Pillow Fight

            On Wednesday at about 3:30 I woke up because I had to pee and so I decided to turn the light on to see if there were any bedbugs hanging around. I saw one small one on the old exit door behind my pillow and it was walking down the door towards the bed. So far, of the four bedbugs I've found since yesterday morning three of them have all been in the same area around my pillow. I did a search before going to the bathroom but I couldn't find where they are hiding. Since they can't be in the mattress because of the bedbug proof cover I suspect they are in the pillow, which does have holes in it. I decided that later in the day I would try to wash it and put it out back to dry, which would mean I would have to use a different pillow for sleeping until tomorrow. 

            I memorized the eighth verse of "Le java des chaussettes à clous" (The Dance of the Studded Stockings) by Boris Vian. There's just one chorus to learn before I look for the chords. 

            I found four sets of chords for "Manu Manuréva" by Serge Gainsbourg in addition to the chords I'd already worked out for another song with the same melody. I'll decide tomorrow which is best. 

            I weighed 89.2 kilos before breakfast. 

            In the late morning I washed my pillow in the tub in hot water with a little bleach just in case the pillow is the place where the bedbugs are living. I would have cleaned the pillow with my laundry yesterday but I was afraid of it falling apart in the dryer and making a mess. I also threw in the pillow case I'd already washed yesterday and an old black and white woolen floormat. The problem is that parts of the floormat came off and stuck to the pillow case and so I had to spend extra time rinsing it. I put one of my kitchen chairs out into the full sunlight on the roof and hung the pillow to dry. But I went out on the roof in my bare feet and the surface was like hot coals. I put the rest of the items on the railing of the deck. I also swept and vacuumed the bedroom but didn't get around to vacuuming the futon this time. I'll do that tomorrow and maybe I'll fill up some more cracks as well. 

            I weighed 88.9 kilos before lunch. I had the rest of my wheat thins, some rice crackers, five year old cheddar and a glass of raspberry lemonade. 

            I took a siesta using the pillow that I bought at Walmart a couple of years ago but only used once because I found it too high. I had a pleasant nap with no bedbugs bothering me. 

            I took a bike ride to Yonge and Bloor. Riding downtown is also good exercise for the reflexes because of all the vehicles and other cyclists one has to get past and around. I weighed 88.4 kilos when I got back. 

            I went out on the roof to check my pillow but it was still not fully dry. I guess the bleach had not fully been rinsed in the tub because the pillow's dripping during the day left a white stain on the seat of my old wooden chair. 

            I worked on my poem series "My Blood In A Bug." 

            I edited a copy of my "Shock Machine 3" video at the end of the timeline for the main video I'm making for my song "Instructions For Electroshock Therapy." I cut it down to just a few seconds when the ambient light is least and the flashing lights in my Martian Bouquet sculpture are more pronounced. Next time I'll insert the clip into the main video just as I'm singing "Why don't we wait now to warm up the machine?" I may insert it about halfway through the line because the concert video is still in sync with the studio audio up to that point. I'll probably insert it after the line is sung and then gradually file off the end of the line until it looks right. 

            I went back out to check on my pillow. The roof was in shadows so I put the pillow on the railing of the deck where there was still sunlight and brought my chair in. What I'd thought to be a white stain must have been just a wet spot because the chair isn't really discoloured much after all. 

            I colourized three more damage spots on my photo of the skateboarder. There are still quite a few but the biggest ones have already been done and so now they don't take as long. 

            I made pizza on naan with Basilicata sauce, Italian sausage and extra old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching two episodes of Mayberry RFD. 

            In the first story Martha has always wanted to go to Europe and Emmett has promised it to her throughout their marriage. But now some old friends of their's have made it there and Martha is bugging Emmett about it in overdrive, so much so that he gives in just to stop her from asking. Now it comes down to Emmett trying to get to Europe and back without spending very much money. At a travel agency he drives an agent crazy until he gets a deal for $600 that involves flying to London, crossing the channel to go to Paris and then coming home. Martha says they can't just see two cities and so Emmett says the trip is off. Sam talks Emmett into working out some compromises. If she gives up the Greek islands he'll throw in the Rhine cruise and she agrees to that. But when Emmett says he doesn't want to order wine in French restaurants they argue again and he says she can go alone. Later Emmett tells Sam that it's not so much the money as that he's embarrassed to travel to Europe when he's not a cultured person. Sam assures him they love tourists in Europe and so finally they go. When they return Emmett says it was a life changing experience. Martha seems excited about the fact that she go pinched in Rome. 

            In the second story there is an opening for a new elder at the church and Sam recommends Goober. He hasn't missed a Sunday in seven years and he's always the first to volunteer. Howard is reluctant and says it has to be voted on at the next monthly meeting. Right now Goober is in charge of the c hurch collections and always hides the collection at his gas station before taking it to the bank on Monday. But just as Goober is about to hide the money he gets a call from his cousin Elbert who pretends to cough over the phone and says he needs $100. Goober decides to lend Elbert the church money but when he arrives at the address that Elbert has given him it turns out to be a poker game. Suddenly the place is raided and the cops arrest Goober while Elbert escapes. Sam comes to post Goober's bail but when a reporter who is hanging around the police station hears about Goober having taken church money to a poker game he considers it newsworthy. It appears in the paper and Goober is embarrassed. A meeting of the elders is held and Howard questions Goober until he withdraws his name from consideration and storms out. But then Sam gives everybody hell and reminds them that Goober is the most dedicated member of the church. A vote is taken and all are in favour of Goober being an elder. 

            Elbert was played by Patrick Campbell, who played Lester in "Smokey Bites the Dust" and the undertaker in "Cat Ballou." He made guest appearances on several TV shows. He played the announcer on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the crook Louis the Lard on "Halloween With The Addams Family."