Now we are becoming do-gooders!
So, I sent off a cart of whitewash and plaster to the Reverend so he can get his new Mission House in Munz nice and habitable. I'm going there again myself on Saturday to see if I can halp a bit which I certainly will have to, as the Reverend has two left hands, and both of them full of thumbs, if I ever saw anybody having those. At least renovation-wise, I fear. I'll paint the blackboard, then, too, and bring more books. Lajos will come along to help and boss me about because a blackboard needs precision, and talk further plans.
So we got ourselves an actual charitable project now. Only that it's not charity as in "Let's be nice to those poor people", it's more like "I have to help them, or I will burst with pity plus guilt for not helping them when I know about them", and that's a very painful feeling I need to alleviate, and not at all a good and ethical one I am acting on.
I think I will have to repeat that often, or I will get the reputation of a bloody do-gooder.
Because I went yesterday to bring the slates and books to the Reverend for his school in Munz, and had a look at his school and mission house. Well, let's say the roof is sound, and the pipe from the stove to the chimney is probably easy to unblock. I suspect dead owls. Of course I immediately wanted to come again and help with renovations. The Reverend was quite glad for the reasons I have already mentioned, and seems to have forgotten I am really this dangerous vampire he needs to show his turtle pendant to as to drive me away - not that it would, Sacramantan vampires don't fear religious symbols; we have other hangups Otto or Margo would find ridiculous.
And this evening, I went and addressed Margo's League Meeting to get them to help with the book and food drive. Because that is something Margo suggested - it will get children to come to school really easily if the Reverend can offer them a bowl of soup and a piece of bread for lunch. Feeding children isn't all that easy in war-starved, only slowly recovering Borogravia. She says the method has been tried before, and worked every time. Well, I was allowed to sit in the back and surreptitiously plug my ears with my fingers against their atrocious hymns, and draw when they were not singing, until it was time to tell them of my plan. They listened very interestedly, and were all for it, and had very valuable ideas, like Margo with her soup. And they asked for no pledge or anything. I fear they think I am already reformed and really harmless. Who knows what things Margo may have been claiming about me...
In any case, Raimon and Maladict left yesterday morning bearing many things for the Ankh-Morpork end of my business, and some watercolours to print up as cards for the book and food drive. Margo's "Seminary" is almost dispersed now; let there be other things we can dedicate our energy to. Lajos gets me to make him coffee while he makes lists; he can think in lists so things become clear, it is astonishing. My ideas come all jumbled and wild and screeching "Me first, me first, me first", but Lajos can make sense of them and calmly determine which really should go first.
Oriel is right. I think I will burst some more now.
So we got ourselves an actual charitable project now. Only that it's not charity as in "Let's be nice to those poor people", it's more like "I have to help them, or I will burst with pity plus guilt for not helping them when I know about them", and that's a very painful feeling I need to alleviate, and not at all a good and ethical one I am acting on.
I think I will have to repeat that often, or I will get the reputation of a bloody do-gooder.
Because I went yesterday to bring the slates and books to the Reverend for his school in Munz, and had a look at his school and mission house. Well, let's say the roof is sound, and the pipe from the stove to the chimney is probably easy to unblock. I suspect dead owls. Of course I immediately wanted to come again and help with renovations. The Reverend was quite glad for the reasons I have already mentioned, and seems to have forgotten I am really this dangerous vampire he needs to show his turtle pendant to as to drive me away - not that it would, Sacramantan vampires don't fear religious symbols; we have other hangups Otto or Margo would find ridiculous.
And this evening, I went and addressed Margo's League Meeting to get them to help with the book and food drive. Because that is something Margo suggested - it will get children to come to school really easily if the Reverend can offer them a bowl of soup and a piece of bread for lunch. Feeding children isn't all that easy in war-starved, only slowly recovering Borogravia. She says the method has been tried before, and worked every time. Well, I was allowed to sit in the back and surreptitiously plug my ears with my fingers against their atrocious hymns, and draw when they were not singing, until it was time to tell them of my plan. They listened very interestedly, and were all for it, and had very valuable ideas, like Margo with her soup. And they asked for no pledge or anything. I fear they think I am already reformed and really harmless. Who knows what things Margo may have been claiming about me...
In any case, Raimon and Maladict left yesterday morning bearing many things for the Ankh-Morpork end of my business, and some watercolours to print up as cards for the book and food drive. Margo's "Seminary" is almost dispersed now; let there be other things we can dedicate our energy to. Lajos gets me to make him coffee while he makes lists; he can think in lists so things become clear, it is astonishing. My ideas come all jumbled and wild and screeching "Me first, me first, me first", but Lajos can make sense of them and calmly determine which really should go first.
Oriel is right. I think I will burst some more now.