe I'm too lazy to come up with a range of titles and got them to do it for me. No, I refuse the guilt - it's their job to come up with the ideas and that's what they were doing.

Anyway as I was making my way round the classroom in a surreptitious manner (well, as surreptitiously as someone 6'5" tall can be) I observed their progress. They were doing pretty well. There were some imaginative topics along with the old chestnuts. But as I was skulking about I was struck motionless by a comment from a sixteen year old girl who I've come to admire for her ability to come out with randomimity. She and a partner were discussing the evils of the Internet,

I love YouTube. I would completely marry it. If YouTube were human I would marry it. Do you have to marry a human? Can you marry non humans? Is that even possible do you think? We should look into that.

I asked her what she meant but I'm afraid to say that my mind went off into its own little world as she replied. I had images of the ceremony joining human and web site in a lifelong partnership. The bride dressed in a beatiful white A line gown with a halter neck, the groom clad in badly shot cell mobile phone footage of young men performing jackass stunts. I pictured the speeches - they were a little disappointing as quality had to be reduced to fit space. And the happy couple's first dance as husband and wife - mesmorising and romantic; except for the fact that the dancing and the music were just that little bit out of synch. At least the wedding video took care of itself.

All of this took place in my mind during the time I should have been listening intently to what she had to say. I immediately felt bad that I hadn't given her the attention she deserved - from experience I would guess that her explaination would have been even more bizarre than my daydream.

driving and talking

I was out for a drive today and saw a hitchhiker outside the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. She was headed for Belfast but I wasn’t planning on going any further than Ballymoney – Still she reckoned every little helps and got in.

Almost immediately we began one of the best conversations I’ve had in months. It just seemed to move seamlessly from topic to topic with hardly a break for her to take a bite of her sandwich or for me to check my dangerously low diesel level.

It turns out she’s from the Yukon, had been wondering what to do, decided to hitchhike her way round Ireland – like you do if you’ve got a spare moment in the Yukon. We discussed people, differences in people, similarities in people, relationships between people, people and their food, people and their jobs, people looking out for other people and people and religion.

It turns out she’s an evangelical Christian. Despite being here for months she claims she only met her first evangelical Christian in that past few days. I found that really hard to believe but was more than happy to take her word for it.

It turns out she finds all the different versions of Presbyterianism confusing – this gave me the opportunity to try out my short explanation of the various Ps. Now anyone who has listened to my explanation of the various Ps will know that the 7 miles between Coleraine and Ballymoney isn’t going to cover it – not by a long shot. And by the time I’d finished and she’d returned the favour by explaining the various Canadian denominations we were well on our way to Antrim.

I can honestly say I had an absolute ball and Elizabeth, despite the fact that I ran out of diesel on the ride home, I look forward to talking to you again sometime… highly unlikely but I look forward to it anyway.