I worked out the chords for the first verse and the first two lines of the second verse of “Ophélie” (Ophelia) by Serge Gainsbourg.
I felt something on my shoulder and out of the corner of my eye I thought it was a bedbug so I automatically slapped it but it was a ladybug that I killed. It had been on top of a mole on my shoulder that is about the same shape as a ladybug so maybe it was trying to mate with it.
I played my Martin acoustic guitar during song practice for the last of four sessions.
I weighed 88 kilos before breakfast, which is the heaviest I’ve been in the morning since October 7.
I got an email from Richard Olafson confirming that December 1 at 16:00, at The Supermarket in Kensington Market is the time of my book launch. He sent me the poster for the event but it didn’t have me or my book on it at all. I told him there is no point me promoting the event with the poster if my name isn’t on it. He got back to me later and apologized, saying it was an oversight and he’d even forgotten to put his own wife’s name on the poster. He said he’d fix it later today.
I weighed 87.95 kilos before lunch. I had Breton crackers with cream cheese and a glass of low sugar iced tea.
In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back.
I weighed 87.35 kilos at 18:00.
Richard Olafson sent me a revised version of the poster that included an image of my book, but didn’t include my name and book on the list of authors. The image of the book is too small for anybody to be able to see my name and the title very well. I told him again that I can’t use the poster to promote my launch if I’m not even listed.
I was caught up on my journal at 19:30.
Richard got back to me with a revised poster that has my name on it. He suggested that he has ADHD.
In Paint I worked on my rainbow ripple wave image. I added different images of rainbows that I’d set at the same angle and made it look like they are part of a rippling wave. I still have a few more to add.
I made pizza on a slice of multigrain sandwich bread with Basilica sauce, a sliced hot Italian sausage and five-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 2, episodes 27 and 28 of Branded.
In the first story McCord meets the stagecoach of Senor Ramirez when it arrives in Los Angeles. McCord has been hired to survey the new Mexican railroad. Mr. Hartley is building the railroad and insists on McCord having control of the $25,000 that will be taken to Mexico. Meanwhile thieves are committing robberies and leaving behind a large painted letter M as the mark of Murietta. The real Murietta was known as the Robin Hood of the west and the fictional character of Zorro was based on him. The thieves are a small gang of four teenagers led by Juan Molinera. But they sell the things they steal to a disreputable shopkeeper named Vega who claims to have known the real Murietta. Vega takes advantage of the naivety of the teenagers and underpays them for the items they steal. Later Juan’s mother Antonia confronts Vega and says she knows he never rode with Murietta. In Ramirez’s hotel room McCord and Hartley are meeting with him. Rosita, who is part of the gang, works in the hotel as a maid and is listening at the door. The next day as McCord is transporting the money the three young men attack and Juan steals the briefcase. Ramirez successfully kills Pablo. Juan gets away and Luis goes to Vega with some of the gold to buy supplies and horses. But when Vega learns where Juan has gone he knifes Luis. McCord finds that Rosita is involved and gets her to help get the gold back. She takes him to Antonia then she finds Luis still alive at Vega’s and he tells them Juan is at Murietta’s old hideout. Antonia knows the place and takes McCord there. Vega comes to the hideout and Juan still trusts him. He shows him the gold but Vega pulls a gun. Juan tries to get away but Vega shoots him and takes the gold. McCord and Antonia arrive and Vega fires at them. McCord kills Vega. Antonia finds Juan still alive but he dies in her arms. She tells McCord what she never told her son. That Murietta was his father.
Antonia was played by Dolores Del Rio, who came from an aristocratic family in Durango. She and her husband became friends with Hollywood director Edwin Carewe who encouraged Dolores to go to the States. Her film debut was in Joanna in 1925. She co-starred in High Steppers, Pals First, Journey into Fear, The Trail of ’98, and The Devil’s Playground. She starred in Resurrection, Ramona, Bird of Paradise, Flying Down to Rio, Madame Du Barry, The Loves of Carmen, No Other Woman, The Red Dance, Girl of the Rio, In Caliente, I Live for Love, and Widow from Monte Carlo. She had an affair with Orson Welles who said she was the most exciting woman in the world. He said the same thing about Eartha Kitt but it’s an understandable toss-up. She returned to Mexico in 1942. She starred in Wild Flower at the age of 37 and became the biggest movie star in Mexico. She starred in Maria Candelaria, Las Abandondas, Bugambilia, Evangeline, Dona Perfecta, El Nini Y la Niebla, The Bad One, Lancer Spy, International Settlement, La Selva de Fuego, La Otra, The Fugitive, La Malquerida, and Senora Ama. She co-starred in The Children of Sanchez, The Man from Dakota, La Cucaracha, and More Than a Miracle. Vincent Price promised her on her deathbed that he would keep her name alive and so sometimes when asked for his autograph he’d sign her name. Marlene Dietrich said Dolores del Rio was the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. She was called the female Rudolph Valentino. She pioneered the two piece swimsuit.
The second story is the first of a two part tale. McCord is summoned to Washington because his father is gravely ill but he turns out to be fine. It was all part of a ruse to get him there where President Grant is waiting to give him another mission. He says someone is planning to assassinate him. The senate and the House of representatives are opposed to Grant’s recognition of the Cuban revolutionists. Another group that opposes him are those that want the gold in the Black Hills while Grant wants to maintain the Black Hills as Sioux territory. James Swaney and Lou Carlyle are the leaders obsessed with getting at the gold in the Black Hills. Grant wants McCord to weave himself into their confidence and get them to hire him as a surveyor. Grant advises McCord to speak out against the president so as to get into their favour. McCord goes to see his fiancé Laurette and they kiss passionately. But then she reveals that she’s married. After three years she couldn’t wait any longer for McCord to stop wandering so she married Senator Keith Ashley. McCord mentions Swaney and she says he’s a very good friend of Keith’s. McCord stays for dinner and meets their houseguests Dr. Felix Cueverra and his sister Socorro. That night McCord accompanies Keith to meet Swaney and some others opposed to Grant. They go to a boarding house bar where former president Andrew Johnson is also present. Keith introduces McCord to Swaney and Carlyle. Swaney offers McCord the job of surveyor in the Black Hills. Another man named Randall reveals that McCord is the coward of Bitter Creek. He attacks McCord but McCord knocks him down twice. Swaney says the job is still his if he wants it. He also says cryptically that Grant won’t be around much longer. McCord reports to Grant at his grandfather’s house. Grant offers to drop McCord off at his boarding house in his carriage but as they leave Grant is attacked by assassins. He and McCord fight them off but Grant’s driver is killed.
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