I played my Kramer electric guitar during song practice for the second of four sessions.
I weighed 86.9 kilos before breakfast.
Around midday I went to Vina Pharmacy to pick up my Betaderm prescription. Last time it cost me nothing but this time it was $11 and change. I can never figure out when that’s going to happen. I guess after a certain number of prescriptions in a year it’s free for seniors or something like that.
I went down to No Frills where I bought five bags of grapes, a pack of blackberries, a rack of pork ribs, a bag of two artisan naan, a bag of Miss Vickie’s chips, and a carton of soymilk.
I weighed 87.9 kilos before lunch. I had Triscuits with five-year-old cheddar and a glass of limeade.
I took a siesta and slept for almost two hours.
In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. It was warm but not as warm as yesterday. I wore my spring gloves but would have been more comfortable in my winter ones.
I weighed 86.9 kilos at 17:30.
I was caught up on my journal at 18:15.
I re-read part one of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A few years ago I wrote an alliterative translation of lines 135 to 220 of the poem. Tonight I added another ten lines. It would be too much work right now to do the whole poem:
Now will I of their service say you no more 130
For each one may well wit no wanting was there
Another new noise quickly drew near
So the lord had leave to swallow his food
For only a while the noise of the waltz had ceased
And the first course in the court kindly served 135
There hauled into the hall door an awesome master
On Earth’s mound the most high in all measure
From neck stem to hip sides so thick set and square
And his legs and his limbs so long and so great
Half ogre on Earth that I gather he was 140
But mostly a man I mind him to have been
And to eye the merriest of massive men that might ride
For his back and his breast were all strong on his body
Both his womb and his waist were worthily small
And all his features followed that form that he had 145
Fit clean;
But on his hue men looked with wonder
Set in his semblance seen
This fearsome freakish warrior
was all over fully green 150
And all garbs in green this guy did he wear
A straight-coat full stretched that stuck on his sides
A merry mantle over, matted within
with expert pure peltwork of a piece that fit clean
of blithe badger full bright, and also his hood 155
that was lifted from his locks and laid on his shoulders
His well haled hose were the same
That shrunk tight to his shins with comely spurs below
Of bright gold on silk bands richly embroidered
And shoeless under shanks where he rides his cheval 160
And all his vestment verily was pure verdure
Both the bars of his belt and other blithe stones
That were richly arranged in radiant array
In silk work about himself and his saddle
T’would be too tough for to tell of half the trifles 165
embroidered above with birds and butterflies
with gay gaudies of green each in the middle of gold
The pendants of his strapping, the proud crupper,
his mullen, and all the enamelled metal was thus
the stirrups he stood on were stained of the same 170
and his saddle arch all after and his atheling skirts
that ever glimmered and glinted all full of green stones
the foal that he fit on was fern hued of that ilk
certain
A green horse great and thick 175
A steed full strong to restrain
that battled the bridle quick
but his rider held him in rein
Well gay was this guy geared in green
and the hair on his head well suited his horse 180
Fair fanning flax enfolded his shoulders
A beard big as a bush hung over his breast
That was reached by his handsome hair from his head
It was edged all around above his elbows
So the top half of his arms were hid in the way 185
Of a king's hooded cape that covered his neck
The mane of that man’s horse was much like it
Well curled and combed with full many knots
Folded in with fine gold thread about the fair green
Always a herl of the hair and another of gold 190
The tail and his topping were twined in the same suit
And bound both with a band of bright green
Dubbed with dear costing stones to the end of the dock
And then thrawed with a thong in a twirl-knot aloft
On which many bright bells of burnished gold rang 195
Such a foal on Earth’s fold nor fellow as rider
Was never seen in that salon with sight ere that time
With eyes
His look was lightning and light
So said all that him spied 200
It seemed that no man might
Under his dints not die
Yet he had no helmet and no hauberk neither
no neck piece nor no plate that pertained to arms
nor no shield nor no shaft none to shove and to smite 205
but in his one hand he had a holly bob
like those greatest of green when groves are bare
and an axe in the other so huge and unmet
a spine chilling sparth and whoso might expound in a spell
would say the head had the length of a yard 210
the grip all of green steel and of hand hewn gold
the blade burnished bright with a broad edge
as well shapened to shear as a sharpened razor
the steel of a strong staff was gripped by the stern
that was wound with iron around the wand’s end 215
and all engraved with green in gracious work
a lace lapped about that locked at the head
and so along the handle hitched often around
with attractive tassels thereto attached just enough
on buttons of bright green embroidered so rich 220
This hulk hurled himself in as he entered the hall
Driving to the high dais with no worry
He haled not a one but looked over their heads
The first word that he wove, “Where is” he said
“The governor of this gang? Gladly I would 225
Part one covers the Christmas celebrations at King Arthur’s court and in particular the final feast on New Year’s Day when the Green Knight arrives to challenge them in the beheading game. Gawain agrees to the challenge thinking that if he gets the first swing and beheads the knight there is no danger of having to face a return swing a year later. But the Green Knight’s headless body retrieves his head and rides away while holding it by the hair. I would also point out that January 1 is the day of Christ’s circumcision in Christian tradition and there seems to be a connection between the cutting of heads and of foreskins.
I made pizza on naan with Basilica sauce and five-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 1, episode 26 of Burke’s Law.
A housewife named Molly Baker is murdered in her shower but at first Burke and his team think she stumbled there, hit her head and drowned while she was knocked out. The coroner finds she was strangled. They go back to the house to do a full investigation and are greeted by Amanda Tribble the perky next door neighbour with the talkative parakeet. Mr. Baker first calls Burke “Captain Kirk”. He says he came home later than usual because he had a report to type for his boss. Amanda says there was a delivery man with a panel truck at the time of the murder. The lab has found long blonde hairs on four of Molly’s dresses even though she had short black hair. Because of glue on the hairs they were obviously from a wig but there was no wig in the house. They are starting to think that Molly was leading a double life. They find the Hollywood wig maker made twelve of those blond wigs for the ice follies. One of them was stolen by a skater who became a stripper. Burke talks with her and her name is Cleo Patrick. She says she gave the wig to Myra Beamis, who lived down the hall from her. He sends Tim and Les to Myra’s place. The landlady says that Myra never spent a night in her apartment even though it was expensive. They find the wig that matches the hairs on the dresses. Myra Beamis was Molly Baker. While they are there Dr. Stuart Alexander rings Myra’s bell. He says he’s Myra’s doctor. He met her six months ago, she took him for a ride in her convertible and he fell in love with her. There was another man who wanted to marry her. Stuart gave her $100,000 in cash. They find the convertible in the parking lot. It’s registered to Mary Brown, another of Molly’s identities at another address. They go to Mary’s apartment where they find $15,000 in counterfeit money. The feds say she worked with a man named Gator who is already in prison and who identified her picture. Les thinks Baker killed Molly. It turns out he’s running for city counsel and Les thinks he needed to eliminate the scandal of a criminal wife. Then they hear of a Madge Berkely and go to her place and find Bucky Martin who knows Burke. The landlady says Madge had a panel truck and takes them to see it but it’s been driven away in the last few minutes. Burke goes to the funeral of the python that Cleo used in her dance act. Burke sees the grave of a parakeet named Buster whose caregiver put him to sleep because she was leaving for the Riviera. Her name is Tribble. Les finds that Baker wasn’t really typing a report at the time of the murder but really playing a recording of a typewriter so his secretary could hear while he went out the back. Baker admits that and planned to kill Molly but couldn’t go through with it. They arrest Baker just as Amanda drops by. Burke asks to see her purse. She has a letter of credit for $100,000 extorted from the doctor. She admits it and tells them that she and Molly were bored and decided to start leading exciting lives. Amanda did the planning while Molly did the work. She got Bucky to help steal jewels. Then Molly got in touch with a counterfeiter because they needed more money for their Riviera goal. Amanda was keeping the money but found out Molly was holding out on her with $30,000. So Amanda told Mr. Baker about the whole thing so he would kill her. But since Carl didn’t do it Amanda says she had to.
Cleo was played by Jayne Mansfield, who played violin and piano at an early age and had an IQ of 163. She got married at 16 and gave birth at 17. After doing local theatre for a while she went to Hollywood. She was Miss Photoflash of 1952. Her first film role was a small part in Pete Kelly’s Blues in 1955. She co-starred on Broadway in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and reprised her role in the film version. She co-starred in The Burglar, Oh For a Man, The Wayward Bus, Kiss Them For Me, The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw, The Challenge, It Happened in Athens, L’amore Primitivo, Panic Button, Dog Eat Dog, The Las Vegas Hillbillies, A Guide for the Married Man, and The Girl Can’t Help It. She was the February 1955 Playboy Playmate of the Month. She was featured every February from 1955 to 1958. She was named the second favourite playmate of all time. She starred in a striptease revue in Vegas. She starred in Too Hot to Handle, Single Room Furnished, Gli Amori di Ercole, Female Jungle, and Promises Promises (In which she was the first actress from the US to appear nude). She became known as the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe but also “Hollywood’s smartest dumb blonde”. She was arrested for indecent exposure during a nightclub act in 1963. Her nightclub act earned about $15,000 a week. She appeared on What’s My Line? Four times and many other game shows. She played violin on Ed Sullivan. She said sex should be sadistic. She is rumoured to have had affairs with both John and Robert Kennedy. Anton Lavey of the Church of Satan made her High Priestess of San Francisco’s Church of Satan. She was tireless about self promotion and was always willing to be photographed. She flaunted her body and sexualized herself every chance she got. She was killed instantly in a high speed car crash in 1967 at the age of 34. Her daughter Mariska Hargitay became a star of one of the Law and Order series and was the highest paid woman on television.
No comments:
Post a Comment