Doris Packer

            On Thursday morning I translated the fourth verse of "Jai pas d'regret" (I've No Regrets) by Boris Vian. 

            I finished working out the chords for "Norma Jean Baker" by Serge Gainsbourg and ran through the song in French and English. Tomorrow I'll upload it to Christian's Translations. 

            I weighed 85.6 kilos before breakfast. 

            I started to work on my "Grendel is a Rebel" essay but I felt sleepy and so I took a siesta from noon to 13:30. 

            After lunch I took a bike ride an hour earlier than usual and I guess my bladder is different at that time because I had to pee at Paupers Pub at Bathurst and Bloor on my way downtown. I wanted to stop at Freshco on my way home but I had to pee again and so I went home first and then came back. 

            I bought five bags of red grapes, a pack of strawberries, a pack of blueberries, some bananas, a pack of ground chicken, a bag of kettle chips, a container of skyr, a jug of orange juice, and a jug of limeade. 

            I weighed 85.5 kilos at 17:00. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:00. 

            I spent about an hour and a half on my "Grendel is a Rebel" essay: 

            When Grendel takes control of Heorot, he could carry away all of its riches, but he ignores the treasures that the Danes value. The ancient sword in his mother's cave is so priceless that to his mind the Danish treasures must be comparatively worthless ... It is "the best of weapons ... ring-marked ... bright with gems", the work of giant "wonder-smiths" who value art over treasure and booty, and far superior to what humans could craft. On "the hilt of the old heirloom ... was written the origin of ancient strife" of "the race of giants". The giants valued their history and wrote it into their art. The work of giants is said to be good while giants are repeatedly declared to be bad. This type of devaluation of the morality of others makes it easier to justify the theft of their possessions by a treasure dealer. 

            The poet suggests that if Grendel had "settled with money" and offered payment in compensation for the thanes he killed, then his brutality would be more acceptable. His thoughts would be considered less "hateful." Grendel's thinking does not correspond with that of the Danish king. They are of different minds and disagree on what is valuable. Grendel not only lives outside of the monetary system and the Viking culture of payment, but he deliberately undermines that system with his attacks on the wealthy. His attacks are the death throes of a war between the old wealth of fine craftmanship and the upstart wealth of treasure thieves.

            Beowulf is a mercenary, marketed as a warrior for hire, with his prowess advertized by the Geats to "those who brought … gifts and money" as having "thirty men’s strength ...in battle." The Scyldings have a business account with the Geats paid into by "past favors" that arranges for protection. Beowulf is offered all he desires as a bonus offer for killing Grendel. The reward that Hrothgar places on the head of Grendel's mother is "ancient riches".” As Hrothgar's family has only ruled for a few generations, their own treasures cannot be ancient. So any ancient treasures would need to have been stolen, perhaps from giants like Grendel's mother. 

            Beowulf says, "if … I should lose my life … send on to Hygelac the gifts of treasure which you have given me." He is an agent of the profit machine which needs to be fed even if he dies, and thinks of possessions and wealth being sent as payment to the mercenary franchise of the Geats. 

           

            I had a potato with gravy and a slice of roast pork while watching season 2, episode 5 of the Beverly Hillbillies. 

            This is a continuation of the previous story. The Clampetts still think that Cynthia Fenwick and her mother are destitute. Jed and Jethro bring a load of furniture to what they think is the little Fenwick house but it is really just the gate house of their estate. Jed sees the big mansion beyond the wall and thinks it's shameful that the rich people that live there don't help out the poor Fenwicks. He observes that there is no room for furniture in that tiny building and so he decides to invite the Fenwicks to move in with them. Since there is no place to wash in the small house, Jed thinks the first thing they'll have to do is get the Fenwicks to take a bath. They recognize that might be difficult and so they arrange for Jethro to wait at the pool and then to demonstrate on himself how to bathe. 

            When Jed and Jethro get back to their house Mrs. Mildred Drysdale is there to greet them, still eager because she thinks the Clampetts plan to leave town. When Jed tells Mildred that the Fenwicks might be moving in next door to her, she is thrilled because the Fenwicks are at the top of Beverly Hills society and she thinks that Jed means they are buying his mansion. 

            Cynthia and her mother arrive dressed as hillbillies because Cynthia is still convinced that the Clampetts are fashion trend setters and that the hillbilly look is just their latest inspiration. She has gotten her mother to dress the same way although she is mortified. The Clampetts keep trying to coax the Fenwicks to the pool but they are uninterested until Cynthia sees Jethro in bathing trunks. She asks Jed, "Who is that Adonis?" But when Jed looks he only sees his bloodhound lying by the pool. He says that's Duke and the Fenwicks think he means Jethro is a duke. They ask where he's from and he tells them "Oxford", meaning Oxford, Tennessee. They think Jethro is the Duke of Oxford, England, and so Cynthia heads for the pool. Jed tells her that if she wants to make Duke happy scratch behind his ears and rub his belly. 

            Meanwhile Granny tries to give Mrs. Fenwick a bath. Mrs. Fenwick escapes and runs to the phone to call her chauffeur. When Mrs. Mildred Drysdale sees Mrs. Fenwick she doesn't recognize her. She is trying to make the house attractive for the Fenwicks and tells her to get out of sight. Mrs. Fenwick thinks Mildred is the Clampetts' cleaning lady. They end up having a cat fight until Jed breaks it up. Cynthia and her mother run for the door and get into a Rolls Royce. Jed thinks they are being kidnapped and he and Jethro follow, but when he sees the car drive up the driveway to the big house next to what they think is the Fenwick house, Jed thinks the rich people next door have finally taken the Fenwicks in. 

            Mrs. Fenwick was played by Doris Packer, who studied at The Drama School in New York. She made her Broadway debut in "Back Fire" in 1932. She became a regular performer in radio on shows like Henry Aldrich and Mr. and Mrs. North. In 1943 she joined the Women's Army Corps and was a Technical Sergeant by 1945. After the war she became a TV and film actor and played Millicent Sohmers on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Principal Rayburn on Leave It To Beaver, Mrs. Chatsworth Osborne on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and Clara Mason on the short-lived sitcom "Happy". 

            For the fourth night in a row I found no bedbugs.