Jerry Scoggins

            On Monday morning, after a day of adjusting to the time change, it feels perfect to be back in normal time. It's dark when it's supposed to be dark and light when it's supposed to be light. Everything feels right. 

            I searched for the lyrics to "J'ai pas d'regret" (I've No Regrets) by Boris Vian and found them. I copied them and pasted them into my Boris Vian document and I'll start translating the song tomorrow.

            I finished posting "Leaving Loving to Lose", my translation of "Partie perdue" by Serge Gainsbourg. I memorized the first two verses of his song "Norma Jean Baker" and made some changes to my translation. 

            I weighed 85.5 kilos before breakfast. Since it's Reading Week there was no English in the World class today and so I thought I'd do some reading. But it turns out there is only one poem left and the rest of our work involves assignments. The link to the poem "Der Poop" by Louise Halfe didn't take me to the poem and so I looked for it online. It hadn't been posted anywhere but I was able to download Halfe's book from Library Genesis and then read the poem. It's an irreverent letter to the pope written from an outhouse by a Cree woman telling the pope to keep his apology and just let her practice her own religion. It's written in a thick accent that seems made up. I had a Cree girlfriend from Fort MacMurray who sure never talked like that. I've never heard that accent from any of the hundreds of First Nations people I've met. 

            Since it didn't take long to read the poem I started organizing my research on Chiac to try to turn it into an essay that's due at least in draft form in a couple of weeks. While I was working I got a call on my phone from "Tom". I answered it and it was from Tom Smarda. I hadn't remembered putting his name in my call list but I must have maybe four or five years ago when we were rehearsing for the anti shock therapy rally. Tom called because he recently covered my song "The Next State of Grace" and after he'd credited me, someone had approached him to have him tell me how much she liked it. So he called to relay the message. He would have simply posted the message on my Facebook page but he was recently blocked from Facebook because hackers had corrupted his page. I told him that a couple of months ago I'd sent him a link to my YouTube post of my song "Sixteen Tons of Dogma" but he said he didn't get it because he'd changed his email. I sent the link to the new address. 

            I worked on the essay until 13:00. 

            I weighed 85.7 kilos before lunch. 

            I discovered that there's a YouTube video of me from when I performed at cat weasel eight years ago my songs Alcohol and Love in Remission. I was pretty good that night. I think I'll download those videos for my files in case Brenda Clews takes them down. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 85.4 kilos at 17:10. I was caught up on my journal at 18:15. 

            I worked on my essay on Grendel: 

            Of Beowulf, "those who brought to the Geats gifts and money as thanks, said that he has thirty men’s strength in battle, and in his handgrip." Beowulf is presented as a marketable mercenary, available for hire. It was greed for wealth and profit that Grendel fought, and capitalism that killed him. Beowulf says, "I captured five, slew a tribe of giants. If the giant-hewn sword in Grendel's mother's cave is a family heirloom then Grendel may have descended from giants. Grendel's attacks may be the death throes of an ancient war between the old wealth of treasure makers and the upstart wealth of the Viking treasure thieves. 

            “For past favors, my friend Beowulf, and for old deeds, you have sought us out." The Skyldings and the Geats have an unofficial business arrangement of protection. 

            Hrothgar's "city of treasure." Capitalism is the bane of Grendel. 

            Grendel has "humiliated Heorot with his hateful thoughts." Grendel's thinking does not correspond with that of the Danish king and his thanes. They are of different minds and disagree on what is valuable. 

            Hrothgar says, “the great hall of the Danes … Have it and hold it. Earlier the poem speaks of Grendel holding the marshes. This line shows that to hold is not necessarily to possess or own. Grendel may be the protector of the marshes. 

            "You will have all you desire" is a very large offer of payment. 

            Grendel's mother "quickly seized, one nobleman … the dearest of heroes to Hrothgar." She blames Hrothgar for her son's death, but like Grendel she targets those close to Hrothgar rather than the king himself. She continues her son's psychological punishment against Hrothgar as more satisfying than killing him. But she cuts even closer to Hrothgar by killing Æschere his closest thane of all. "Then the … king … was grieved at heart … his chief thane, was dead … my confidant, my counselor … 

            " I will reward you with ancient riches … with twisted gold.” Once again Beowulf is offered pay to kill one who cares nothing for treasure. 

            Beowulf says, "if … I should lose my life … send on to Hygelac the gifts of treasure which you have given me." He thinks of possessions and wealth even as he anticipates death. 

            "She set upon her hall-guest and drew her knife, broad, bright-edged; she would avenge her boy." He saw among the armor a victorious blade, ancient giant-sword strong in its edges, worthy in battles; it was the best of weapons … good, adorned, the work of giants … ring-marked … bright with gems." The work of giants is good while giants are bad. Superior to what humans could craft and stealable. But why did Grendel's mother not use the sword? Did she, like her son, prefer more intimate combat at close quarters? Or was the sword so sacred to her that she was loath to soil its blade on human flesh? 

            The emblem of giant history dissolved with the spilled blood of the last of the giants. "a work of wonder-smiths" who value art over treasure and booty falls into the hands of a Danish treasure dealer.

            On "the hilt of the old heirloom … was written the origin of ancient strife.

            I had a potato with gravy and a slice of roast pork while watching episode two of season 2 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            This story is a continuation of the previous one in which Granny shaved bald spots on the tops of Mr. Drysdale's and Dr. Clyburn's heads so she could bury the hair and cast spells on the illnesses she thought the men had. Clyburn is now forced to wear a hat while seeing his patients and he insists that Drysdale force Granny to stop practicing medicine in Beverly Hills. Drysdale sends his secretary Jane Hathaway to deliver the message but when Jane arrives at the Clampett mansion she finds the Clampetts celebrating what is apparently the biggest holiday of the year back in the hills of Tennessee, Possum Day. It is such a big day that they believe it must be a national holiday and that's why they are preparing to drive to downtown Beverly Hills so they can watch the Possum Day parade from the window of Drysdale's office. Jane doesn't have the heart to tell them that there is no such thing as Possum Day in Beverly Hills. She returns to Drysdale with the bad news and Clyburn threatens to make legal trouble for the Clampetts. Drysdale tells him if he does he'll be facing major surgery. Clyburn asks, "What kind?" Drysdale says, "The removal of $35 million from my bank without anesthetic!" Drysdale assures Clyburn he'll talk to Granny and so he goes over there. Granny looks at Drysdale's bald spot and offers to make him a hair growing poultice. Drysdale tells her she can't to that kind of thing anymore. Granny tells Jed to show Drysdale his head. Jed had gotten the same head shaving treatment as Drysdale and Clyburn but now all his hair has grown back in a matter of a day. Drysdale returns to the bank with a poultice on his head and calls the mayor to ask him to arrange for a Possum Day Parade. But Clyburn threatens Granny, and the Clampetts decide they've had enough. Jed is going to take his $35 million out of Drysdale's bank in nickels, dimes, and quarters and they are going to leave for Tennessee. Clyburn comes to tell Drysdale he is on his way to the Medical Board and when he sees Drysdale still wearing the poultice he grabs it and removes it. When he does so he is shocked to see that Drysdale's hair has grown back in a matter of hours. Next we see Clyburn on his knees before Granny and begging her to give him a poultice. The Clampetts are also told that Beverly Hills celebrates Possum Day a day later and they can all be in it. The next day Clyburn is playing bass drum in the parade with a full head of hair, Drysdale is the parade marshal and Jane is the possum juggler. 

            "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" played at the beginning of every episode was sung by Jerry Scoggins, who started out playing guitar in Dallas radio stations. His group The Cass County Boys performed for ten years before Gene Autrey hired them for his radio show. They appeared in seventeen of his movies and also on Bing Crosby's TV show. In 1963 Scoggins was working as a stock broker when he was hired to sing the theme song for the Beverly Hillbillies TV series. Thirty years later he also sang it for the movie remake.

    I searched for bedbugs and didn't find any.