Su Casa, mi casa

I started at Su Casa this week. I'm going to be there one day a week until Easter, then two days a week. But this week was special, so even though it's still before Easter, I was there two days.

Oh-ho, you're thinking. There she goes compromising her principles.

Well, sue me.

There were two groups in Chicago with the Claretians this week, doing Spring Break Urban Plunge sort of things. John D was leading one of them, and they happened to be at Su Casa the day I'm typically downtown with him, so I just skipped on over to Su Casa. With the spring break group, we spent most of the day cleaning and gardening. Gardening in the snow. flurries.

Then, after the group left, Dan and I worked with the kids, tutoring and playing and what-not. One of the boys went into fits trying to avoid doing homework. It was something else. I went back there yesterday. When he first saw me, his face lit up, but then he remembered he was supposed to glare, and he did. He said, "i'm not going to do my homework, and you can't make me." I said, "I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do." And then he grinned and said, "Actually, I'm going to do my homework today. And I'm not going to be angry about it." And he was perfectly pleasant the rest of the afternoon.

You shouldn't have favorites, but you know I always dig the troubled kids, and I have a feeling he's gonna be a favorite of mine.

I'm very excited about working at this place.

In other news, my stone has arrived. It's one half my body weight in alabaster. I was home when it arrived. The delivery guy had it balanced precariously on the railing outside. I squealed with delight when I saw it, and said, "Thank you so much. I know you hate this package." He laughed and said, "It's not that I hate it. I'm just glad to be rid of it."

He carried it in. I opened it up, but left it on the living room floor for my roommates to marvel at. Britton said, "What's up with the rock on the floor?" He hadn't connected its appearance to my recent preparations for stone carving.

I carried the stone downstairs to my banker later that night, and was pleased (and surprised) that I was able to do so. Now I stare at it, and try to make out what I'm going to carve it into. I have this great love for the stone already-- like I've already spent a year carving it into something, like it's already my first masterpiece (because I plan on having dozens of masterpieces, not the standard one).

Anyway, things is good.