So today it was really hard to wake up. we had all kinds of Parfaits and biscuits for breakfast, then after worship we heard this guy speak who seemeed to know all these things about the Masons and their history and all that, and the spiritual implications. Pretty interesting, i must say.

Off we went to the Bronx, to this mission called the Love Kitchen - we basically acted as busboys, waiters, seaters, and order-takers for the whole 2-and-a-half hour operation, where we served turkey and noodles and bread to the people. There was the not-so-well-off family of four tots and a mother, the elderly couple, or elderly singles, or actually...

Lemme start again. There were all types of poor people, that came and got a free meal. All types of family, all races, all ages. All of them got served the same, with good resteraunt-style service. I dunno why that strikes me, but something strikes me. Maybe the kindness on both sides, the gratitude + pleaseure. I didn't really want lunch to end. Oh, they were such characters too.

Today is also Dr. Seuss' hundredth birthday. There was a kids' celebration that Love Kitchen hosted later that day, and we prepared a skit.

Away in a faraway land lived a little boy named Wobbet. No matter HOW hard he tried, he couldn't fit in. Nobody seemed to like Wobbet. He was pretty lonely. One day the Sneeches came, a whole bunch of them, with their leader, Nemanja. Nemanja was like, "Wobbet, can't you dance? You're not cool if you don't dance like this:" Nemanja and his Sneeches proceeded to break it down and kick it one time, jeering at Wobbet, pushing him over, taunting him, and beating him up. Wobbet was soon alone. Wobbet had one good friend, little Cindy Lou. When Cindy asked what was the matter, Wobbet kicked a pebble and cried, "Aw Cindy, i'm just not as cool as the Sneeches." Cindy replied, "Wobbet, it doesn't matter if you can't dance the way they do, you can dance the way you want to." Wobbet was really unsure of all this, and he said goodbye to Cindy and went on his way. The Snatches were romping down the road at that moment, eyes fixed on Wobbet, led by their head man Boom-boom. They stopped, trapping Wobbet, and timidly Wobbet showed the guys his dance. "Hey guys, i can dance too! See, i'm cool, right?" But his dance was like the Sneeches and not like the Snatches. Boom-boom stepped up. "Yo! Boom-boom doesn't LIKE your dance. Boom-boom dances like THIS!" And he and the Snatches proceeded to cut a rug and get down tonight. They also taunted Wobbet, jeered and sneered, threw him down and beat him up. Cindy Lou found him on the ground, dissheveled and alone. "Cindy, I can't dance like the Sneeches, and i can'd dance like the Snatches. I'm just not cool, no matter what i do." Cindy spoke out, "Wobbet, don't try to please people. God loves you no matter WHAT you can do! Do your own dance!" Cindy walked away, and Wobbet thought about that. One day the Sneeches and the Snatches had a dance-off. Nemanja was gettin' jiggy with it, and Boom-boom was all over that dance floor. Wobbet steped into the light and took centerstage. He began to loosen up. He took a simple step, and proceeded to tear that hotel down. The Sneeches were bewildered. The Snatches were befuddled. It was Wobbet dancing, and they had to admit, his dance was cool, in its own way. He kept dancing, and others joined in, with their own steps. Some Sneeches jammed, some Snatches jumped, jived and wailed. They all danced, and Wobbet did his own thing, and didn't worry. And the Sneeches respected that, and the Snatches were in awe: here was a child of God that He loved no matter what he did.

director and genius: Jesse

short story adaptation: yours truly

It's kinda hard to relate to those kids though... and they were good at chess and checkers but... i'm better one-on-one, and they were always grouping up like they do... but... still even... they and us... i dunno if we clicked, like we and the kids last year in Camden did. So i mean it was fun, but hmm. We served. I dunno what i think.

The dude that ran the Love kitchen, Jose, the big Latino guy, outgoing and friendly, he was cool. He knew how to run an operation. We very quickly all had our jobs, and we were able to run the thing like a machine! Then as if we weren't impressed by that, he came up to us and *bam* we had another job - come up with a skit to present to the kids, it's Dr Seuss' birthday. Oh and by the way you have 20 minutes. I mean this guy was a machine! And he was the man. But he had nerve. Only he, if anybody, would pick up the mike after Robbe and Jesse gave their testimonies, and say to the dining crowd, "You may think you're the man. But let me tell you that only God is the man!" :D

What he mentioned, was amazing. In his years running the love kitchen, we are the first group he's had (and he's had a lot) that was all guys. That made it all worth while (not that it wasn't already.)

We ate Columbian that night on Corona Avenue in Corona, Queens. The waitress spoke no English, so i taught the guys little words like "gustaria" and "uno mas". The food was pretty darn good. Those Columbian peoples, they know how to do food right. Mm, mmm.

Dave Van Fleet's kid, Josiah, has a malignant tumor around - and in - his brainstem. He's got two weeks to live as of Tuesday. And yeah. Dave's home from the hospital, now. So yeah. I set up breakfast tomorrow. I have to get a shower. Debrieging took far too long. Ciao.