The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Art Garfunkel, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from As Good As It Gets: Music from the Motion Picture (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing!
When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don't be silly chumps,
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing!…"

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Addicted to Spuds" from Polka Party! (Mike Papa Winter Skate)

Commentary: Last Friday, it became apparent early on that we would run short of baked potatoes; so, I went across the street to the green grocer & bought more.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXLIII

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of AS-201
26 February 1966: AS-201 (Saturn IB ["One-B"] S.A.-201), A.K.A. Apollo 1-A, lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy A.F.S., the first flight of a production Apollo C.S.M. & the first test flight of a Saturn IB rocket; the suborbital flight tested the S-IB first stage, the S-IVB second stage, & the C.S.M.'s Service Propulsion System; the C.M. re-entered the atmosphere & was recovered by the U.S.S. Boxer.

Ex Luna, scientia.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Bar-Kays, "Soul Finger" from Superbad: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Association, "Windy" from the Rhino Hi-Five: The Association E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Who's trippin' down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees?
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it's Windy!

"And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Lent | Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Less Than Jake, "Scott Farcas Takes It on the Chin" from Hello Rockview (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Who'll never guess what Less Than Jake song was the subject of this week's episode of the Chris DeMakes a Podcast podcast, with producer Chris Fafalios as the host & usual host Chris DeMakes as the guest.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the War

Cliff Eidelman, "The Battle for Peace" from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country—Music from the Motion Picture (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM: The 4th Anniversary of the Russian Re-invasion of Ukraine
Four years ago to the day, 24 February 2022, ground, air, & naval forces of the Russian Federation crossed the frontiers of both Russia & Belarus into Ukraine, a thrust aimed at capturing Kyiv & decapitating the Ukrainian government. The Kremlin's aim has been clearly stated, to erase the Ukrainian national identity & re-absorb the country into their sphere of influence, the Russkiy mir ("Russian world" & "Russian peace," mir being a multivalent word).

The war is not our fault, the war is the fault of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin & his personalist authoritarian regime. The "special military operation" has now lasted longer than the Great Patriotic War, the phase of the Second World War from the invasion of the Soviet Union by its eartwhile ally Nazi Germany to the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the United Nations (the formal name of the Allies).

The war is not our fault, but we failed to deter Putin & we are to blame for our fecklessness. Putin, as prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin, cemented his legitimacy by re-invading Chechnya in 1999, returing the breakaway region to Moscow's control; we did nothing, despite the brutality of the Russian invasion. In 2008, Putin's Russia (at the time, he was prime minister under President Dmitri Medvedev) invaded Georgia, establishing a permanent military presence inside Georgia within the breakaway republics of Abkhazia & South Ossetia; we did nothing. In 2014 (when Joe Biden was vice president of the United States), Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine, illegally annexing the Crimean Peninsula & beginning an insurrgency in the Donbas; we did nothing. In the run-up to 2022's re-invasion of Ukraine, President Biden spent more time ruling out potential American responses than threatening an effective American response; that this utterly failed to deter the invasion became lamentably undeniable on 24 February four years hence.

Russia invaded the Ukraine, again, four years ago today, 24 February 2022.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Brand New Hero" from Cheer Up! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I've got big dreams but no self-esteem, you know,
I'd reach for the stars, but I can't find my arms,
All this time, we've accomplished so much,
Why can't I believe? Why can't I just feel love?…

"I let you down when you're not around, you know,
I can't be trusted with anything,
All this time we've wanted so much
To just belong, why can't we just feel love?…

"Always talking but I never say a lot,
And I'll blow it if I get another shot,
'Cause it seems like no matter what I've got
It feels like it's nothing, I feel like I'm nothing!…"

The Explorers' Club, № MCXLII

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
14 February 1926: The Bamberg Conference—Sixty leading Nazis met in Upper Franconia to resolve tensions between the Munich leadership of the party (Rudolf Heß, Wilhelm Frick, et al.) & the more socialist northern faction (Gregor Strasser, Joseph Goebbels, et al.); Bamberg affirmed that Nazism was based not principally on policies, but on Adolf Hitler himself (Führerprinzip, "Leader Principle").

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the I Sunday o' Lent

The First Sunday of Lent
Matt Maher, "Garden" (live) from Saints and Sinners (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' Trivia Night

Project Mercator: Trivia Night @ Saint Matthew
Goldfinger, "I Need to Know" from Hang-Ups (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Love Dot Song o' the Day

Wheatus, "Teenage Dirtbag" from Wheatus (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Man, I feel like mold,
It's prom night and I am lonely.
Lo and behold, she's walkin' over to me,
This must be fake, my lip starts to shake,
How does she know who I am,
And why does she give a damn about—?

"I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby,
Come with me Friday, don't say maybe,
I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you…"

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Bob & Doug McKenzie, "You Are Our Guest" from Great White North (Mike Papa Whelk)

The Rebel Black Love Dot Song o' the Day

Avril Lavigne, "Sk8er Boi" from Let Go (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Love Dot Song o' the Day

Jimmy Soul, "If You Wanna Be Happy" from the If You Wanna Be Happy single (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Maybe the reason I am not married is that I have not found a girl who agrees with me that it would be hilarious to dance to "If You Wanna Be Happy" at our wedding reception.

"If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life,
Never make a pretty woman your wife,
Go for my personal point of view:
Get an ugly girl to marry you…"

The Rebel Black Love Dot Song o' the Day

Nil Lara, "Fighting for My Love" from Nil Lara (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I know this song from the television series Scrubs.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Lent | Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

Bonus! Song o' Ash Wednesday

Matt Glasser, Jacqueline Schwab, & Jesse Carr, "Weeping Sad and Lonely" from The Civil War: Original Soundtrack Recording (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Love Dot Song o' the Day

Ben Folds, "Zak and Sara" from Rockin' the Suburbs (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Yes, "Zak and Sara" was part of Zach & Sarah's wedding.

The Rebel Black Dot Love Song o' the Day

Blink-182, "Josie" from Dude Ranch (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Yeah, my girlfriend takes me home when I'm too drunk to drive,
And she doesn't get all jealous when I hang out with the guys,
She laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does,
She brings me Mexican food from Sombrero just because,
Yeah, just because.

"And my girlfriend likes UL and DHC*,
And she's so smart and independent, I don't think she needs me,
Quite half as much as I know I need her,
I wonder why there's not another guy, that she'd prefer.

"And when I feel like giving up,
Like my world is falling down,
I show up at 3:00 A.M.,
She's still up watching Vacation,
And I see her pretty face
It takes me away to a better place…"

*Unwritten Law & Dance Hall Crashers

The Explorers' Club, № MCXLI

The Centennial Light—An incandescent light bulb in Livermore, California that has been lit almost continuously since 1901; the hand-blown bulb has a thick carbon filament, unlike the tungston-alloy filaments that have been standard since the 1910s, & a high nitrogen atmosphere inside the bulb; the sixty-watt lamp has dimmed to a four-watt lamp; it is connected to an uninterruptible power supply.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Centennial Light
Less Than Jake, "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out" from Anthem (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the VI Sunday in O.T.

The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matt Maher, "A Future Not My Own" from Saints and Sinners (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song against Valentine's Day

Caro Emerald, "Black Valentine" from The Shocking Miss Emerald (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Love can't conquer anything
If it's lost without a trace,
You might be tough, you might even be strong,
But not when you're in this place…

"Love can't conquer anything
If it's hurting in the deep,
You'll be awake, you'll twist your fate,
That's not someone you should keep…"

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Bombskare, "Slow Lane" from A Million Ways to Die (Rude Boy Mike Papa Wreckfish)

Skammentary: Today is the "soft open" of the fish fry season, the annual pre-Lenten warm-up.

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

The A-OKs, "Jessiska" from Words Are Not for Eating (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Now, I'm not sayin' she's wrong in her ways,
But she talks for days,
And it's never good.
And I'm not one to doubt that you're Don Juan,
But maybe you're wrong,
And it's her attitude,

"Well, she better be funny and she better be quick,
'Cause she's first in line for the ugly stick,
And in the end the lesson's learned:
You fall in love and you're gonna get burned…"

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

The Ting Tings, "Shut Up and Let Me Go" from We Started Nothing (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Shut up and let me go!
This hurts, I tell you so,
For the last time you will kiss my lips
Now shut up and let me go!
Your jeans were once so clean, I bet
You changed your wardrobe since we met.

"Now, oh, so easily you're over me
Gone is love, it's you that ought to be
Holding me, I'm not containable,
This time, love is not sustainable…

"Shut up and let me go!
This hurts, what I can't show,
For the last time you have me in bits
Now shut up and let me go!
For fear of living in regret
I've changed since from when we first met.

"Now, oh, so easily you're over me
Gone is love, it's me that ought to be
Moving on, you're not adorable,
I want something unignorable…"

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "I Dare You to Break My Heart" from Candy Coated Fury (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"My latest dream girl,
My latest nightmare,
Could this be the start of another
Long, long, hateful love-affair?…

"When all is said and done,
And we have had our fun,
You won't have your chains on me,
You won't claim me as your only one.
I've got one thing to say,
As I push you far away:
Do you think someone like you
Could make someone like me love you anyway?
The most important thing
That I have ever learnt
Is if you're not doing the hurtin'
You're the one who's getting hurt…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Explorers' Club Special: February 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
February 1916 saw the Russian Empire gain the upper hand against the Ottoman Empire in the western Caucasus with a surprise winter offensive & the Germans blunted the British & Imperial invasion of German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) near Mount Kilimanjaro. On the Western Front, the longest battle of the war began, the Battle of Verdun; the "World Blood Pump" would continue throughout 1916.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: February 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXIII: The Erzurum Offensive (10 January-16 February 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXIV: The Battle of Salaita Hill (12 February 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXV: The Battle of Verdun, Part I: The First Day (21 February 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

Beverly D'Angelo, Dan Castellaneta, & the company, "Your Wife Don't Understand You" from The Simpsons: Songs in the Key of Springfield—Original Music from the Television Series (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Even amidst the bitterest week of the R.B.D.S.O.T.D.'s whole year, I want to be fair, even to fictional characters. Lurleen Lumpkins (D'Angelo) does try to seduce Homer Simpson (Castellaneta), to induce him to betray his wife, Marge. That is a wicked act, & to his credit Homer is never seriously tempted by Lurleen & remains faithful to Marge. Lurleen's act of seduction is wicked, but her affection for Homer appears to be genuine; later episodes show her in a series of doomed romances with men who physically resemble Homer.

"Your wife don't understand you,
But I do,
No, your wife don't understand you,
But I do,
I said, no one understands you,
But I do!"

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

Simon & Garfunkel, "Cecilia" from Bridge Over Troubled Water (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Have some self-respect, man! Leopards don't change their spots. She's been unfaithful before; she'll be unfaithful again.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXL

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 4 (the "Scientists"), Part IV
Owen Kay Garriott (22 November 1930-15 April 2019), rank unknown, U.S. Navy—He flew Skylab 3 (1973) & S.T.S.-9 (Spacelab 1, 1983), the only Skylab Science Pilot to fly on the Space Shuttle; he conducted three E.V.A. during Skylab 3; he held an Extra Class ham radio license & pioneered the use of ham radio from orbit during Spacelab 1; he helped develop the I.S.S.'s Destiny lab module.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Scientists—Owen Garriott
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, "Radio, Radio" from This Year's Model (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Owen Garriott
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXVII: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXX: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part IV
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXCV: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-9, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXCVII: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-9, Part II

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the V Sunday in O.T.

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dan Bremnes, "Where the Light Is" from Where the Light Is (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Anti-Valentine's Song o' the Day

Herman's Hermits, "No Milk Today" from the Herman's Hermits Retrospective compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Welcome to the bitterest week of the R.B.D.S.O.T.D.'s whole year: emotions are overwrought, love is a lie, & heartbreak awaits around every corner.

"No milk today, my love has gone away,
The bottle stands forlorn, a symbol of the dawn,
No milk today, it seems a common sight,
But people passing by, don't know the reason why.

"How could they know just what this message means?
The end of my hopes, the end of all my dreams,
How could they know a palace there had been
Behind the door, where my love reigned as queen?

"No milk today, it wasn't always so,
The company was gay, we'd turn night into day.

"But all that's left is a place dark and lonely,
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only,
Just two up, two down…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "The Check's In the Mail" from "Weird Al" Yankovic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXIX

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of Luna 9
31 January-6 February 1966: The Luna 9 probe lifted off from the Kazakh S.S.R.'s Baikonur Cosmo- drome atop a Molniya-M rocket; the Automatic Lunar Station (A.L.S.) lander was released & made the first soft landing on the Moon (3 February), via landing airbags; the A.L.S. transmitted the first photo panoramas & television images from the surface of the Moon & measured radiation levels.

Commentary: Luna 9's images were decoded by the U.K.'s Jodrell Bank Observatory & published throughout the West, long before the secretive Soviet space program intended to release anything.

Ex Luna, scientia.