Sophie

Sophie and I have each proposed a few things for getting together and each declined a few times. She invited me on a hike tonight with her Danish friend and I said yes. Too many declines and I worry we won’t keep at it. A four-hour hike from Ormeau Avenue to Giant’s Ring and back did not fit into my schedule all that well. I didn’t really have the time or the energy, given all else I’m doing at the moment. But I went.
It was interesting. They are both half-heartedly trying to date, so that was the topic for a mile or two. All three of us have sisters we don’t get along with. That took care of a few miles. And Sophie and I each tried to explain to the Danish woman (whose name I don’t recall) the education system in a sectarian country like ours. She’s somehow working on two research papers at Queen’s. One on urban planning that encourages pedestrian traffic--a well-trod subject. Another on how integrated education is playing out in Northern Ireland--there’s only a minority of schools that are designated as neither Catholic nor Protestant. One of Sophie’s co-workers sent her Catholic kids to a Protestant school because they live in a majority Protestant community and she thought that would help them succeed. So the researcher wants to talk to her.
We parted by saying we all want to get together for drinks soon.

While I was cognisant of all I SHOULD be doing, I was also aware that it was a gorgeous night and I’m glad I spent it outside.
5-22