"The Sun himself a fair hot wench" - Shakespeare

           On Sunday morning I was trying to translate the second verse of "Arthur, où t'as mis le corps?" (Arthur, Where'd You Put the Corpse?) by Boris Vian, but I got stuck on the word "bigophone." It turns out to be a somewhat comical wind instrument invented in France but then some people in France refer to the telephone as a "bigophone." In the song it was an antique dealer who was murdered but beforehand he hid the bigophone, so maybe the bigophone is an antique in this story. I was trying to decide whether to name a different instrument to get the rhyme I needed. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow. 

            I worked on memorizing the second verse of "On n'est pas des grenouille" (We Are Not Amphibians) by Serge Gainsbourg but whenever I nailed it down I lost my grip on parts of the first verse. I'll probably have it in my head tomorrow. 

            I weighed 90.2 kilos before breakfast. 

            Around midday I finished cleaning my fryer basket and started washing the storage tray that goes under the stove. I got most of the dirt off but I'll spend some time finishing it up on Friday before I finally get all the pots and pans that I've cleaned over the summer off the table, in the tray and out of my way. 

            I weighed 90.9 kilos before lunch. That's getting close to too much. I had saltines and five year old cheese with a glass of lemonade. 

            In the afternoon it was raining a bit so I didn't take a bike ride. Instead I did some exercises while listening to the first few scenes of a production of Henry IV Part 1 on YouTube. I weighed 90.5 kilos at 18:15. 

            I wrote my email assignment to post tomorrow morning: 

            In Henry IV Part I, 1.2 Prince Henry and Falstaff's glorification of the night and the Moon as the force that precides over their roguish lifestyle is bookended by two images of the Sun. First there is Falstaff's declaration that he would care about daytime if the male sun god were transgendered into a hot female sex trade worker. But in 1.2.8 when he speaks of the "sun himself a fair hot wench in flame-coloured taffeta" he is in this moment disguising the sun in drag to make it more attractive in such a way as to lure him from nocturnal gravity. This disguising of a celestial entity is echoed in life when Prince Henry and Falstaff are tempted to enter into a plan of a future robbery in which they will be disguised. Then Poins and Prince Henry plot to disguise their disguises and rob Falstaff. This scene ends with another image of the sun in disguise, as Prince Henry declares himself not of the night but rather an imitator of the Sun covered over by toxic clouds. His planned betrayal of Falstaff becomes also an imagined hope to betray the night. 

            I read Act 1 Scene 3 (1.3) of Henry IV Part 1. Hotspur is plotting to overthrow the king and install his brother Mortimer, who he sees to be the rightful heir. I read 2.1 which sets up the merchants about to be robbed. 

            I read chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne is told by the officials to declare publicly the name of her baby's father but she refuses and so she is returned to prison. 

            I read 2.2 of Henry IV. Falstaff and his confederates without Prince Henry and Poins rob the travellers while the Prince and Poins watch from hiding. 

            I read chapter 4 of The Scarlet Letter. An older white man, half in Indigenous garb, comes as a physician to treat Hester Prynn and her baby. He turns out to be Hester's ex-husband but not the father of her baby. He gives herbal treatments that he learned from living for three years with the First Nation people to calm her and the baby down. He asks her to tell him the name of the father of the baby but she refuses. He says confidently that he will find him. He asks her not to reveal who he is. 

            I read 2.3 of Henry IV Part 1. Prince Henry and Poins in disguise rob Falstaff and his men of the money they just stole and then ride off. 

            I made pizza on naan with Parmese sauce, ham, french fries and extra old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching an episode of Gomer Pyle. 

            In this story Gomer gets a lot of male because he is always sending away for free samples and entering contests. One day a seven metre boat is delivered because he won a jingle contest. He plans on sending it back to the company because he can't afford to maintain and keep it. Sergeant Carter however has visions of the women that such a vessel would attract and offers to become Gomer's partner. But right away expenses mount for Carter. He hitches the boat to his car and it tears the bumper off. He gets three tickets while hauling the boat to the water. At the pier he has to buy a license, life jackets and lots of other legally required items. After Carter learns that one has to pay tax on prizes in the United States, finally it's all too expensive and Carter agrees to sell. Gomer puts up a sign on a post in the boat. A lieutenant agrees to buy it and Gomer and Carter deliver it to the water. But Carter wants to have one ride on the boat before giving it up. They get in and Carter says to pull up the "for sale" sign but when Gomer does so it tears a hole in the floor of the boat and they sink.