Katherine Victor

            On Friday morning I published my version of "Oh Canada" on my blog and posted it on Facebook: 

Oh Canada 

Oh Canada our home eternally

ever glorious jewel of geography

Because your arm can wield a sword

but also preserve life 

your future is history’s reward 

shining like the northern lights 

Your values charged with all honour 

forever guard our homes and human rights 

Forever guard our homes and human rights 

Our patriot joy will flow from coast to coast 

replenishing all Canadians' hopes 

They are the best of humanity 

and their children are blessed 

to possess this northern destiny 

of the world’s treasure chest 

overflowing with opportunity

guard our banner of pride eternally 

Guard our banner of pride eternally 

Our ancestors although they may have gone 

pass down the fire that we shall carry on 

to be enemies of tyranny 

but full of loyalty 

so we can live in harmony 

with pride and liberty 

and by your will of ingenuity 

plant in our soil the seeds of verity 

plant in our soil the seeds of verity 

The sacred love of country and people 

fills your children's hearts with a breath immortal 

For every other land you are the standard of 

progress and stamina 

all of your nations defend as one 

your freedom formula 

and sing with joy across the land we love 

the song of pride for our dear Canada 

The song of pride for our dear Canada 

            I memorized the first verse of "J'ai des locataires" (I Am a Landlord). Each verse lists different features of the rooms being rented and at the end names a different insect pest that infests them. 

            I weighed 89.2 kilos before breakfast. 

            In the late morning after shaving and showering there wasn't much time for any projects. 

           I glued the handle back on a mug that broke years ago. I have one more mug to fix but on that one the handle is broken in four places. 

            I weighed 88.4 kilos before lunch.

            In the early afternoon I got a notice about booking my covid shot. I had to fill out a more detailed form and then I picked the very first appointment that was available, which was Monday, June 7 at 12:15. I think I'm going to feel like shishkebob for lunch that day. 

            I took a bike ride to Yonge and Bloor. On Yonge Street some heavily made up and perhaps surgically enhanced feminine type people wearing tight and skimpy clothing were bouncing up and down and hooting enthusiastically while holding signs to advertise something. Perhaps the Zanzibar strip club is reopening. 

            I weighed 88.6 kilos after my bike ride. 

            I worked on my poem series "My Blood in a Bug." 

            I deleted segments of video 16 of the animated electrical cords from my music video of "Instructions for Electroshock Therapy" to make their movements look choppy up to the point where I start playing Am G Am over and over again leading up to the vocal. I cut the rest of video 16 and stuck it at the end of the timeline to harvest segments from later if I need them. The Am G Am part is something that I think I can synchronize with the studio audio and so I'll work on that next. Between each moment of me playing Am G Am I'll re-insert sections of video 16. 

            I colourized some more of the brick wall behind the skateboarder in my black and white photo. The delicate work around the skateboard wheels is finished and so it'll be a lot easier from here on out. 

            I worked on editing a picture of me in costume from Halloween of 1987. 

            I had a potato with gravy and three pork ribs for dinner while watching two episodes of Andy Griffith. 

            In the first story the Mayberry Civic Improvement Committee has raised $1200 and they have to vote on what to spend it on. Howard suggests a statue to commemorate the person who made Mayberry the fine community it is. Everyone but Floyd thinks the statue should be of Andy and Bee's ancestor, Seth Taylor, who built the first sawmill, donated land and loaned money to the city. Floyd thinks that his ancestor, Maybaery's first Indian agent, who built the trading post that grew into Mayberry would be a better choice. But Floyd is outvoted and a statue to Seth Taylor is commissioned. But between the completion of the statue and the unveiling Andy and Bee learn that Seth Taylor was actually a swindler who got rich from selling land based on a promise that the railroad would be coming through Mayberry, but then arranged for it to go to Mount Pilot instead. While giving her speech at the unveiling Bee breaks down and can't continue. Andy calls a meeting and the officials learn the truth about Seth Taylor. But then they all conclude that Taylor's crooked schemes worked out for the better because Mayberry avoided falling victim to the same hustle and bustle that befell Mount Pilot. They decide to go through with the unveiling anyway and Bee rewords her speech. 

            In the second story Helen writes a book called Amusing Tales of Tiny Tots. When Andy hears of it he is full of encouragement and helps her send it to the publisher. When she receives notice that it's going to be published along with a $1000 cheque, Andy accompanies her to Richmond to meet with the publisher. The snooty secretary Miss Fain doesn't want to let Andy in but Helen says he's with her. They want to change Helen's name to Helena Dubois for publication because Crump does not have a great ring to it. It's also around this time that Andy starts to feel like a second fiddle. He begins to resent it when Helen has to cancel dates to work on rewrites and they have a big fight despite the fact that Andy has cancelled dates on a few occasions to work late. In his anger Andy suggests that he might get himself another date and Helen storms away. Andy goes ahead and asks Mavis Neff out and she enthusiastically accepts. Andy begins to regret his decision when they are parking at Myers Lake and Mavis is all over him. To avoid her advances in seclusion he suggests they go to a more public place. But when they enter the diner Helen is sitting at a booth with her publisher. Mavis goes out of her way to try to make Helen jealous and finally Helen storms out. Later that night Andy comes to Helen's place to apologize and to explain that he felt jealous of her success but now he's all right with it. They make up. 

            Miss Fain was played by Katherine Victor, who started acting on the stage and on radio in the 1940s. Her first film was "Mesa of Lost Women" and five years later played Dr Myra in Jerry Warren's "Teenage Zombies." She was also in his "Creature of the Walking Dead", "House of the Black Death" and "Frankenstein Island." She starred in Warren's low budget movie "The Wild World of Batwoman" and most of her Batgirl sidekicks were strippers who were out of work becsause the cops closed down the burlesque palace. After being sued the director changed the name of the film to "She Was A Hippy Vampire." In the 70s she co-starred in "The Centerfold" and "From Caviar to Coleslaw", for the latter of which she sang "The Winds of Change" and "Did I Love Too Much?" 

            Mavis was played by Elaine Joyce who starred in "Sugar" the Broadway version of Some Like It Hot. She made several uncredited appearances in films until she was finally named in the credits of "How To Frame A Figg." She was a dancer on The Danny Kaye Show and made guest appearances on many TV shows of the 60s. She played Oliver's secretary in the final episode of Green Acres. The show was meant to be a pilot for a spin-off in which she would star, called "The Blond." She was a regular panelist on several game shows. In the short lived series "City of Angels" she played the secretary of a private eye/pimp played by Wayne Rogers. She hosted the first season of The All New Dating Game. She played a sorceress in the series Mr Merlin. She was married to Bobby Van, then John Levoff and finally Neil Simon.