Sneeze

            Of course since I had gone to bed an hour and a half early the night before I woke up that much early on Friday. I stayed in bed for half an hour and got up at 4:00.

            Maybe the cold that started on Tuesday, that was milder on Wednesday and that seemed to be almost gone on Thursday had just been faking its mildness. Or maybe I had subconsciously held the cold back because I didn’t want to miss meeting Brian on Thursday. For whatever reason I woke up on Friday with a full force, coughing and sneezing cold. 

            I finished posting “L’hippopodame” by Serge Gainsbourg on my Christian’s Translations blog and started working on memorizing Gainsbourg’s “Sensuelle et sans suite” (Sensual and Senseless).

            At 8:20 I felt overwhelmingly tired and went to bed. I didn’t wake up until 10:00, which put me too far behind in my normal activities to work on my floor cleaning project.

            I had the rest of my squash, mushroom and fava bean soup for lunch with hot sauce.

            I felt tired again and went back to bed for an hour.

            In the afternoon I did my exercises while listening to Amos and Andy. I skimmed through the Christmas 1947 episode because they seem to have only a slightly varied Christmas script every year about Andy becoming a department store Santa.

            The one I listened to all the way through begins with Sapphire telling Kingfish that they are going to Georgia for two weeks for her sister’s wedding and that Kingfish has to come up with $100 for their train tickets. Kingfish learns that Andy wants to buy a car but that there is a long wait in 1948 for new US made cars. Kingfish talks to Henry who tells him that he went to a January wedding and since there are no rose petals in January to throw at the bride and groom they painted potato chips red. He finds out from Henry that there is less of a wait for foreign made models and so he comes up with a scam to get $100 from Andy. He pretends to have a new job as a car importer and promises to get him a French car in a few days for a down payment of $100. Kingfish finds out from Shorty that he has a friend that built his own car that looks kind of foreign but it doesn’t have an engine. The guy will let Kingfish have it for free if he tows it away. Kingfish takes the label from a cheap bottle of champagne and sticks it on the car so it says, “Made In France. Sparkling Burgundy”. But it also says “Vintage 1934”. Kingfish tells him that means 1934 horsepower. “How can they get 1934 horse power in that little car?” “They use smaller horses!” Andy wants to see the motor but Kingfish explains that the motor is sealed in to protect it from dust. He asks how it can be repaired and Kingfish explains that long armed mechanics reach in and fix the engine through the exhaust pipe. Andy wants to take it for a spin but Kingfish says that French cars don’t run on gas but rather on petrol. There is no petrol in the United States but he’s ordered some for Andy that will arrive when he gets back from Georgia. Andy gives Kingfish the $100. After Kingfish leaves Amos shows up and convinces Andy that he’s just been gypped again by Kingfish. Later Kingfish tells his wife that he’s ready to take the train to Georgia but Sapphire tells him she’s found a cheaper way to travel there. She’s just bought a car but they have to wait a few days for the petrol to arrive from France.

            I had a mailing box that I’d bought a few months ago but I was out of packing tape. I got dressed and went out to the hardware store because although it would be more expensive there it was worth it to avoid the line-up at the Dollarama. I was surprised to see the hardware store closed at 19:30 on a Friday night, especially during Christmas season. I had no choice but to go to the Dollarama. The old security guard looked at me suspiciously as I walked in and maybe it was a coincidence but he seemed to follow me before I went down an aisle. They've moved the area where the hardware items were for years and so I wasted time walking around. The packing tape was $1.25 plus tax. The final price didn’t appear on my side but the cashier held out her hand as if I should have worked out the tax. Finally she said it was $1.40. I gave her the exact change and she didn't even thank me. What a shopping pleasure the Dollarama is! The most pleasure I ever got from Dollarama was when I looked out, saw someone smash the window then grab and get away with a cartful of stuff.

            I packed the things to send to Astrid, addressed and taped up the box.

            I had three potatoes, my last two chicken drumsticks and some gravy for dinner while watching Zorro.

            In this story a British man named Brighton comes to see Varga. Varga is very deferential towards Brighton it seems because he is financially backing his movement to unite California. Varga wants to find out the names of those that vowed to be part of a citizen’s army that would resist his tyrannical uprising. He gets one of Don Alejandro’s trusted servants to deliver a message to the other dons that there would be a meeting at Alejandro’s house that night. All he needs is one to show up and he is certain he can torture the other names from him. Don Diego has overheard this and writes a message of warning to the servant. He trusts Sgt Garcia to deliver it and tells him that the future of California is at stake. But Garcia gets distracted by food and forgets. When Diego discovers this he is very angry with Garcia and tells him to get out of his sight. As Zorro he heads out to intercept the servant but Don Alfredo does not get the message. When he arrives Varga and his man Hernandez try to extract the names from him but he refuses to talk. He is tied up and Varga is about to use a candle on him when Brighton walks in. He had been obviously unaware of Varga’s brutal methods. He protests the treatment of Alfredo but Varga defies him and says he doesn’t need him. Brighton leaves and suddenly the candle goes out. When it is relighted Zorro is there untying Alfredo. Alfredo runs but Hernandez goes after him. Zorro ties up Varga. Hernandez tackles Alfredo and is about to attack him with a scythe when Garcia intervenes. Garcia and Hernandez fight sword to scythe until Garcia moves in and grabs him in his arms to knock him into a wall and stun him. But Hernandez pulls a knife and attacks again. Garcia flips him and he lands on his own knife and dies. Zorro tells Garcia he’s a good man before riding away.

            All through the day I’d had fits of violent sneezing and I sometimes felt like I was going to blow my face off.