Shakespeare Sunday

So today I got up late-ish. Why is it that living so close to your church has the effect of making you lazier about when you get up? I guess it's because I think I have more time than I actually do... Still, I haven't been late yet- I tend to get there on time thanks to the departures of my housemates cueing me in to what time it actually is.

Mass was wonderful as usual, though I admit a few times I got slightly sidetracked... I can't even remember on what now, which just goes to show that it wasn't very important... Argh.

Then I quickly walked back home to borrow WoodSmith's car to pinch-hit at KMelt's babysitting job.

I discovered something important today- I have difficulty dealing with autistic children. Granted I have had zero training, so maybe I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but there were times when I was seriously ready to count the minutes before the parents got home. Dealing with a two year old mind in a six year old body is not easy. There were moments where she'd look at me, focus on me, and look for a moment like she was thinking on her age level- or at least seriously processing something. And those little clear moments were so nice- but so far apart. Watching her take her toys out of their bin and announce what each one was, then at the end put them all back in was also educational. Sometimes she got them wrong, but in a few cases there were genuine grounds for her confusion. She had a baby doll that she kept calling 'bear' and she took it out and put it back several times before I realised she was saying 'bear' because the baby doll was wearing a dress with a bear on it. Likewise she kept calling her stuffed Elmo 'Tubby'. Elmo is the same size and colour as her red Tellytubby doll. It was educational. I also found out that screaming temper-tantrums can hurt. I have four or five bright red scratch marks on my arms from her nails. I just thank God she didn't get a chance to pull my earrings- I wore dangly ones today, like a complete idiot...

Anyway... Her parents are cultivating heroic virtue, if you ask me. I can't imagine dealing with that sort of thing every day. I felt like such a wimp- I have a BA and am 22 years old and I don't know what to do with this small child, other than watch her carefully and make sure she doesn't hurt herself...

Thankfully that was just pinch-hitting. Hopefully I'll nail down a job that does not involve child-care, and soon.

So I got back for Shakespearean Sunday somewhere in Act 2 of King Lear. That was fun. I got to be the Fool again!:D The Fool has some awesome lines! And my strawberry pie was voted a success. I also got a bunch of bicentennial quarters today at the gas station. Any other new news? Well, despite all the effort/thought that went into making the strawberry pie yesterday, I forgot that I did it and bought a dozen doughnuts for the party refreshments. Clever, ne?

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print for tonight.