He's Dead, Jim
The latest news is, I believe, qualified good news. Though the dark spot in my mother's nose, sited in the same place from which was removed the polyp that was the first indication of the cancer, has been confirmed as being cancerous, both the team of physicians overseeing her care and the ominously- & hilariously-named Tumor Board advise the wait-and-see approach. While I caution that I am neither a medical doctor nor do I play one on television, this suggests to me that they believe the risk of the cancer spreading is less than the risks involved in any of the more serious non-surgical treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The only truly good news would be that she's cancer free, but the qualified good news is that the cancer present does not present such a danger as to require drastic countermeasures, at least not for the time being. My mother's appointments with "Mr. Clean" (Dr. McLean), the head of her team of physicians, have been increased in frequency from bimonthly to monthly; the first of these monthly examinations/consultations will be this Friday. I will keep you apprised of developments as they happen, with the caveat that in this matter, no news may be assumed safely to be good news.

The Explorers Club
No. CLXXXIX - The Cambridge Five, Part II: Kim Philby's 1963 unmasking & defection; the detection of Anthony Blunt (1907-1983), formerly of the Security Service (M.I.5); & the many blind alleys & conspiracy theories on the long road to unmasking the "Fifth Man," John Cairncross (1911-1995).







Project MERCATOR
As expected, when it rains it pours. On the eve of Labor Day (just over a week ago), an impromptu evening was organized at The Most Dangerous Game's apartment. In attendance were our charming hostess; Jenny* (Wayback Machine, see "Project PANDORA"), who in the aftermath of an as yet unexplained gulf appearing between The Most Dangerous Game & The Cowgirl seems to be The Game's best gal pal; Colette*, Jenny's dormitory roommate & a pre-U. of M.-Flint friend of The Game & The Impossible Ingenue; Jelani*, Colette & Jenny's new pal from the dorms; Frankenstein's Monster, who was "fashionably late" as ever; and your humble narrator. Over pizza & buffalo wings, with How I Met Your Mother D.V.D.s playing in the background, there was an effort to open Colette's eyes to the fact that she'd been played, as freshman are wont to be, by a sleazy upperclassman. Later, in a bizarre group discussion, I was the only member of the party to argue that bisexuals are actually bisexual, as opposed to being homosexuals who are still halfway in denial of their homosexuality. (The first time I heard the group's argument was from a homosexual man who hated what he would call "supposed" bisexuals as much as any heterosexual homophobe ever hated homosexuals.)

This past Friday, I took a step to advance Project MERCATOR's lesser known other objective, to not only be more social, but to take advantage of all that my community has on offer: I attended the "2nd Friday Art Walk," a monthly event highlighting Flint's arts scene, from painting & sculpture to dance & theatre. The Art Walk is organized in part by Mr. Flint Local 432, with whom I am acquainted & shook hands, and who has always been a friend to Blue Tree Whacking. I was joined by Colette, Jenny, at the second or third stop by Jelani, & by a girl I'd seen around campus (it's a small place) but never before met, Elise*. From the way the girls were gathered together & conversing at the beginning of the night, I'd have thought they were friends, but after a while it became clear there was tension between the libertine Colette & the enigmatic Elise.

The first stop on the Art Walk was the Buckham Gallery (near but not directly off of the Buckham Alley), bursting to capacity with my fellow Art Walkers and hot as an over from their body heat, despite the evening's chill. The girls stayed near the entrance & the concessions stand, leaving me to explore the art on my own. On display was some interesting photography & some even more interesting sculpture, with the exact wrong proportion of photography to sculpture. While I was trying to find the leaning in a sculpture, I was greeted by Becca, the saxophonist & sometime vocalist of The Loose Ties, who chided me for missing the previous week's show (see the previous "Project MERCATOR," recent enough that the Wayback Machine is unneeded). The second stop was the Greater Flint Arts Council (G.F.A.C.), where a large selection of small quilts (2' x 2', too small be be quilts, really, but I don't know what else to call them) was on display. In the equally crowded space, this time the group stayed somewhat together, though again I was the only one who seemed to be paying any attention to the art. Or should I say, to the displays? I don't think I'd count the wee quilts as art. Craft & skill certainly went into their construction, but are they art? Okay, I'll grant their artistic status, but only stipulate to them being amateurish art.

After the G.F.A.C., the organization of the Art Walk broke down completely. We were making our way back up Saginaw Street on a rough heading back to campus when we encountered Becca in the company of Frankenstein's Monster. They suggested a nearby yoga studio as a useful destination. The paintings on display were interesting, but the studio clearly depends upon sunshine for much of its lighting; so, the illumination was insufficient in the gathering dusk. But we praised our timing as we finished surveying the art (and helping ourselves to cheesecake & green grapes) immediately prior to the arrival of a large herd from the G.F.A.C.; we'd had the yoga studio almost to ourselves, but I'm sure they were back in like sardines before they had time to realize the space was too small for all of them at once. Wandering on, we encountered more quilts at The Lunch Studio, which was unique in furnishing a small pamphlet identifying the works & containing a short artist's commentary on each. Outside, chalk was on offer, with the sidewalks as a canvas; not knowing what if anything to draw, I wrote instead (in cursive), "Welcome to the Mike Wilson Ego Experience."

By now the tension between Colette & Elise was becoming evident & the group soon splintered. Colette, Jenny, & Jelani (who appeared sometime after we departed the yoga studio) raced ahead while Elise & I strolled leisurely behind. We all met up in the UCEN, but first Jelani & then Jenny & Colette said they were retiring back to their dorm rooms. Darkness had fallen by this point & Elise asked me to escort her to her motorcar out in the flat parking lot; after I dropped her off I walked to Lumi, parked as is my habit in the structure (shade against the Accursed Sun), & drove home. A couple days later, in a chat through the Farcebook, Colette wrote that she & Jenny had wanted to invite me to hang out in their room, but hadn't known how to do so without being rude as long as Elise, whom they didn't wish to invite, was around.

On Saturday, The Loose Ties played at the Good Beans Cafe. They were remiss in advertising the where & the when of the show, and their timing was abysmal, as Ska Army told me they were to go on at 7:00 P.M. At 7:00 P.M., the Michigan-Notre Dame football game had not yet reached its breathless conclusion. Let there be no doubt about my allegiance in this situation: I did not put on my shoes & grab my kit until after time had expired and until after basking for a few moments in the glow of the valiant Wolverines' triumph over the vile Fighting Irish. I drove downtown & parked Lumi quite near to where I thought the Good Beans Cafe was sited, where I would have sworn it at least used to be sited. However, my knowledge was either mistaken or out-of-date, for the cafe was not to be found. I wandered up and down Saginaw, covering much the same ground as the previous evening's Art Walk, and a short way along the most likely side streets, but no trace was to be found. I'm convinced I was at an establishment of the same name years earlier, and I'm nearly certain that place was on Saginaw, but now neither hide nor hair was to be found of The Loose Ties. Returning home from an apparent snipe hunt, I harnessed the power of the internets & learned the address of the venue, on Grand Traverse rather than South Saginaw. By this time, the hour was almost 9:00 and if I hadn't missed all of The Loose Ties' set, I'd missed most of it; so, I decided against venturing out again.

*Secret Base code names shall have to be devised for Jenny & Colette. It is as yet unknown if code names will be necessary for Jelani & Elise.