Angela

            On Tuesday morning I memorized the third and fourth verses of “Souviens-toi de m'oublier” (Re-member to Forget Me) by Serge Gainsbourg and finished adjusting my translation. 

            I weighed 85.3 kilos before breakfast. 

            In the late morning, I did my laundry. It was almost warm enough to wear shorts, but I didn’t bare any more than my arms this time. While my laundry was in the wash I tried to call Connor at Steve’s Music to see if he had a solution to the problem of humming in my recordings made with the Scarlett interface I’d bought from him. But Connor had called in sick that day, so I just went ahead and downloaded Audacity. 

            I went to put my laundry in the dryer and then started to experiment with Audacity. I made a test recording in Audacity with my microphone through the interface. The hum was in the recording but then I found a tutorial showing me how to remove the hum. In Audacity, I highlighted the parts of the recording where I wasn’t talking and clicked on Noise Reduction, then Get Audio Profile. Then I highlighted the whole file and clicked again on Noise Reduction. The hum was considerably reduced and what remained was tolerable and so it looks like the problem has been solved. I can begin recording my song practices again to try to make some videos for YouTube. 

            I weighed 84.6 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride to Yonge and Bloor. I wore my button shirt opened but I could have removed it and been fine in my tank top. 

            I weighed 84.7 kilos at 16:55. I experimented some more with Audacity. I tried to open one of my Voice Recorder test files with Audacity but found it first had to be converted to a compatible file type. I used Cloudconvert and changed it to a .wav file. Then I was able to open it with Audacity and use the program to eliminate most of the hum. I converted another file to MP3 and opened it in Audacity. This was a recording made on the old computer and I was able to effectively eliminate all of the little bit of hum there was on that recording. I’ll keep experimenting a bit more, but I think I’ll be ready to start video recording my morning song practices as soon as there’s enough light. I’ll start paying attention tomorrow morning and see how it feels. In the past I don’t think I’ve shot any videos before the end of May at the earliest, and the last time, two years ago, I started in June. 

            With the hum problem less on my mind, I returned to my Movie Maker project of making a video for my song “Instructions For Electroshock Therapy”. I edited the clip that I’d inserted from Rosemary’s Baby of Rosemary’s wedding ring being removed, that corresponds to me singing, “To avoid any bruises let no metal touch the skin.” I shaved off little bits of the beginning of the clip until the concert video once again was in sync with the studio audio when I sing “that’s my advice.” At that point I was all caught up, having recovered what I’d lost when I mistakenly deleted the source file for Rosemary’s Baby. After that point the video is now in sync up to where I left off in December after I sing “Best of all it doesn’t leave any scars … Shock Therapy.” Since in the studio audio I extend shouting “Shock therapy” much longer than in the concert video, I’ll have to break it off and add another clip. I imported the 1940s shock therapy footage into the project and started editing the clip so that it begins with the shock being administered. I’ll insert the clip at the beginning of the final syllable of me singing “shock therapy”. After I sing it, a chaotic instrumental break begins and so I think I might alternate the shock therapy footage with parts of the instrumental, until the instrumental ends. Anyway, it feels good to be caught up. I think there’s a good chance that I’ll be able to finish the video before the end of this summer. 

            I checked online and found that my course grade for Global Modernisms had been posted and I got an A-. That’s a load off my mind. 

            I had my last meal before what would probably be a late lunch on Wednesday after my first physical in three years, followed by the blood work, which is why I have to fast. My appointment is for 13:00 and that means it will be at least 14:00 before the blood samples are taken, so I won’t be able to eat again until 15:00. That’ll make it a seventeen-hour fast. The last meal was a potato with gravy and my last chicken leg. I ate while watching two episodes of Astro Boy. 

            In the first story, scientists are attempting to harness the power of the ocean with a dam in the Bering Strait, but the forces of nature are too much and the dam keeps getting broken up. Dr. Elefun says that they need the help of Professor Muse’s discoveries on strengthening materials in order to make the dam work. But Muse has given up science because there are too many bad people that would try to use his research to fulfill evil schemes. He now lives in a cabin in the Alps with his granddaughter. 

            Elefun asks Astro Boy to go there and try to convince Muse but he warns him not to reveal that he is a robot because Muse hates robots and machines. Muse’s daughter Angelica lives an idyllic but naïve life with her animal friends Billy the goat and Snowdrop the lamb. She dreams of angels and wears a locket with the image of an angel. She believes that the angels live on the other side of the mountain. To protect his scientific secrets Muse has put all of his research inside Angelica’s locket.                    Astro Boy disguises himself as a human boy named Astor Boyton who attracts Angelica with his flute playing. After they meet, Angelica and her pets are threatened by an eagle. Astro Boy fights it but must do so while pretending to be human. He ties its wings and makes it indicate it’s sorry for trying to eat the lamb and the goat. That’s fucked up! What else is an eagle going to eat? Beyond Meat simulated lambchops? 

            That night Muse is confronted by a gunman named Vile who demands he give him his secrets. Astro Boy uses a rifle to shoot the gun from Vile’s hand. But Vile has one of his large robots attack. Astro Boy tells Muse to take shelter and then he fights and defeats the robot. But after the battle Astro Boy is low on energy and collapses. Muse thinks he’s an injured human and nurses him in bed. When Muse isn’t looking Astro Boy recharges with an energy tube in his bag. 

           The next day Muse is threatened once again by Vile, who fires at Muse. Astro Boy jumps in front and blocks the blast, then he pretends to be hurt. Muse carries Astro Boy into his cabin but the man sends four robots to attack. As they begin breaking in, Astro Boy has no choice but to reveal he is a robot and fight them. He defeats the robots and tries to tell Muse about the dam but now that he sees he’s a robot, Muse does not trust him. 

            Then Billy and Snowdrop return without Angelica, and Astro Boy knows something is wrong. He goes to search for her. Vile has kidnapped Angelica and taken her to a cabin higher in the Alps. Astro Boy finds the cabin but also sees that a snowslide is about to happen. The snow slide begins and Astro Boy saves Angelica. Vile is trapped and Astro Boy saves him too. Then Astro Boy uses mountain peaks and trees to create a dam that holds back the avalanche from reaching the village. 

            Muse gives in and lets Astro Boy have his files. Angelica gives Astro Boy her locket because he is as close to an angel as she will find. 

            Angels are a fun concept and my favourite is Angela the angelic warrior from the Spawn comics. In the comics I have, Angela dies saving the universe, but from what I’ve read online she later lives on. She was created by Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane but there was a lawsuit over copyright and Gaiman won. Then Gaiman sold Angela to Marvel and she eventually was revealed to be Thor’s lost sister. She has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

            In the second story, Dr. Gravitov ambushes Dr. Newton. Newton is knocked out and the computer programming punch card in his briefcase is replaced by another. Several scientists, including Dr. Elefun, are waiting for Newton at his new rocket factory but he is late. Astro Boy is sent to fetch him. He finds Newton stranded and then goes after and catches Gravitov. 

            At the factory, Newton inserts what he thinks is his own punch card in the electronic brain that controls his factory. The electronic brain goes haywire and becomes hostile. The scientists have to take shelter in a nearby mine. The factory begins manufacturing rockets that continuously attack them. Astro Boy tries to fight the factory but is defeated at first. Elefun repairs him and then the electronic brain sends a message that it is going to attack them with a nitrofoam bomb. Suddenly Gravitov is fearful and confesses. When he reveals that he has Newton’s punch card, Astro Boy is tasked with removing the bad card and replacing it with the one Newton programmed. Astro Boy gets through the brain’s many obstacles and replaces the punch card which changes the brain to its intended temperament. 

            Before bed, I found a healthy-looking bedbug on the wall at the foot of my futon.