Minstrels

            On Sunday morning I finished working out the chords to "Variations sur Marilou" by Serge Gainsbourg and ran through it once in French. However I need to re-approach my translation because there are some internal rhymes and subtleties of meaning that I initially missed.

            Around midday I washed the third shelf in the southwest corner of my bedroom and the cups and bowls holding the pencils, markers, erasers and other items that sit on it. One more shelf to go and then I’ll have to think about sanding and painting the bedroom door that used to be an alternative exit from my apartment.

            While I was working there was a wicked thunderstorm.

            I had a cheddar and lettuce sandwich for lunch.

            In the afternoon I did my exercises while listening to Amos and Andy. This story was pretty much copied from an earlier episode. Kingfish’s rich uncle is coming to town and so Kingfish is in a panic because he’s always told Uncle Gregory that he was a paediatrician. He did this because after he and Sapphire got married he got Gregory to send him money by telling him he needed to pay tuition in medical school. While Andy is babysitting the infant of some friends Kingfish gets Andy to pretend that he’s called him for a house call because the baby is sick. Kingfish brings Uncle Gregory along but the baby seems in perfect health and is laughing. Kingfish takes the kid’s temperature and Gregory says, “Watch out that he doesn’t swallow the thermometer!” Kingfish says it’s okay because he has another one in the office. Kingfish says the child’s laughing means that he’s seriously sick. Afterwards Gregory says that he had thought that Kingfish was in financial trouble but seeing how successful he is he knows he doesn’t need to help him out. Kingfish has to scam his uncle now into thinking he’s going bankrupt. He uses an empty vacant office and invites his uncle there, saying that everything has been repossessed. Gregory says he will help him out but what he does is pays the rent on the office space for the next five years.

            I finished looking at all the video recordings of my song “One Hundred Hookers”. There are a couple of versions that are pretty good. It’s funny how the day after my haircut I played every song well.

            I edited some photos of my daughter Astrid from the winter I think of 94 and posted them in a Facebook album.

            I made pizza on a slice of Bavarian sandwich bread and had it for dinner with a beer while watching The Adventures of Robin Hood.

            In the first story Marian’s cousin Edwin comes to visit after ten years in France. She had last seen him at the age of six but now he is contemptuous vulgar England. Marian goes to tell Robin about her problems with Edwin but it turns out that he secretly followed her there. Robin tries to befriend Edwin and asks him to give his word as a gentleman that he will not try to escape. Edwin gives his word but that night he does escape. He is recaptured while on his way to disclose the location of the outlaw camp to the sheriff. Edwin declares that a promise is between gentlemen and it means nothing to keep one’s word to outlaws. Since they can’t keep the boy there forever and since they can’t kill him, letting Edwin go would endanger all of their lives were he to turn them in. Robin tells Edwin that he will allow him to take him to the sheriff if he will promise to not tell the sheriff where their camp is or divulge Marian’s involvement. Edwin agrees and so they head for Nottingham but on the edge of the forest they encounter the sheriff’s men. Edwin warns Robin and gives him his sword. The soldiers are defeated and after that Edwin no longer wants to turn Robin in.

            In the second story a minstrel named Roland who sings ballads in praise of King Richard has just been visiting Robin’s camp where he spontaneously wrote a song critical of the sheriff of Nottingham. Afterwards Roland goes to Nottingham where he is immediately arrested for being a stranger. Prince John is coming to visit and so the sheriff is taking no chances that subversive elements will be allowed to roam free during the prince’s stay. The prince is coming with the ambassador of Aragon, a state with which he hopes to form an alliance against King Richard. Robin wants to sabotage this alliance by having Tuck go into town and teach the people Roland’s song about the sheriff. The result is that it becomes a hit and everyone is singing it. But when the sheriff catches he soldiers singing it he passes a law that all singing will be forbidden during John’s visit on the threat of imprisonment. Prince John and the ambassador arrive and when the sheriff forces the people to cheer the ambassador is impressed by the love the population has for the prince. Meanwhile Robin and his men are brought into town inside of empty ale barrels in a wagon driven by Tuck. They break Roland out of jail and when the people begin singing his song in praise of Richard the ambassador of Aragon realizes that an alliance with Prince John would not have the support of the English.