Jan 3, 1965
Working as a plasterer's assistant is
fine during the summer. I enjoy the destructive introduction and the constructive
conclusion. In fact, it was while working for Mr. Charles that I discovered
that continual destruction can be boring.
We had to knock out the entire living room ceiling of a large
rancher out Riser Road. At first it excited me to ruining the white gypsum,
but that quickly faded.
I really don't mind small jobs that take no brain power,
as long as they are temporary. Eventually I want to work in a science
lab where I can use the science and math I've learned.
This afternoon, while waiting for my father in the living
room, Mom turned off the TV and brought her coffee to the couch by the
front windows. She made me hot chocolate. Then she asked me questions
from the current almanac. It's a little surprising that guessing the 1963
GNP gives me satisfaction.
Never mind all that. It hasn't helped me figure out what
I
must do to keep my future open.
Patapsco, the section of Baltimore where I live, is a
twenty block square of mostly row houses. About ten thousand people live
here. Mostly white, Catholic or Protestant, but with a sizable group of
Jews. And some Negroes who seem to be colonizing the lower Patapsco in their
flight from the inner city. There's also a small few of what Sister George
Mary called "unwashed pagans."
I don't know how to approach my problem directly. I guess my
first step is to save up another twenty dollars to cover the application
fee to another school. It'd be crazy to apply to Hopkins since Ignatius
rejected me. The next closest is the University of Maryland. I'll have to
look through their brochure.
Who am I? That's the classical way to discover one's self.
I'm of medium build with a wiry strength. Not enough to challenge
tough guys, but enough for tasks I'm called to.
My response to things is flavored by a taste for science.
When I was eight, the Haskell started a stepball league
with the other kids in the neighborhood. For hours everyday we would throw
a Pennsy pinkie, the best bouncer at fifty
