Project MERCATOR
Yesterday, Red Patton & I visited the Flint Institute of Art (F.I.A., though not the F.I.A. usually discussed here at The Secret Base) to see the exhibition Reflections on Water in American Painting: The Phelan Collection. The exhibition was underwhelming, but there was wheat to be found amidst the tares; the most stirring painting was by Anton Otto Fischer (1882-1962), artist laureate of the United States Coast Guard during the Second World War, depicting a wartime convoy facing the perils of the high seas. (The appeal of this painting to both Red Patton & me was quite predictable.) We were joined midway through the proceedings by the Shamus, Red Patton's pal whom I know from this year's History Quiz Night & a pair of subsequent pub quizzes. A jazz trio was playing in the lobby of the F.I.A. by the time we departed, a splendid addition to the evening's cultural program.

We three then repaired to the Torch, the best public house in the Vehicle City, for a round of beers & for their far-famed Torchburgers. Red Patton & the Shamus split a pitcher of Killian's while I had a rather unfortunate Guinness, which contrasted most unfavorably with the absolutely exquisite Guinness I had a fortnight earlier at Conor O'Neill's in Ann Arbor.

Red Patton, who had been promoting Narwhal Day all week amongst his students, presented me with a pencil drawing of a narwhal, the work of his own hand. This was very touching & the highpoint of yesterday's Narwhal Day festivities. I shall publish the drawing online as soon as I've scanned it to create a digital copy.

Project GLOWWORM
Arctic weather blew in yesterday, clouds as gray as a narwhal's hide, chilling rain, & afternoon high temperatures only in the 40s ˚F. As a result, both my new-for-'13 paper trilby & decaying Mark II straw trilby were unsuitable headgear. I was going to wear my Michigan baseball cap, prepared to rue the insufficiency of the rain protection provided by its front-only brim, when another option sprang to mind: my seldom-worn gray trilby. The gray trilby is seldom worn because I'm not terribly fond if it. The crown is too low & the brim is a touch too wide & ill-formed; I regretted purchasing it almost as soon as I arrived home with it, many moons ago. Nevertheless, with my fedora & insulated flatcap boxed up & put away for the summertime, the gray trilby was Johnny-on-the-spot. Its dark gray checked pattern fitted both Narwhal Day & the unseasonable skies, & it did the job of shielding me from the rain. For this reason, I might have to reconsider the gray trilby's place in the hierarchy of hats. Two separate strangers complimented me on the gray trilby; my hats are complimented all the time, but this represented an unusual frequency given the short duration of the deployment.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day After Narwhal Day
Aaron Burnett, "Narwhal" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Aaron Burnett, not to be confused with the more foul-mouthed Aaron Barrett, the talented front man of Reel Big Fish & The Forces of Evil. "Narwhal" comes from an album titled Canadian Critters. Following R.B.D.S.O.T.D. protocol, the album title was not listed above because I do not own the album, only the song "Narwhal."