November 23, 1992: Sometimes I hated myself for being a slob

Thirty years ago today

            On Monday morning I called Marie, and she was still on for Tuesday to see Dracula. I left for work at around 11:00 and brought along the copies of Grubb Magazine that contain my submissions and the responses that Rosemary wanted to read. I worked until 18:00 and had to be at the Ontario College of Art for 19:00 but Rosemary hung around to talk with students and even though she was my ride I didn't feel it was my place to tell her to hurry up. I was fifteen minutes late for David's class for the second time in a row. He'd already called the front desk for another model when I walked in but then he called her back and canceled. It was the first night of a two week pose. I went home, worked on my progressed astrological charts and then went to bed. The place was a mess because I'd dug out the Grubb Magazines in the kitchen. Sometimes I hated myself for being a slob.

Kathy Kersh

            On Monday morning I memorized the fourth and fifth verses of "Con c'est con ces conséquences" (I Can't Stand These Consequences) by Serge Gainsbourg and almost nailed down the last verse. I should have the whole song in my head on Tuesday. 

            I weighed 85.3 kilos before breakfast. 

            At 10:45 I logged onto Zoom for our English in the World class presentation rehearsal. I was in panel one and there were supposed to be six students but there were only four when we started. Matthew only appeared in the chat but then disappeared, so I was just with Rosemary and Ava. Hiro was assigned as MC but since he wasn't there I called shotgun on being master of ceremonies for our group presentation. I was taken by surprise to learn that because we are group-one our presentations are this Wednesday. I thought that I would have time to prepare something special, but this is something I have to record and upload by midnight on Tuesday so I'm really going to have to do it on the fly. 

            We all went over our main ideas. Ava is presenting on "A Language Lost", about the Inuktitut language in Nunavut. Rosemary's presentation is on "The Links Between Language and Identity in Northern Ireland." After that there wasn't much to do so we were done halfway through the class. When I left the breakout room I talked to professor Percy and she said she's confident I'll do something good because I wrote an excellent first essay. 

            I weighed 85.1 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride. It was much warmer than yesterday, so I didn't put on extra layers. 

            I weighed 84.7 kilos at 17:00. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:00. 

            I spent about two hours trying to condense the notes for my Chiac essay into a five-minute presentation. Once that's done I'll still have to put it into a power point presentation with slides and maybe some videos. 

            I had a potato with gravy and three chicken drumsticks while watching season 2, episode 16 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            Granny complains that they have no meat to eat because every edible animal they get is made into a pet by Elly May. Jethro says Mr. Drysdale told him that there's a woman named Beverly Caterers who will deliver food to them any time they don't feel like cooking. They think that Beverly Caterers is a woman and not a business. When Granny tells the woman on the phone she wants baked possum and hog jowls the woman says they are a bunch of nuts. Granny thinks she's offering to send over some nuts with the meat. Granny asks what she can do for her and though we don't hear it the response is apparently rude before the person hangs up. 

            Meanwhile a kangaroo is delivered in a crate to Drysdale's back yard. It turns out that it's from a friend of Milburn playing a practical joke. But the kangaroo gets away and wanders over to the Clampett house where Granny sees it and thinks it's a giant jackrabbit. When Granny tells Jed about it he thinks she's been hitting the jug. When she tries to show him the kangaroo it is gone but it has moved to the front of the house. Just by chance only Granny sees the animal and so Jed becomes increasingly concerned that Granny has been drinking. 

            When Jethro tells Jane about Beverly Caterers she tells him that Drysdale holds the mortgage on their business. Drysdale forces them to deliver food and an apology to the Clampetts. Bill Tinsman is the owner of Beverly Caterers and he drives Marian Billington over to apologize before they deliver the food. Jed is surprised when Bill says that he owns Beverly Caterers because he thinks Bill means the woman is his slave. When Bill and Marian see and hear Granny raving about a giant jackrabbit they think she's nuts and run away. 

            Marian was played by Kathy Kersh, who won the title of Miss Junior Rose Bowl at the age of seventeen. Her first onscreen acting job was a small part on 77 Sunset Strip. She was Miss Rheingold Beer in 1962. She was married to Vince Edwards of Ben Casey fame for four months and had one child with him. Then she married Burt Ward, who played Robin in the Batman TV series and they were together for two years. She met him when she was playing the Joker's girlfriend Cornelia on two episodes of Batman. She released two singles, "Hurts So Bad" and "St. James Infirmary". Her only film role in the 60s was The Americanization of Emily. In the 70s she co-starred in the movie Gemini Affair. She played a super human THRUSH girl in The Man from UNCLE. She gave up acting in the early 70s, went to college, and later became successful in the real estate business. 

            

            

           I searched for bedbugs and found one on the right side of the frame of the old exit door at the foot of my bed. I killed it with my toothpick before I noticed it after poking the little stick into a tiny hole.

November 22, 1992: I watched a collection entitled "Female Misbehaviour" of four short films by Monika Treut: "Bondage", "Annie", "Dr. Paglia", and "Max".

Thirty years ago today

            On Sunday morning I woke up before my daughter and laid in bed for a while, then when I got up, she followed me. I made her oatmeal with coconut, honey, and a little cream; toast with peanut butter; and her bottle. She ate quite a bit. We went for a long walk up to Woodbine and Gerrard, and then back down through the nature trail to home, where I down for her nap. Just after she went to sleep, Nancy's sister Susan called to ask if I was going to bring the baby down to the Eaton Centre. I told her not for the next three hours, and so I had to take her up to her mother's place after she woke up at 18:30. Nancy met me at the bus stop so I could get back on and make it downtown before 22:00 to see the movie about Camille Paglia. It was actually a collection entitled "Female Misbehaviour" of four short films by Monika Treut: "Bondage", "Annie", "Dr. Paglia", and "Max".

Henry Gibson

            On Sunday morning I memorized the chorus and the second and third verses of "Con c'est con ces conséquences" (I Can't Stand These Consequences) by Serge Gainsbourg. That's more than halfway through the song, so maybe I'll have the whole thing nailed down in a couple of days. 

            I weighed 85.2 kilos before breakfast. 

            I worked a bit on my Chiac essay. When an English noun is used in plural form, rather than putting an "s" sound on the end like we would in English, a Chiac speaker will use a French plural article as in "les punk". 

            I weighed 85.2 kilos before lunch. I had saltines with seven-year-old cheddar and a glass of limeade. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride and beforehand I put on an extra layer with a sweatshirt and an old pair of sweat pants. I didn't notice until Bloor and Euclid that I'd worn my Blundies instead of my Blondos. I had planned on wearing the warmer boots but I got so caught up in putting on the extra clothes that I forgot and grabbed the boots I was used to wearing. My feet started feeling slightly cold on the way home but didn't get uncomfortable until I was almost back in Parkdale. I didn't bother to turn my flashers on during my ride because it was a little brighter than yesterday. 

            I weighed 84.8 kilos at 17:15. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:08. 

            I worked on my Chiac essay for about two hours. "Mere" is naturally chosen over "mother" unless calling someone a "mother fucker". 

            I made pizza on a slice of Bavarian sandwich bread with Basilica sauce, a chicken burger sliced lengthwise, and seven-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 2, episode 15 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            Granny has been ignoring the kitchen since discovering that the Christmas gift she'd thought was a washing machine is really a TV set. She has become addicted to the adventures of the cowboy hero Quirt Manly and believes he is the greatest man around. He rides tall in the saddle, can shoot straighter and faster than anyone, and can take on fifty outlaws single handed with just his fists. When Jed watches the show he concludes that Quirt is the type of man that Elly May needs to tame her because she's getting wilder every day. Jed finds out from Jane Hathaway that Quirt Manly lives right there in Beverly Hills and that Milburn Drysdale can arrange for him to come and visit. 

            Quirt Manley drives up in a Cadillac convertible with steer horns on the front and pressing the horn makes the sound of a horse and gunshots. When he gets out of the car we see that he wears extremely high platform boots. Quirt is invited into the parlour to meet Elly May and while he's waiting he takes off his uncomfortable boots. When Granny brings Elly in to meet Quirt and he stands up, Granny runs away in shock because he's not the man she'd thought he was. 

            Later by the pool, when Elly and Quirt are alone, they get along fine. Quirt explains that all of the action and riding on his TV show is done by doubles and they only use him for close-ups of his face. He says his real name is Henry and he got the job because his father is the sponsor. What Quirt really likes to do is write poetry. 

            Meanwhile Quirt lets Jethro wear his cowboy hat and drive his car. As he's driving, the car fills up with beautiful women who keep jumping in because they think he's Quirt Manly. 

            Granny is so disillusioned that she chases Quirt away with her shotgun. That old woman is a psychopath. 

            Quirt Manly was played by Henry Gibson, who was born James Bateman and was a child star on stage. As a young man he was an intelligence officer for the US Air Force. He changed his name to Henry Gibson after Norwegian poet and playwright Henrik Gibson. He appeared several times as a comedic southern poet on Jack Paar's Tonight Show. His first film appearance was as a college student in The Nutty Professor. He became a star when he was cast as a regular on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. His best-known film role was in Robert Altman's Nashville in which he played country singer Havin Hamilton and also wrote the song "For the Sake of the Children" for the movie. For that performance he was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the National Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the voice of Eleroo on the animated series The Wuzzles. His son Charles Gibson won two Oscars for visual effects. 

            I searched for bedbugs and found none.

November 21, 1992: I took my daughter to the Swedish Christmas Fair

Thirty years ago today

            On Saturday I had to go up to Nancy's place to pick up my daughter. Nothing was ready and so I waited an hour and on top of that she didn't want to hang out with me at first. Later she left with me willingly. I took her down to the Swedish Christmas Fair at Harbourfront, and it was pretty boring. But there was lots of traditional dress and dancing and she seemed to enjoy looking at the stage. We headed back to my place, and she fell asleep. Nancy called and said that it would be better for me to keep her overnight. She woke up at around 20:00 and we just stayed inside until around 23:00 when I put her back to bed. I stayed up until 3:00 or 4:00.

Arthur Gould-Porter

            On Saturday morning I memorized the first verse of "J'ai pas d'regret" (I've No Regrets) by Boris Vian and "Con c'est con ces conséquences" (I Can't Stand These Consequences) by Serge Gainsbourg. 

            At around 7:00 a guy with a cherry picker started fixing the roof above my window. 

            I weighed 84.9 kilos before breakfast, which is the lightest I've been in the morning in about a month. 

            In the late morning I went to No Frills where the only choices of grapes were soft red and black ones, or the green kind that no matter how much I wash them they make my hands reek of insecticide. I got a crate of clementines, some bananas, a pack of three chicken legs, a tub of margarine, a box of Earl Grey tea, a small container of skyr, and an extra-large reusable shopping bag. 

            I weighed 85.2 kilos before lunch. I had saltines with seven-year-old cheddar and a glass of limeade. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. I turned my flashers on at Queen and John on my way back. 

            I weighed 84.7 kilos at 17:20. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 17:54. 

            I worked for a couple of hours on my Chiac essay. Often when choosing between a French or English word to use, a Chiac speaker will pick the one with fewer syllables. 

            I made two ground chicken patties and grilled them in the oven. I had the biggest one as a burger on Bavarian sandwich bread with ketchup, maple barbecue sauce, salsa, Dijon and sliced dill pickle. I had it with a beer while watching season 2, episode 14 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            It's Christmas morning and the Clampetts come down the stairs to see that Milburn Drysdale and Jane Hathaway have played Santa Clause. There's a big, beautiful tree with artificial snow that confuses Granny and lots of presents under the tree. Elly received a hair dryer from Jane but she thought it was a rain hat. Both Elly and Jethro get scuba gear, Granny gets a TV set that she thinks is a washing machine, and Jed gets a yacht. Inside the boat is a young chimpanzee in a sailor's suit. Jed and Granny think it's a little foreign sailor but Elly recognizes him as a chimpanzee and names him Skipper.

            Drysdale's strategy is to get Jed hooked on the ocean so he won't think of going back to Tennessee. The Clampetts go looking for a place to sail the boat but the joke is that there is no place to sail in Los Angeles. They see lots of boats on wheels but none in water and they conclude that sailing is done on wheels in California. They could have driven to Santa Monica in half an hour and found a marina. 

            The Clampetts also have presents for Mildred Drysdale. They'd heard she wanted a full-length mink so they got her the largest live mink they could find. But it gets away. Mildred thinks they got her a diamond and she is crawling in the dirt on her hands and knees looking for it. Granny also gives Mildred her special gift pack containing deviled hawk eggs, pickled crow gizzards, possum sausages, candied cat fish, and owl burgers. 

            The Drysdales' butler Ravenswood was played by Arthur Gould-Porter, who was born and raised in Cornwall, England. He moved to the United States in his twenties and began to act in the theatre to good reviews. He appeared on Broadway throughout the 1930s and in the 1940s started acting in films. In the 1950s he began branching into TV work. He appeared in eight episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He had a long and busy career but most of his work was in supporting rather than co-starring roles. 

            I searched for bedbugs and dug one out of the crack at the upper right corner of the old exit door at the head of my bed, where I've found a few before.

November 20, 1992: I told myself that I had to stop using Telepersonals so much because of the big phone bill

Thirty years ago today

            On Friday I worked at the Ontario College of Art all day for the first part of a pretty easy two week pose. I picked up my Board of Education cheque then cashed it and made a payment at Bell Canada. I told myself that I needed to stop using Telepersonals so much because of the big phone bill I ran up. I had to promise the phone company that I'd pay $100 that day and then $75 a week until it was paid off, but I didn't know if I'd have any money next weekend. I bought some imported beer and some barbecued chicken on the way home. I called Carol Gault and ate in her ear while she told me about a film on Camille Paglia that was playing all weekend at the Euclid Theatre. We made a date to go either Saturday or Sunday. I got the place mostly cleaned up for my daughter's next visit and then watched TV.