Stormy Weather and a Wedding

Last night I went out for a 8 kilometre walk with a friend of the Jesuits. He wanted to start walking so he could lose weight. We started at Jebel Hussein and then walked over to Shmeisani where there are hotels, restaurants, and a shopping arcade. The winds were fierce. They howled and pelted us with sand. At the midway point, he wanted to buy me a hamburger at Burger King. It was his favorite Burger King because it is the largest in Jordan and the most American-like. I haven't been to an American style restaurant except for a Popeye's meal since I've been here. I tried to dissuade him that eating at Burger King defeats the purpose of the walk, but he was much too happy to show me this American restaurant. He wanted to be generous.

The meal was good. It was very clean and hip - for a Burger King. It was in a great area of town, which I'll have to frequent, but I had a Coca Cola Light and stayed awake until 3:00 a.m. My initial goal was to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to watch the New England Patriots, but my schedule was all out of whack because of the caffeine.

Today it is rainy. I think I'll take a mid-morning cat nap. Ten minutes should do it.

I presided at a wedding last night. I really liked this couple and wanted to see them get married. They went through the wedding process right and I was pleased to witness their vows. I cautioned her about being prompt as I had a reconciliation service at another church a couple of jebels away. I cautioned her about traffic. The wedding was to begin at 5:00; the reconciliation service at 6:00. She wanted to hold fast to the time.

She was over half an hour late. It took ten minutes to line up the long list of people in the procession. She spent hours to get herself ready and had spent much time in preparation. The professional wedding organizer was incredibly confused by most things and once the procession began, she left the church. Most of the cultural adaptations the organizer wanted to include were omitted because she wasn't around to oversee them.

I was able to witness the vows. The ceremony took ten minutes. I felt so bad for her because of her hopes for a full wedding as she is a person of faith. She took so much time to get herself prepared. I wish she showed on time. I wrote out a nice homily for them that I had to scrap and all the little details she worked on were omitted. But, they were married in a church and they had a good time.

The reconciliation service went over well. It was a small gathering, but it was nicely done and for those who were present, it seemed meaningful. Another one tonight.

I'm very happy today because it is raining again. Several property owners laid down some manure onto their gardens. Maybe the rain will help it seep into the ground and neutralize the effect upon the olfactory senses.