Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
The Ataris, "Alone in Santa Cruz" from …Anywhere But Here (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

The Stars My Destination: Artemis II Splashdown

Better Late than Never | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Destination Moon
10 April 2026: Wiseman, Glover, Koch, & Hansen conducted a third & final trajectory correction burn shortly before jettisoning the E.S.M., which subsequently burned up in the Earth's atmosphere. The Integrity entered the atmosphere travelling at 24,664 miles per hour, just shy of Apollo 10's record of 26,791 M.P.H. set in 1969. After the heat shield erosion seen on Artemis I, Artemis II bypassed the skip entry blamed for the unusual heating of Artemis I's heat shield & re-entered the atmosphere at a steeper direct trajectory.

The Integrity splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego, California at 5:07 P.M. Pacific Dayight Time. There were frustrating communications problems between the intrepid foursome & the Navy recovery team, but eventually divers reached the Integrity & attached the floatation collars & rafts necessary to extract Wiseman, Glover, Koch, & Hansen. The astonauts were individually winched up to hovering helicopters & flown to the recovery ship U.S.S. John P. Murtha (LPD-26). The Integrity was winched into the John P. Murtha's well deck & secured for transport to the Naval Base San Diego & then back to the Kennedy Space Center fora thorough post-flight examination & data retrival.

After the Artemis II mission, the astronauts met with the President of the United States in the Oval Office & made numerous other event & media appearances, the traditional post-Moon press tour last seen during the Apollo era. All four were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 28 August. In September, Jeremy Hansen (age fifty) retired from being a Canadian Space Agency astronaut & both Reid Wiseman (age fifty) & Victor Glover (age fifty) retired from being National Aeronautics & Space Administration astronauts. Only Christina Koch (age forty-seven) remains an active-duty astronaut & potential Moonwalker.

Bonus! Destination Moon Song o' the Day: Artemis II
Phillip Phillips, "Home" from The World from the Side of the Moon (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Artemis Program
2014
"The Explorers' Club," № MLXI: The 10th Anniversary of Exploration Flight Test-1
2022
Artemis I Launch
Artemis I Orbit
Artemis I Splashdown
The 1st Anniversary of Artemis I
2026
Artemis II Launch
Artemis II Flyby

Welcome back to the good Earth, Artemis II!

Ex Luna, scientia.

60 Years of Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-2026)

Operation AXIOM: Episode o' the Week
"The Enemy Within" (season one, episode five; production code: 05; 6 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The duality of Man.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
The Hippos, "Los Angeles" from The Hippos (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: By the time their third & self-titledalbum was released, The Hippos had completely abandoned the ska sound. Good riddance.

The Explorers' Club, № MCLXXXIV

Operation AXIOM: The 800th Anniversary of the Death of Saint Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (circa 1181-3 October 1226), known by the nickname Francesco ("Frenchie") almost from birth, he had a profound religious awakening in 1205, quickly attracting followers who were approved as the Order of Friars Minor in 1210; Francis was ordained a deacon; he received the stigmata from 17 September 1224; he was canonized quite swiftly, on 16 July 1228.

Commentary: The Franciscans are an incredibly diverse family of organizations, ranging from the original first order, the all-male Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.); second order, the all-female Order of Poor Clares; & third order, the lay Secular Franciscan Order; to reform movements like the Capuchins (O.F.M. Cap., 1525) & the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (C.F.R., 1987); to heretical sects like the Spiritual Franciscans (Fraticelli, 1296); to modern Protestant Franciscans, both Lutheran (Nineteenth Century) & Anglican (1905).

The life & legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi could easily support a series of episodes; our purpose here is simply to mark the eight hundredth anniversary of his birth into eternal life (Dies natalis), a day later than intended. We regret doing nothing similar to mark the eight hundredth anniversary of the dies natalis of Saint Francis's friend & fellow mendicant, Saint Dominic, founder & namesake of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans), in 2021.

Ora pro nobis!

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"High Noon-ish" (season four, episode three; 21 August 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "High Noon-ish" is a clever way of doing a Western-themed episode, by setting it in an Old West-themed tourist attraction.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, "San Francisco" from Blow in the Wind (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: A sped-up cover of the hippie ballad "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)," unlike the two earlier songs also titled "San Francisco," by MU330 & The Mowgli's.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"He Dead" (season four, episode two; 14 August 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The outstanding part of "He Dead" is Christine Baranski's performance as the widow of the titular character, who not once but twice releases the hounds to chase Shawn & Gus out of her house & off of her property.

Though set in Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A., Psych was filmed principally in & around White Rock, British Columbia, the Canadas. The previous episode, "Extradition: British Columbia," played into this by being set in British Columbia. "He Dead" is set back in Santa Barbara, but looks exceedingly Canadian, with many of the scenes taking place on a rainy & very chilly-looking golf course, with fog-shrouded mountains in the background. It looks as much like British Columbia as most extrasolar planets in the Stargate SG-1 universe.

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

The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Johnny Cash, "The Man Comes Around" from American IV: The Man Comes Around (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Don't be like the original tenants.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Extradition: British Columbia" (season four, episode one; 7 August 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Despereaux!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Team 147, Game 5: Michigan @ Minnesota
The University of Michgian Marching Band, "Little Brown Jug" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Today the valiant Wolverines venture outside the friendly confines of "the Big House," for the first road game of the season, against the scrappy Golden Gophers of Minnesota. Michigan & Minnesota play for the Little Brown Jug, the oldest trophy in college football; there was a time in the mid-Twentieth Century when it was the University of Minnesota (the other U. of M.), not an Ohio State University or the University of Notre Dame, that was the University of Michigan's greatest rival in football.

Go Blue!

The Stars My Destination: Crew-13 Launch

The Space Age
1 October 2026: Commander Jessica Watkins (N.A.S.A.), Pilot Luke Delaney (N.A.S.A.), Mission Specialist Joshua Kurtyk (C.S.A.), & Mission Specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov (Roscosmos) lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's SLC-40 aboard the Crew Dragon Grace (C213) atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The quartet docked the Grace with the International Space Station only eight hours after liftoff, for an intended six-month mission to the orbital laboratory.

Watkins is a veteran of a previous spaceflight (Crew-4 for Expeditions 67 & 68); Delaney, Kurtyk, & Teteryatnikov are rookies. Crew-13 are serving as members of I.S.S. Expedition 75 & will serve as members of Expedition 76.

Commentary: Watkins is the first N.A.S.A. astronaut to fly twice on a Crew Dragon, following currently on orbit cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Crew-6 & Crew-12) & private astronauts Jared Isaacman (Inspiration4 & Polaris Dawn, & the current N.A.S.A. Administrator), Michael López-Alegría (Ax-1 & Ax-3), & Peggy Whitson (Ax-2 & Ax-4). Kurtyk is the first Canadian astronaut to fly on a Crew Dragon.

Crew-13 is the second flight of the Grace C213.

Commentary: I'm very glad there is a Crew-13. Back in the Space Shuttle days, the main reason why S.T.S.-9 (Columbia, 1983) was followed by S.T.S.-41-B (Challenger, 1984) was to avoid the prospect of an S.T.S.-13. Childish superstition has no place in spaceflight, an inherently hazardous venture.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Crew-13 & the Grace
Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee, "Take Off" from Great White North (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Launch America
2020
Demo-2 Launch
Demo-2 Splashdown
Crew-1 Launch
2021
Crew-1 Relocation
Crew-2 Launch
Crew-1 Splashdown
Inspiration4 Launch & Splashdown
Crew-2 Splashdown
Crew-3 Launch
2022
Ax-1 Launch & Splashdown
Crew-4 Launch
Crew-3 Splashdown
Crew-5 Launch
Crew-4 Splashdown
2023
Crew-6 Scrub
Crew-6 Launch
Crew-5 Splashdown
Ax-2 Launch & Splashdown
Crew-7 Launch
Crew-6 Splashdown
2024
Ax-3 Launch & Splashdown
Crew-7 Splashdown
Crew-8 Launch & Splashdown
Boe-C.F.T. Launch & Landing
Polaris Dawn Launch & Splashdown
Crew-9 Launch & Splashdown
2025
Crew-10 Launch & Splashdown
Fram2 Launch & Splashdown
Ax-4 Launch & Splashdown
Crew-11 Launch & Splashdown
2026
Crew-12 Launch

Godspeed, Crew-13!

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"An Evening with Mr. Yang" (season three, episode sixteen; 20 February 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "An Evening with Mr. Yang" sets a new bar for an episode of Psych; it forms, with the following season's "Mr. Yin Presents…" (season four, episode sixteen) the dramatic height of Psych, a magnificent duology. The Yin-Yang Killer legacy would continue in "Yang 3in 2D" (season five, episode sixteen) & "Psych: The Musical" (season seven, episodes fifteen & sixteen), though neither rises to the heights of "An Evening with Mr. Yang" & "Mr. Yin Presents…."

"An Evening with Mr. Yang" is an almost straight dramatic episode, with Shawn begging Gus to act out inappropriately goofy shenanigans to keep Shawn from being overwhelmed by the pressure of playing the Mr. Yang's sick game.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
The Allstonians, "Allston, Mass." from the Mash It Up, Vol. 3 compilation (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: The greatness of America is in the universality of this massive, continent-spanning country & the specificity of individual towns, even neighborhoods, & the dynamic tension betwixt those currents.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Tuesday the 17th" (season three, episode fifteen; 13 February 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Tuesday the 17th" is epic. Directed by James Roday Rodriguez & written by Rodriguez & series creator Steve Franks, it's actually two distinct episodes in one. The A plot is the source of the title, an allusion to the feature film Friday the 13th, with mysteries within mysteries & a chilling twist. The B plot is the polar opposite, a small, personal story: Lassie meets with his estranged wife, Victoria (played by Justine Bateman), hoping to reconcile & ends up signing divorce papers.

Ten out of ten. No notes. Chef's kiss.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Big D and the Kids Table, "Chicago" from How It Goes (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MCLXXXIII

Destination Moon—Astronaut Group 5 (the "Original Nineteen"), Part VIII
Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II (17 March 1936-31 October 2023), Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy—He flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 16 (Casper & Orion, 1972), Commander on S.T.S.-4 (Columbia, 1982), & CDR on S.T.S.-51-C (Discovery, 1985); he was replaced as C.M.P. on Apollo 13 just three days before launch due to the risk of measles; post-N.A.S.A. & the Navy, he helped develop the X-33.

Commentary: We regret not marking Rear Admiral Mattingly's death when it occurred, one month shy of three years hence (31 October 2023), especially since we did note Frank Borman's death, one week later (7 November 2023). In October 2023, "The Explorers' Club" observed the sixtieth anniversary of the selection of Astronaut Group 3.

In the feature film Apollo 13 (1995), Mattingly was played by Gary Sinise.

Bonus! Moonshot Song o' the Day: The Original Nineteen—Ken Mattingly
Go Sailor, "Fine Day for Sailing" from Go Sailor (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Ken Mattingly
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXVIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 16, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXIX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 16, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 16, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXXIX: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-4, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXCI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-4, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № MLXX: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-C, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № MLXXI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-C, Part II

Requiescat in pace.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Truer Lies" (season three, episode fourteen; 6 February 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Jonathan Silverman is perfectly cast as "Lyin' Ryan" Bainsworth. For no discernable reason, I have curiously strong memories of Silverman's short-lived, not particularly good sitcom from the 1990s, The Single Guy.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Less Than Jake, "Gainesville Rock City" from Borders & Boundaries (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

60 Years of Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-2026)

Operation AXIOM: Episode o' the Week
"The Naked Time" (season one, episode four; production code: 07; 29 September 1966): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "They Came to Boston" from More Noise and Other Disturbances (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Skammentary: "They Came to Boston" is a complaint about tourists & students compromising the quality of life of Beantown natives. I've only ever been to Boston as a tourist, once to attend a college graduation; so, I guess the song is complaining about me.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Any Given Friday Night at 10 P.M., 9 P.M. Central" (season three, episode thirteen; 30 January 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The episode is set around professional football (Any Given Sunday), not high school football (Friday Night Lights). On the one hand, I don't find it credible that Shaw would be a football fan. He seems too cynical, the kind of person who in these latter days would talk derisively about "sportsball." On the other hand, lots of persons one might otherwise not suspect are big fans of both professional & college (which is now also professional) football. I very much enjoy that the fictional Los Angeles Thunderbirds' stadium is called the Thunder Dome.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Reel Big Fish, "New York, New York" from Cheer Up! (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: This was always a strange song for the Reel Big Fish: An a capella version of a Liza Minnelli & Frank Sinatra standard, about N.Y.C. when R.B.F. is an L.B.C.* band. Apparently, they recorded it for a Sinatra tribute album, but the album's producers didn't accept it because they'd invited Reel Big Fish specifically to make a ska-punk version. (Why else ask a ska-punk band to contribute?)

*O.K., technically Huntington Beach in Orange County not Long Beach in Los Angeles County, but close enough.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Earth, Wind and… Wait for It" (season three, episode twelve; 23 January 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The firefighting episode, guest-starring Bruce McGill, Richard Riehle (who in my head I sometimes mistake for Brian Doyle Murray), & Milena Govich. Everything Shawn knows about firefighting & arson he learned from the Backdraft attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood & he responds, "Wait, there's a movie?"

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

The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Audrey Assad featuring Fernando Ortega, "Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" from Inheritance (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: If you are working in the vineyard of the Lord, keep at it; be not discouraged. If you are not working in the vineyard of the Lord, it's not yet too late, not as long as you still draw breath. He's calling you. He's waiting for you. He loves you.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing" (season three, episode eleven; 16 January 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Yep.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Team 147, Game 4: (№ 18) Michigan v. (№ 17) Iowa
John Linnell, "Iowa" from State Songs (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: The only saving grace of today's B1G opener is that the game is being played in Michigan Stadium, not in Iowa's Kinnick Stadium. Spooky things happen in Kinnick, especially during night games.

"Iowa is a witch,
She's a witch,
She's a witch,
She's a witch!…"

Go Blue!

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Six Feet Under the Sea" (season three, episode ten; 9 January 2009): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Ted McGinley! Plus, the role reversal of Gus tricking an outraged Shawn into attending a funeral for a sea lion—Shawn being the straight man & Gus being seriosu about silliness—is magnificent.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
The Mowgli's, "San Francisco" from the San Francisco single (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: A Free Single of the Week from back when Apple Music was still iTunes.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Christmas Joy" (season three, episode nine; 28 November 2008): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Directed by John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Michael Jackon's "Thriller," etc.)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Superchunk, "Detroit Has a Skyline" from Here's Where the Strings Come In (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MCLXXXII

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars—The Orteig Prize, Part I
23 September 1926: The Sikorsky S-35 of pilot René Fonck, copilot Lawrence Curtin, radio operator Charles Clavier, & mechanic Jacob Islamoff crashed while attempting to take off from Roosevelt Field; the S-35 was severely overloaded, carrying both a sofa & a refrigerator, & plunged down a slope at the end of the runway; Fonck & Curtin escaped uninjured, while both Clavier & Islamoff were killed.

Commentary: The Orteig Prize was offered in 1919 by Franco-American hotelier Raymond Orteig: $25,000 to the first Entente pilot(s) to fly non-stop from New York to Paris or from Paris to New York. John Alcock & Arthur Brown had collected the earlier Daily Mail prize of £10,000 for the first non-stop transatlantic flight, from Newfoundland to Ireland ("The Explorers' Club," № DCXCIII).

Semper exploro.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Gus Walks into a Bank" (season three, episode eight; 12 September 2008): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: I very much enjoy the title, a play on words on the classic joke set up, "guy walks into a bank." This is the bank robbery/hostage episode of Psych, the instance of which I suspect is more common on television than in real life. Guest star Alan Ruck is somewhat wasted in the role of bank robber & inadvertant hostage-taker Phil Stubbins. Guest star Gary Cole is perfectly cast as the S.W.A.T. commander/hostage negotiator, Cameron Lutz.

The discordant element in "Gus Walks into a Bank" is Juliet's romance with Lutz, which is a whiplash-inducing change since the sweet couple's skate with Shawn just one week earlier, at the end of "Talk Derby to Me."

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Nirvana, "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" from In Utero (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: I claim no expertise on the strange case of Frances Farmer, & I don't have a dog in that fight, but, honestly, whom amongst has not wanted at some point to take revenge on Seattle?