The Stars My Destination
So few countdowns remain until President Obama's irrational mandate to put an end to American manned spaceflight becomes a baleful reality, we must make a festival of each: Discoverylink. Get excited, people, it's a countdown!

Project PANDORA
I was caught in a violent downpour yesterday. It lasted but a few minutes, but for those few minutes it was as if a fire hose had been loosed. I need not have braved the rain, I could easily have joined the crowd crowding under the awning to wait out the torrent, but such has never been my style. I have a hat, I have a coat, & as I'm not made of sugar there is little danger of my melting. Into every life a little rain must fall, & I will not be cowed by the weather (though, yes, I do often come close to surrendering to the heat, but let's fight one battle at a time). My hat & coat, as intended, protected me above the waist, but my legs & feet were drenched, my pants & shoes soaked through. In an I.M. chat, when Comrade Coquettish asked how I was, I could not help but respond, "I'm soggy." A short while later, the Comrade wrote that she'd buy me the following for Christmas, if only she "had moneys": Bumbershootlink. Now that, gentle readers, is a lass after my own heart.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Aquabats!, "Monsters Wedding!" from The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 1 (Captain Thumbs-up)

Commentary: Inspired by an R.B.D.S.O.T.D. nomination from The Watergirl, I've decided on a series of lighthearted spooky and/or macabre songs to count us down to the eve of All Saints' Day, more commonly known as Halloween. We shall see what can be done about making this an annual fixture here at The Secret Base. Enjoy, you ghosts, goblins, & ghouls!

"And now, ladies & gentlemen, the flying Dracula hair (?) brings you the story of a man… taken against his will… and forced… to marry!"