Sharon Tate

            On Saturday morning I translated the sixth verse of "J'ai pas d'regret" (I've No Regrets) by Boris Vian. 

            I memorized the first two verses of "Haine pour aime" ("Hate for Mate") by Serge Gainsbourg and made a few adjustments to my translation. 

            I weighed 85.3 kilos before breakfast. 

            In the late morning I went to No Frills where only one bag of the cheaper red grapes had firm ones and only two bags of the black grapes. I bought a crate of mandarins, some bananas, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, some black bean and white corn salsa, three bags of milk, and a small container of skyr. 

            I weighed 85.5 kilos before lunch. I had saltines with four-year-old cheddar and a glass of limeade. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. I wore two scarves and my fall gloves, but brought my winter gloves along in case I needed them. Because it was cloudy it got dark sooner and during the last half of the home stretch I needed my flashers on for the first time in about eight months. It was raining a bit on the way back but not enough to get me damp. 

            I weighed 85.4 at 17:20. I was caught up on my journal at 18:10. 

            I worked on the thesis and the outline of my essay: 

            In Beowulf, Grendel is a Rebel 

            he hated the world on your behalf - Leonard Cohen

           In the poem Beowulf, Grendel is an economic revolutionary. He is on a mission to destroy the upper class of Scylding society by killing its elite noble warriors in their lavish gathering place in the king's "city of treasure."

            Because Grendel's attacks on the mead hall appear to be manifestations of uncontrolled hatred, I will begin by showing how they are purposeful, politically driven actions. But as these actions are considered by the non-objective narrator to be motivated by an enraged response to human joy, I will argue against that claim by showing that if that were the case, the common people of Hrothgar's kingdom, who though unmentioned must logically exist, would be Grendel's prime target. 

            I made pizza on naan with Basilica sauce, hot Italian sausage, and four-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 2, episode 7 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            This story is a continuation of the previous one in which Jethro thinks he's in love with burlesque dancer Chickadee Lavern because he heard the music from the transistor radio in her bra and thought it was coming from his and her hearts. Chickadee in turn misunderstood when Jethro invited her for an engagement because she thought he was hiring her to dance, when he meant a wedding engagement. 

            Chickadee arrives at Milburn Drysdale's office with Elly May's raccoon Elmer on her shoulder, promoting her new act in which Elmer slowly undresses her while she dances. Jane Hathaway takes Elmer away from Chickadee and puts him in her office. Chickadee complains to Drysdale that she was hired by the Clampetts and they reneged on the deal. Drysdale tells her that Jed's idea of entertainment is square dancing. Chickadee says, "Oh yeah? Well I've danced for plenty of squares!" 

            Chickadee leaves and Jane tells Drysdale that Jethro is in love because he heard music. Drysdale explains that was because of Chickadee's little radio. 

            Then Jane's assistant secretary Janet Trego comes to complain that the raccoon in her office keeps trying to undress her. 

            Chickadee arrives at the Clampett mansion and asks if she's going to get the engagement she was promised. Jed says if she was promised she'll get it, so she gets her clothes from the car. 

            Jane comes to see Jethro and hopes to trick him into falling for her like he did for Chickadee by putting a transistor in her pocket. But when she tells him to look into her eyes and turns it on the news is playing. Then when she tries it again there is a toothpaste commercial. 

            Then Chickadee wants to demonstrate for Jed, Granny and Elly May how she works. They think she's going to clean the house but she comes down the stairs dressed as Little Red Riding Hood carrying what she says is a basket of food for Granny. She gives Granny the basket and takes off the red cape to show a low-cut black dress. She starts to dance and then Elmer runs up the stairs behind her to reach through the bars of the banister and pull the ribbon that unravels the top layer of her costume. But Chickadee tells Elmer that wasn't his cue. Then Jethro walks in and is embarrassed to see Chickadee in her underwear. Granny says they have to get married now according to the law of the hills. 

            Granny is in the kitchen looking at the contents of Chickadee's basket. The bread and the ham are made of plaster and cement but Granny just thinks Chickadee is a bad cook. Granny tries to teach Chickadee how to cook. She says she came to dance not to cook. Jed tells her Jethro would prefer cooking to dancing. She asks, "Who cares about Jethro?" Jed says, "I hope you do seeing as how you're going to marry him." "I wouldn't marry Jethro if he had your money!" Then Jethro walks in with Chickadee's empty basket and tells her he wouldn't marry her either. He just ate all the plaster and cement food from her basket. 

            Janet Trego was played by Sharon Tate, who appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies fifteen times from 1963 to 1965 and it was her first big break in Hollywood, but she was told to wear a black wig because her management was still waiting for her big movie break and in those days TV recognition was considered to be movie poison. She won her first beauty contest when she was a baby as Miss Tiny Tot. She was a cheerleader and a basketball player in high school. Her first movie was Eye of the Devil. When she played a supporting role in The Fearless Vampire Killers, she became romantically involved with its director Roman Polanski. She appeared in the film Don't Make Waves and later the doll Malibu Barbie was inspired by her character. She appeared in Valley of the Dolls before she married Polanski in 1968. She co-starred in the Matt Helm spy comedy The Wrecking Crew. She starred in the Italian comedy Twelve Plus One in 1969. She was nine months pregnant when she was murdered by Charles Manson's family on his orders. 

           

            

          

            

          

            I searched for bedbugs and near the end of my regular series of spots I knocked a small one off the wall in the corner just above the foot of my bed. I killed it on the floor.