Project GLOWWORM
Code Name: CHAOS
My thanks to both The Guy and the California Dreamer for weighing in on the Operation AMPHION/Project GLOWWORM question. I like Operation AMPHION; it sounds lofty & shows the Hellenic influence that is so prominent in my code name selections (CADMUS itself, Projects PANDORA, EPIMETHEUS, & TRITON). But I've no particular affection for any of the myths of the various Amphions, & I find very appealing the sense of fun inherent in GLOWWORM. I've an ever-growing list of potential code names in my Moleskine; so, with almost infinite room for self-improvement & many more endeavours to be added to the CADMUS roster in the years ahead, I'm sure AMPHION will eventually be called up to the majors. For now, though, my gut says GLOWWORM.

Welcome, gentle readers, to Project GLOWWORM.

Autobahn
Recently, on a lark & on the cheap, I acquired a pair of driving gloves. My principal inspiration for this was a line of my own devise, from Project TROIKA, "Goggles and gloves, Ellie, a man with goggles & gloves is ready to face anything the world can throw at him." (Wayback Machine.) I already wear goggles, after a fashion (my habitual sunglasses, drugstore imitation Wayfarers), & the first Project GLOWWORM initiative—the new yard work uniform—had demonstrated the utility of gloves behind fighting off winter's chill. So, on a trial basis, I started wearing driving gloves, & they are fantastic! I love the additional grip on the steering wheel afford by the gloves. I love the ritual of putting them on & taking them off. And I love keeping a pair of gloves in Lumi's glove box, love it, love it, love it.

I do not wear my driving gloves for especially short stints, such as those between stops when I am running errands, but I always wish I was wearing them. I've not worn my gloves one or twice with a passenger or passengers in Lumi, & I've regretted that, much as I regretted those occasions this past summer when I opted not to wear my hat. I've worn my driving gloves with passengers in the motorcar & been mocked. But I've been mocked all my life; I've been mocked & teased so consistently & so regularly that on some level the disapproval of others is welcome. So, I'm a guy who wears driving gloves. I don't think I'm driving a race car at Le Mans. I don't think I'm weaving my way through the Italian Alps in an Alfa Romeo Spider. I think I've always enjoyed motoring, always enjoyed the open road—especially long, solitary drives—& my driving gloves add to the pleasure.

Project MERCATOR
Why does The Impossible Ingenue ask me to help her study for exams in subjects for which I possess no particular expertise, such as mathematics, when really she just wants to hang out? For pity's sake, girl, just say you want to hang out! No pretense necessary! Wearisome, wearisome child.

Unless things go massively awry, I should be able to see The Loose Ties this weekend, after weeks, nay, months, of verdammt timing, scheduling conflicts, & missed connections. I must reestablish my Superfan bona fides, & right quick.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "…Baby One More Time" from Out-of-State Plates, Disc Two (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Whilst in the Great White North, I heard a most unwelcome blast from the past, "Oops!… I Did It Again." The Great White North is just like America… with a hilariously significant time lag. (The Canucks still say "like" as if they were '80s valley girls, it's spectacular.) I am pleased tremendously not to have "Oops!… I Did It Again" in my library; so, here's the closest readily available analog. Enjoy!