The Stars My Destination
Cool beans, everything works: station-link! The good news is that there is a now a third means of getting cargo & supplies to the International Space Station (I.S.S.), supplementing the Russian & European cargo capsules. The bad news is that a private company, SpaceX, now joins the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, & the nations of the European Space Agency in having more advanced spaceflight capabilities than the United States of America. Thanks to President Obama's simultaneous decisions to retire the Space Shuttle fleet & delay the development of N.A.S.A.'s Orion capsule, the United States has no ability to boost supplies to the I.S.S.; we can't do more than launch satellites in orbit, an ability shared by the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans, & a clutch of private concerns. The United States of America: "leading from behind" on the planet & in outer space.

Autobahn | Project GLOWWORM
As I was leaving Mass Wednesday evening, Father McGuinness had to scurry out to his motorcar to fetch something. I discovered that Father McGuinness drives a Prius. Of course he does. What else would such a dedicated old hippie drive in the 21st century? As I passed the Prius on my way to the Lumi the Snow Queen, Father McGuinness called out a compliment about my moustache. I turned & told him that I'd always been inspired by his beard; 'twas a tiny white lie to say "inspired," though I have always admired his beard. Of course, he's trimmed it nearly down to stubble for the summer, but in cooler weather it's a proper old beard. It goes hand-in-glove with his kindly, booming voice.

Objective SCHWEDEN
Wednesday's daily constitutional was taken at thus-far a unique time, late afternoon, as opposed to late morning or evening. At one point, as I emerged from a cul-de-sac, I found myself amidst a jogging traffic jam, with a beef fellow headed in the opposite direction & two comely maidens along my heading. One quickly jogging into the distance & away, while with the other I soon found myself unintentionally acting out the fable of the tortoise & the hare. She would walk for a spell & then break into a moderate run, while I plowed ahead at my same swift walk (relatively swift, I am elephantine after all). She would scamper off into the distance with her sprints, but I would steadily make up ground whenever she walked. Over time, as we traversed the same route, my steady pace was making up ground to her fast-then-slow pace. Once or twice she cast a glance back at me, & the terrible thought that she might be concerned I was following her crossed my mind. She was very fit, & in the modern style wearing next to nothing, skintight shorts & a sports bra; I never got a clear look at her face, not that I'm very good at judging ages anyway, so she could have been anything from fifteen to twenty-five. But what was I to do except walk the familiar route of my daily constitutional? I'd not altered my pace in any way since emerging from the cul-de-sac behind her. The dark bastard lives to jump to that sort of conclusion, never considering other options like she just might have been looking over her shoulder to check for approaching motorcars. At the corner of Rolling & Kimberly she turned onto Kimberly headed out toward Hill Road, while I continued along Rollings, heading deeper into the subdivision, alone again with the quiet voice urging me to maintain a swift pace (relatively swift).

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Days After Narwhal Day
David Polansky, "Narwhal" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: A genuine educational children's song, from an album of alphabetical animals. "N" is for narwhal!

Donnerstag, 24 Mai
Aaron Burnett, "Narwhal" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "Narwhal" bears similarities to They Might Be Giants's educational songs, like "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)," "James K. Polk," or "Meet James Ensor," but with a decided folk tendency. Also, it's about narwhals!