I weighed 84.5 kilos before breakfast. I had the usual bananas and berries but now that my fast was over I added maple syrup. I also had caffeinated tea for the first time in two weeks.
I continued to skim through Abnormal by Michel Foucault to research for my essay on Frankenstein. I found an interesting reference to convulsion becoming an indicator of mental illness in the 18th Century. When Frankenstein's creature came to life, "A convulsive motion agitated its limbs". That could tie in with why Victor was horrified by his appearance.
I weighed 84.9 kilos before lunch. I had a salad with sundried tomato dressing.
In the afternoon I took a bike ride to Bloor and Bathurst.
I weighed 84.6 kilos at 16:45, which is the heaviest I've been at that time in twelve days.
I was caught up with my journal at 17:32.
I finished skimming the Foucault writings I downloaded and found a couple of things I might be able to incorporate into my essay. I inserted a quote and some paraphrasing of what he says about convulsions:
Just as he believes that he can discern the internal characteristics of Elizabeth, Krempe and Waldman by visually observing their physical features, Victor also does the same with his creature, who he sees to be a monster as soon as he is animated. He observes that "a convulsive motion agitated its limbs (Shelley 58). Convulsion in the eighteenth century was seen as "the automatic and violent release of basic and instinctual mechanisms of the human organism". Convulsion was determined to be the primary physical symptom of madness (Foucault 224).
I made a lettuce, cucumber, scallion, tomato, avocado, and mushroom salad with sundried tomato and oregano dressing. I had it with a glass of Garden Cocktail while watching season 6, episode 8 of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Milburn Drysdale's rival John Cushing has arranged for Elly May to have a date with the singer Troy Apollo. When Drysdale hears about it he knows it's another attempt by Cushing to steal Jed Clampett's $65 million account from him. He immediately finds an alternative date for Elly and brings Dave Draper, the reining Mr. Universe to the Clampett house. He tells the Clampetts that Dave is her date but he tells Dave that he's there to train Elly for the Miss Universe competition. With Dave already in the house, when Troy Apollo arrives Drysdale convinces him that Jane Hathaway is Elly May, so Troy drives away in fear. When Dave meets the Clampetts, Drysdale introduces Dave as Mr. Universe and he says, "Call me Dave" so they think his name is Dave Universe. They have never seen muscles so big and so they think that the big bumps on his body are the symptoms of a condition. Granny asks Dave how long he's been like that and he says, "Ever since I got the barbells." They think the barbells is a disease and Granny starts looking for a cure. Dave goes to the back by the pool with Elly and tells her that he's only got today but he wants to make her the next Miss Universe. Elly thinks Dave is saying he's only got a day to live and that he wants to marry her.
Meanwhile Cushing tells Troy to go back because he didn't really meet Elly. He goes back but this time he sees Granny and he drives away again. Then he goes back and thinks Bessie the chimp is Elly and leaves for the last time.
Elly sees Dave lifting a very heavy set of barbells and she tells him he shouldn't strain himself in his condition. She takes them away from him with one hand. He's amazed at her strength and asks her how she got so strong. She says it's from Granny's cooking so he runs to the kitchen and asks for three helpings of hog jowls, collard greens, and grits.
Dave Draper was the star of the Dave the Gladiator Show on a local Los Angeles TV channel. He wore a gladiator costume and announced various old movies that featured muscle men like Steve Reeves. He won the Mr. America bodybuilding title in 1965, Mr. Universe in 1966, and Mr. World in 1970. He co-starred in the movie Don't Make Waves in 1967. He started using steroids sparingly under a doctor's supervision after he won Mr. America, and found they improved his muscularity with no ill effects. He was however an alcoholic for several years but kicked it in 1983. He returned to bodybuilding in his forties and continued to train into his seventies. He wrote countless articles and books on training and bodybuilding. In later life he ran the World Gym in Santa Cruz, California. I remember this episode and recognized Draper from his ads for bodybuilding products in the back of comic books I had when I was a kid.
For the twenty-first night in a row I found no bedbugs.
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