Alvy Moore

            On Monday morning when I went into the bedroom to get my guitar there was another bedbug crawling near the light switch above the head of my bed. I've come across at least three in that area at the same time of day over the last three months. They are always adults and full of blood. Pest control is coming on Wednesday. 

            I memorized the third verse of "Les dessous chics" (Lingerie Chic) by Serge Gainsbourg. I almost nailed down the fourth verse so I should have at least that one in my head on Tuesday. 

            I weighed 84.6 kilos before breakfast. 

            I spent two hours on my English in the World essay although I didn't do much writing on the essay itself. Our previous paper was considered a draft essay towards our final research paper. On our draft essays we used one primary source but the research paper requires six sources. So I copied my draft essay into a new document to use as the infrastructure for the research paper. Then I organized my research notes out of which I will be able to pull five more sources. But I still have to figure out which sources to use and where in my argument I'm going to use them. The essay is officially due in four days but I have nine more grace days on top of that. I would really like to be done with both my essays at the end of this week so I can get on with my holiday. 

            I weighed 85.2 kilos before lunch, which is the heaviest I've been at that time in three weeks. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 84.6 kilos at 16:50, which is the heaviest I've been at that time in two weeks. 

            I've been having a debate with James Forde the bylaw inspector. He is telling me that I should let my landlord come into my place when pest control comes. But the RTA rules clearly state that a landlord needs to have a valid reason to enter a tenant's home. I've looked at the list of valid reasons provided by the RTA but this doesn't fit. A valid reason implies that it is necessary and if it was necessary for the landlord to be there that would imply that it would be a detriment for him not to be there. Since he has never wanted to be there before I would like to know what that negative outcome of him not being there would be. I said that the landlord is perfectly welcome to enter my place to do repairs, like for instance replacing the broken window that he promised to fix twenty years ago. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:30. 

            I worked on my Medieval Literature essay for about two hours and added about half a page to it. I need six pages and I'm a quarter of the way to that. Here's what I added: 

            Near the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur will not partake of the New Years feast until he hears a wondrous tale of adventure that is both marvellous and real. The specific wording of Arthur's wish sets the stage for the arrival in the flesh of the Green Knight, who is the beginning of the fantastic story come to life that Arthur desires. As everyone in Arthur's dining hall can see the Green Knight, he can be thought of as a collective vision drawn from the experiences of the Christmas revelers, but fueled by Arthur's wish. In addition to a tale of wonder, Arthur wanted to hear of battles and so this also dictates that a warrior knight would be the manifestation to make his wish come true. 

            As with the visions of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe in their descriptions of Jesus, the Gawain poet uses a wealth of superlatives to describe the Green Knight. He was the "tallest", the "largest", and the most attractive. This contrasts with Gawain's own self assessment in which he describes himself with the negative superlatives "weakest", "dullest-minded", and the "least loss" if he were to die. As the religious women have visions of Mary and Jesus. Julian sees Mary as the worthiest, and perfect … her pain more than others. She says Jesus suffered more than all people of the past, present, and future and that his love also has no beginning or end.

            I had a small potato with gravy, two chicken wings and two other small chicken pieces while watching the third season premier of The Beverly Hillbillies. As Mr. Drysdale continues to invest Jed's money, the Clampetts find out that Jed now owns a movie studio. They've heard that Monster Studios isn't doing well and so they go down there to help out. At first the guard at the gate tells them to go away because he doesn't believe Jed is the owner. Jane calls the studio head Lawrence Chapman, and he greets them this time to give them a quick tour without wanting them to stick around. They meet the actor Sir Trevor Gielgud Burton Guinness, but they see him made up to look monstrous for his role in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and they think that's what he really looks like. In order to get the Clampetts out of the way Chapman borrows part of a Doris Day Rock Hudson movie to show them. After that Jed still won't leave because he thinks Chapman needs him. Chapman give in and makes Jethro a producer and gives Elly a part in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But when Hyde tries to strangle Elly in the scene, she throws him through a window. 

            Chapman's assistant was played by Alvy Moore, who served in the US Marines and fought in the battle of Iwo Jima. He worked in local theatre, but it took him a long time to get screen acting jobs. He played Ensign Pulver on Broadway. He played Howie on the sitcom Pete and Gladys. He finally became well known as Hank Kimball on Green Acres. He was the producer of one of my favourite films, "A Boy and His Dog." He was married for 47 years until he died. 

            I searched for bedbugs and my toothpick poked one in a small hole in the wall to the left of the old exit door at the head of my bed. It had already broken up after poking it and I couldn't dig it out and so I just ground it into mush in its hole.