Kathleen Hughes

            On Monday at around 0:30 I did my usual search for bedbugs before going to sleep. While digging around with a skewer stick I pulled one out of the north west corner of the floor where I'd glued down a small piece of floor board to fill up the hole that had been there. Like the last two that I found this one seemed like it was dying as it had no fresh blood inside when I crushed it. That makes eight that I've found since August 13. 

            I reworked my translation of the second chorus of "La java des chaussettes à clous" (The Tap Dance of the Hobnail Boots) by Boris Vian: "These are the hobnail boots / friends of all the bright policemen / curing tears in west and east end / and those are the charming reasons / for the hobnail boots." 

            I positioned the chords for "Bébé Polaroid" by Serge Gainsbourg in Christian's Translations in preparation for blog publication. I should have it published tomorrow. 

            According to my digital scale I weighed 91.3 kilos before breakfast. That must have been one heavy pizza I made last night. I don't think I've hit 91 since the winter. 

            At 11:00 I received the call from the Parkdale legal Clinic for the interview that I requested. While talking with the student lawyer I emailed him the "warning letter" from my landlord. I sent him the jpg of the letter when I'd thought I'd made a pdf. It turned out I'd forgotten to move the pdf from my downloads folder but I didn't notice that until later. I also sent him the document that I'd made from my journal entries of the dates in question. He told me the warning letter doesn't have any power over me and if he were in my place he'd ignore it. I should only be concerned if I get an eviction notice and then I should contact them immediately. 

            After hanging up I tried to call Orkin to find out if my landlord had made an appointment for bedbug treatment, but my phone wouldn't make the call and a message came up that said, "Emergency calls only." I also noticed that my call record was empty. I walked over to Freedom Mobile but the guy said they don't fix phones. I said I just needed some technical help. I told me to leave the phone with him for an hour. When I came back an hour later he said he needed another ten minutes. When I came back it was his colleague who'd fixed it. He explained that sometimes the sim card goes out of sync. He said he'd just changed the code. 

            There was mail for me and Benji that had been slipped under the front door of the building. Apparently our regular mail person is on holiday and the substitute doesn't have a key. My mail was from the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program telling me that I'd been accepted into the program. Included was a cheap paper identification card I would have to cut out of the letter. It's good for a year but they'll notify me when it's time to reapply and I assume there won't be a complicated form. I'll just have to write in any changes to my financial status. 

            I weighed 90.4 kilos before lunch. 

            When I got up from my afternoon siesta I went to post my blog as usual but my computer was running so slow that it took ninety minutes to do what should take no more than fifteen. I usually restart my computer after posting my blog so it's fresh for the evening but I think from now on I'll turn it off before my siesta. 

            I left for my bike ride more than half an hour later than usual. It seemed to be a day for delays as I waited at more lights than usual and was trailing behind two buses on Queen. I passed the buses at Bathurst but just barely made it as the light turned red. I weighed 89.3 kilos when I got home. 

            I worked on my poem series "My Blood In A Bug." 

            I continued researching "mental hospitals in movies" and looked through a Wikipedia page with a long list. There's nothing however in the descriptions that indicates there is anything specific in any of the movies to match my line "Undress the patient and then lay them down just like a scarifice" from my song "Instructions For Electroshock Therapy." I'll have to either refine my search or just start looking at some of the movies. 

            I worked on making the graffiti clearer in my "Anti Gravity's Rainbow" photo. 

            I had a potato with gravy and two chicken drumsticks while watching two episodes of "Gomer Pyle." 

            In the first story Sergeant Carter needs to fly to San Franciso to pick up an AWOL Marine but he needs someone to drive his car home from the airport and then pick him up when he returns. He settles on Gomer because no one else is available. Carter's car is his pride and joy and he gives Gomer instructions while they're walking from the airport parking lot. But as soon as Gomer returns to the car it's gone. He goes to the police and finally the car is found abandoned near a construction site. Gomer goes to the phone booth to tell Duke but as he's talking he sees a wrecking ball drop right on top of Carter's car and crushing it. The owner of the construction company feels so bad that he gets Carter a new car. Carter returns with his prisoner in handcuffs and is pleased to have a new car but he chastizes Gomer for leaving the keys in the old car. While he's doing so the prisoner escapes. He's caught in Arizona and so now Carter has to go there but this time he makes sure his car can't be stolen because he handcuffs Gomer to the steering wheel. 

            In the second story Carter and Bunny have a fight over him never taking her dancing and they break up. Gomer and Frankie see Carter in a bar looking dejected. Gomer decides he has to show Bunny how upset Carter is and she agrees to come to the bar. But just before they get there Toby Comstock, an old girlfriend of Carter's arrives with her husband. She sits alone with Carter for a few minutes to catch up but when Bunny walks in and sees Carter smiling with an attractive woman she turns around and leaves. She says she's going to be by herself at home reading a book. Gomer convinces Carter to come and see how sad Bunny is but before they arrive Bunny's upstairs neighbour is having a party and decides to bring it downstairs to Bunny. Carter arrives to see a party going on and so he leaves. Carter hasn't slept for three days and so he goes to a hotel to sleep for a long time. When Gomer hears this he thinks Carter is going to commit suicide. He tells Bunny and they go to Carter's room. He's wearing earplugs so he can't hear them knock. Gomer takes a fire axe and smashes through the door. Carter wakes up with Bunny crying over him. They make up. 

            Toby Comstock was played by Kathleen Hughes, who had a famous scream scene in "It Came From Outer Space." She co-starred with Edward G Robinson in "The Glass Web" and Rock Hudson in "The Golden Blade." She says she gave Hudson his first onscreen kiss. She played Mrs Coburn on The Ghost and Mrs Muir" and Mitch on "Bracken's World."