Arthur Treacher

            On Saturday morning I looked for the chords for "J'ai pas d'regret" (I've No Regrets) by Boris Vian but no one had posted them. I established the key and I'll start working out the chords tomorrow. 

            I blog-published "All State Disturbance", my translation of "Ohio" by Serge Gainsbourg. Tomorrow I'll start memorizing his song "Entre autre, pas en traître" (I Took You for Other but Not a Traitor). 

            I weighed 84.8 kilos before breakfast. 

            In the late morning I went to Freedom Mobile and paid for my January phone plan. It was the first time in two months I didn't have to wait behind somebody buying a phone. The clerk said, "I'll see you next year!" and it threw me off for a second. 

            I went to No Frills where they had cherries, so I got five bags. I also bought a pack of chicken drumsticks, dental floss, kettle chips, a can of Folgers coffee, and a container of skyr. I forgot to buy mouthwash but maybe what I have will last until Thursday when I go to Freshco. 

            At 13:00 I met my upstairs neighbour David in front of Shambhala the Tibetan restaurant next door and I took him to lunch. He had a bowl of rice with meat and a Budweiser while I had the Momo platter with a Heineken. Momo dumplings are a lot like pierogis and a little doughy for me. They also serve them deep fried which I might like better. But it was pleasant getting together with David and chatting. We were there for about an hour and a half, which is twice as long as the time we went to that location when it was a Japanese place. 

            I told him I want to get our building organized in the New Year. He talked about how he doesn't get along with Benji. I said I'm not expecting it to be a social club but we have to unite on the issue of the bedbugs, so that our landlord understands that he's not just fighting the two of us. David says he knew our landlord Raja for twenty years before he moved in here. He says Raja's brother helped him get to Canada and that Raja really made his money from smuggling immigrants into this country. He said that when he left his key with me to let pest control in Raja somehow found out about it and called him to ask why he gave his key to a "bad guy". I had to insist on paying the bill after David tried to contribute. He appreciated it. 

            I got the Wi-Fi password for Shambhala and it's a really strong signal. 

            I took a siesta at 14:30, with the intention of getting up at 16:00, but I slept for almost an extra hour. 

            I weighed 84.5 kilos at 17:00, which is the heaviest I've been at that time in almost three weeks. It seems so weird to say that though, since three months ago that weight would have been the lowest in three weeks. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:20. 

            I fixed several of my early translation blogs for which the accompanying videos had become invalid. I updated the titles so they included the names of my translations and the copyright information. Some of the translations have versions by me in French and English on YouTube and so I added those. There are quite a few more for me to repair. 

            I fried four strips of bacon and an egg and toasted a Montreal style bagel. I had a beer before dinner and two after while watching season 3, episodes 10-12 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            In the first story Granny is upset again about how unneighbourly people are in Beverly Hills and wants to go back to the hills of Tennessee. Jed tells her that the movie stars are just as lonely as she is. He says they have people out on the streets handing out maps to their homes. Granny goes out to try to invite them all to quilting bees and barn dances but she gets doors slammed in her face by servants. Meanwhile Mrs. Drysdale wants Jed to donate a large sum of money to finance the Beverly Hills Ballet. When she goes to ask him she hears Granny ranting about having the door slammed in your face and then Granny throws a carpet off the second floor landing. Margaret thinks this is directed at her and runs away. Jane convinces Maestro Victor Gregory to go with some of his dancers to the Clampett mansion and demonstrate the ballet for him. But Jed just sees people jumping around in their underwear. Jed gives Victor $35 to get his children some clothes. Then Margaret asks Jed for money for the ballet and he says he'll give it to her. When he learns it's a dance he uses that as a way to keep Granny interested in staying in Beverly Hills. He tells her she shouldn't let Mrs. Drysdale out dance her. Granny goes to the ballet to learn the steps and Victor reluctantly lets her participate so he can get the money. We see Granny in a tutu and wearing boots and kicking while the male dancer lifts her in the air.

            In the second story Granny has decided to take in boarders and puts up signs all along the street. Meanwhile the Drysdales have hired one of the most famous butlers in the world, Arthur Pinkney. As he is driving to his new place of employment Arthur mistakes the signs as being meant for him and drives to the Clampett mansion. He thinks the Clampetts are the Drysdales' servants and tries to take charge while the Clampetts think Arthur is Granny's boarder. Arthur is appalled and goes to see Drysdale to ask him to let him educate his servants. Drysdale still doesn't understand that he's talking about the Clampetts and so he gives Arthur carte blanche. Arthur gives a speech to the Clampetts that resembles Winston Churchill's famous war speech. Drysdale comes and realizes that Arthur thinks the Drysdale's are servants. Jane convinces Drysdale to enlighten Arthur but let the Clampetts keep thinking Arthur is a boarder so they can learn the social graces from him. But when Arthur insists on helping Jed dress for dinner, Jed hangs him by his collar from the second floor landing. 

            In the third story Arthur comes to Drysdale saying he quits and asks for his pay. He relates several incidents with the Clampetts that made him want to leave. He tries to teach them to play cricket and they think it's a game between crickets and each show up with one. Then he complains about Granny's cooking. He says he's eaten in the jungles of Africa, he's shared the peculiar bill of fair of the Australian bushman, and Tibetan goatherds, but for pure culinary improbability nothing matches the loathsome cuisine offered by Granny. When Arthur tries to leave, Granny thinks he is skipping out on the rent. Jed and Jethro catch him and carry his car back to the house. Granny puts him to work minding her still with the hound dog Duke as his guard. After Duke gets drunk Arthur escapes. Drysdale brings him back and there is a trial. Drysdale pays Arthur $1000 to plead guilty and to offer himself as a servant for a week. He makes them a meal but they think things like turtle soup and lobster are too weird. Then when he sets fire to crepe suzette, Jed throws water on him. 

            Arthur was played by Arthur Treacher, who became well known as a theatre actor in England before moving to the States. He began acting in movies from the early 1930s and almost immediately became typecast as a butler. He starred in "Thank You Jeeves" and "Step Lively Jeeves". He co-starred in Mr. Cinderella, Heidi, The Little Princess, Mary Poppins, and was an announcer for The Merv Griffin Show. I remember eating at Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips and it was the best fish and chips I ever had. 

            I searched for bedbugs and found one on the lower right side of the frame of the old exit door at the head of my bed. I repaired a few more of my early Christian's Translations blogs