kool-aid and beauty school

Every night at work I make a pitcher of kool-aid with two packages of the mix, more sugar than anyone should consume in a lifetime, and a touch of water. Now it has taken me two weeks to enjoy the taste of this mixture, but it's slowly growing on me. My mom never made me kool-aid as a child, I think it may have been forbidden in our house. Thus, it has taken some constructive criticism from my residents and some encouragement from my coworkers, but I think I've got kool-aid making down to an art.

In other news, I think that a pre-req for my job should have been beauty school. On Thursday I took on some extra duties around the house. DF, perhaps my favorite resident, who is old, blind and cynical had a few doctors appointments and hadn't been shaved in quite a while. Therefore, in an attempt to look nice for the doctors, I busted out the razor and went to town. DF wears a mustache and a "soul patch" below his lower lip. What felt like an hour later I put down the razor and admired my masterpiece. I had successfully shaved a man with a soul patch. Now, while I was shaving DF, LB kept peeking into the bathroom considering whether or not I would be able to take on her eyebrows. She finally came in and said, "Umm...Sta-Sta-Stacey you ever used an eyebrow archer?" Before I knew it my next client was sitting in the bathroom. The eyebrows were a little mor complicated. I would take off a little and then she would look in the mirror for a few minutes and then say, "No, no, you need to make them thinner." Well, I finally finished up and convinced her that she didn't want them any thinner. However, when I got to work this evening she had me do them again.

Back to DF. DF is a joker. He and I get along remarkably well. He enjoys being read to, and he especially likes John Grisham novels. Today I brought him two new books I found that we are hopefully going to start reading this week. On a typical day, he mostly yells at me, then laughs, then tells me to do something ridiculous for him. Today he wanted me to sew the pockets of his pants. I couldn't find a sewing kit anywhere, so he told me, "That's ok, you can just take them home with you and then bring them back tomorrow." He then called up C next door who brought over some thread along with a couple pairs of his pants that needed to be altered. Have I mentioned I don't sew? DF and I are gonna be good buddies.

Tomorrow is Labor Day. And while the rest of my housemates have a nice long weekend, I will be working. At first I was a little disappointed that I had to work this weekend, however, I'm finding that the best parts of my day are while I'm at work. When I'm feeling tired or lonely or homesick, work always seems to make me feel a little better for whatever reason. Tomorrow I'll be working in ('03) which is the house next door to where I am today. In that house DB and L play cards constantly. I'm excited because L keeps telling me all the games he's going to teach me. And DB, well, she's a hoot. She's called me about five times tonight while I've been at the other house and said, "Stacey, I looove you. Stacey, I want to be your friend. I'm comin' over to see you." DB doesn't do anything you ask her to, but it's impossible to be mad at her because she always makes you laugh.

As far as community life goes, we threw a wonderful Labor Day party for all the JVC eas houses. In our cozy little row house on Guilford Ave. we stuffed 60+ people including Jesuits, FJV's (former JVs), a few staff members, and representatives from most of the communities in the east. It was the first big party of the year, and it will definitely be tough to top. Although I went to bed fairly early, I hear that the last of the stragglers wandered into the house at about 2:30 in the morning after seeing a rat scurry across the backyard. And to that I say, "Welcome to Baltimore!" All in all it was a successful party and a lot less stressful than I imagined.

I have so much more I could write about, and I will later in the week.

Peace and love,

SCH