Come Friendly Bombs, and Fall on Slough

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This morning I woke up and did one last run down from Headington into Oxford, then began the arduous task of packing, throwing stuff out, blah blah. Caught the bus (the "Oxford Tube" - how fun is that?) into the heart of the beast...or, London. I'm now realizing that I'm really spoiled, I walked the length of London too many times, and I've kind of "been there, done that". The Oxford Tube did make a little detour through the far-flung suburb of Slough, which of course some will recognize from the BBC Office series. From the small part that I saw, there is indeed nothing redeeming about Slough, except of course that it's not New Jersey. Slough will always be better than Jersey.

About 2 hours later I hopped off somewhere around Marble Arch and caught the "real" Tube to Kings Cross. The train to Luton is not exactly easy to find (it's in a separate station, ThamesLink or whatever) and this part of London is incredibly sketch. PTL I was getting lost during the day, not at night. Finally, like 30 pounds and 4 hours later, I find myself at Luton waiting for the famed low cost carrier EasyJet to rescue me from London suburbia and back to Glasgow.

Oh, and make sure to click on the picture of the Tube, so you can read my description of Glasgow's subway - good times.

While I sat in Luton, I had the opportunity to sit and reflect a little. It has been just over 3 years since I was last in the UK, and in thinking back to who I was then...wow, I am just amazed at all that's happened between then and now. Jobs, relationships (successful and otherwise), but most of all my sense of purpose and identity in Christ. The last 3 years..I have seen such a move of God in my sense of identity, there is all kinds of direction and confidence that He has grown in me during this time. There is a certain humility that comes with this kind of reflection, and I'm thankful for it.

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Photos

The Tube
I wish I would have remembered to take a pic of Glasgow's subway (The "Clockwork Orange"), so you could compare the two. Glasgow's subway is antiquated, charming, and if busy - positively [i]terrifying[/i]. Just try to take it back from Ibrox after a Rangers match - make sure to stand next to the window (by the way, it's not tall enough to stand fully upright). It's like the old wooden roller coaster at the park that all the kids dare each other to ride. At night, with frenetic football fans. Drink lots of Scotch before attempting. Are you getting all this?