Far Out Girl

            On Wednesday I got caught up on my writing.

            It was a very warm day so I opened the back door again and wore shorts for my bike ride. I usually stop to pee at the Firkin at Woodbine and Danforth but saved some time since I didn’t feel like it this time. I felt the slight twinge of a need to urinate but not enough to bother gratifying. I rode to Dawes Road and Pharmacy Avenue, then back down to Danforth. I did stop at Starbucks to use the washroom on the way back and also to slurp cold water from my hand a few times because my mouth was feeling very dry.

On Queen Street a skateboarder just ahead of me got clipped by the mirror of an SUV that was trying to pass between him and the streetcar. The skater started shouting and trying to catch up with the driver. When I passed him he was angrily rapping. He got ahead of me again because he didn’t stop for the open streetcar doors, but before I got to Bathurst I saw him walking back and carrying his board.

When I got home I went out and bought a can of Creemore for later. I checked the mail on my way back in and there was a letter from the Ontario Ministry of Housing containing the form I need to fill out in order to reapply for the Toronto Housing Allowance. I won’t forget it this year. That money has helped to keep me from being broke since last September.

I cooked pappardelle pasta for dinner but my saucepan had gravy in it so I had to heat the sauce in the oven in a Pyrex loaf pan. I ate the pasta while watching the 11^th and 12^th episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Uniquely, neither story had Dobie mooning over a girl.

The 11^th episode was one of those formulaic birthday stories in which the lead character stays away from home on his birthday because he thinks no one remembered or cared. Meanwhile they are all waiting for him with a surprise party.

A five-year-old Ron Howard was in the story too. Dobie would steal empty pop bottles from his father and get Ron’s character to bring them in for the deposit. He got him to do it with the same six-pack of bottles three times. 

The only really interesting thing about this episode was the introduction of a new character named “Far Out Girl” who is a hard-core Beatnik way beyond Maynard G Krebs. She married rich and so she’s free to be as far out as she wants. She’s shopping at Riff Ryan’s Records and he’s introducing her to stereo headphones, which are blowing her mind. As soon as he puts them on her skull she says, “Like crazy big daddy, give me a sec!” So Riff leaves her alone. Maynard walks in; not realizing Far Out Girl is there and wonders why the store volume is so low. He cranks up the knobs, causing Far Out Girl’s glasses to shatter. She starts walking out of the store. Riff calls after her, “Where you going Far Out Girl?” She answers, “Farther out”.

Ryan kicks out Maynard for chasing away his best customer and complains that Maynard plays his records till they’re so thin they play both sides at once.

Although we’ve never heard of her until this episode, apparently the Far Out Girl is a legend in the Dobie Gillis universe.
            Far Out Girl was played by Janice Carroll.

The 12^th episode was featured Dobie’s grocery store owner father and the hassles that he has to deal with from his family and customers as Christmas approaches. The beginning shows Herbert Gillis in jail and refusing to leave till after Christmas even though he is free to go. There’s one customer that always asks for her groceries to be gift wrapped and claims the items are presents but it’s just a scam to get free wrapping paper. The funniest part was the woman that brought back a turkey that she’d bought in June saying she doesn’t need it now because she will now be having Christmas with the people that were going to have Christmas at her place. She wants her money back. He finally gives in but then she wants her money back at the current, higher price for turkeys and not the price she paid. Finally he uses the turkey to smash the window of his own store and is charged with disturbing the peace. In the end Herbert’s wife and kids bring Christmas dinner to his cell and he’s so touched that he says, “Let’s go home!”

Dobie’s older brother Davey is played by Dwayne Hickman’s actual older brother, Darryl.

That night there was a bunch of loud people drinking in front of my building. There have always been people hanging around but this seems to be a new group that has started to make it a regular thing.