The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 1 Day 'til SKApril

Reel Big Fish, "Ska Show" from Life Sucks… Let's Dance! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Ska Show" was featured in SKApril '20, a bright spot in a dark time, as ska always is a bright, defiant spot in a darkening world.

"Hey, everybody! Let's go
Downtown to the ska show,
There's a ska show,
Come on, let's go!
Let's go!

"We want to dance and sing
And forget about everything,
Don't want to fight or cry,
Just have some fun before we die!

"And there's never any doubt
That's what it's all about!

"Hey, everybody! Let's go
Downtown to the ska show,
There's a ska show,
Come on, let's go!
Let's go!

"This invitation is for all,
It doesn't matter who you are,
It don't matter where you're from,
'Cause everybody is welcome!

"And there's never any doubt
That's what it's all about!

"Hey, everybody! Let's go
Downtown to the ska show,
There's a ska show,
Come on, let's go!…"

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXIV

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-3, Part II
30 March 1982: Lousma & Fullerton manuevered the Columbia into a number of different attitudes toward the Sun, to test the Orbiter's thermal characteristics; after an eighth, extra day in space, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory imaged the Columbia's thermal protection system during fiery re-entry; flooding at Edwards prompted the only Shuttle landing at New Mexico's White Sands Space Harbor.

Commentary: According to later astronauts, so much gypsum dust had accummulated in the Orbiter as a result of the landing at White Sands that despite repeated cleanings, dust continued to be found, especially in the micro-gravity of orbit, throughout the rest of the Columbia's career.

This was the third flight of the Columbia OV-102.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-3
The Hippos, "The Sand" from Heads Are Gonna Roll (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Quadragesima Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 351.0 lbs
This weigh-in: 351.0 lbs.
Difference: +/-0.0 lbs.

Not losing any weight is not achieving the minimum goal of two pounds per week (2 lbs./week). That means losing ground, falling behind. I must take advantage of these last weeks of Lent to set a firm foundation for the Eastertide & beyond.

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Suburban Legends, "Snack Break" from Day Job (Mike Papa What?)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 2 Days 'til SKApril

Mustard Plug, "Brain on Ska" from Skapocalypse Now! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Brain on Ska" was featured in SKApril '21, though my brain is on ska every SKApril.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 3 Days 'til SKApril

Death of Guitar Pop featuring Neville Staple, "Suburban Ska Club" from the Suburban Ska Club single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Neville Staple, "The Original Rude Boy," a member of The Specials from their early Special A.K.A. phase, joined Silky & Top Kat, the duo who are Death of Guitar Pop, in SKApril '19.

The Stars My Destination: S.T.S.-3

On Monday, 21 March 2022, I published episode № DCCCLXXII of "The Explorers' Club," about the Endurance, Shackleton's ship for the Imperial Trans-Antarctice Expedition. That's an entirely worthy episode of "The Explorers' Club," & was prompted by the discovery of the wreck of the Endurance earlier this month, but, really, that episode could have been published anytime & publishing on that particular date precluded coverage of the fortieth anniversary of the liftoff the Space Shuttle Columbia on S.T.S-3 on 22 March. What happened?

I made the bad decision starting with the fortieth anniversary of S.T.S.-1 in April 2021 (12-14 April 1981) to devote only a single "The Explorers' Club" episode to each Space Shuttle flight, no matter its duration, in contrast to the multiple episodes devoted to the longer Gemini flights & every Apollo (& forthcoming Skylab) flight. I marked my calendar according to that bad decision, choosing Sunday, 27 March to cover the fortieth anniversary of S.T.S.-3 (22-30 March 1982). I later reconsidered that decision & decided to devote multiple episodes to the longer Space Shuttle flights, but neglected to update my calendar to reflect the new schema. I am now in the process of updating "The Explorers' Club's" publication calendar.

One of the reasons for the mistaken single-episode decision is the sheer number of Space Shuttle flights: one hundred thirty-five over thirty years (1981-2011). That huge number is still the reason I'm not going to cover Space Shuttle flights exactly the same way I've covered Gemini & Apollo flights: I'm not going to give every Space Shuttle flight a Song of the Day for every day spent in orbit. There were ten manned Gemini flights over two years (1965-1966) & eleven manned Apollo flights over five years (1968-1972). Twenty-one total flights verses one hundred thirty-five. Each Space Shuttle flight is worthy of close attention from "The Explorers' Club," but the task of musically differentiating each is more than I'm willing to take on. By that same logic of scale, I'm not going to dedicate a Song of the Day to every day of the three manned Skylab missions, which lasted twenty-eight, fifty-nine, & eighty-four days.

I regret missing the fortieth anniversary of S.T.S.-3's liftoff & have taken steps to prevent another such error.

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Hell: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (The Four Last Things)"

'Tis the Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21, Wayback Machine '20, & Wayback Machine '19.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter forty-seven, verses one thru nine & twelve;
Psalm Forty-six (R/. eight), verses two & three, five & six, & eight & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter five, verses one thru sixteen.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today’s Gospel, we find the beautiful healing of a paralyzed man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus sees the man lying on his mat, next to a pool, and asks, “Do you want to be well?” The man answers him, and Jesus replies, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately, the man is healed.

Now at this point, the story really heats up. We notice something that is frequently on display in the Gospels: the resistance to the creative work of God, the attempt to find any excuse, however lame, to deny it, to pretend it’s not there, to condemn it.

One would expect that everyone around the cured man would rejoice, but just the contrary: the Jewish leaders are infuriated and confounded. They see the healed man and their first response is, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”

Why are they so reactive? Why don’t they want this to be? We sinners don’t like the ways of God. We find them troubling and threatening. Why? Because they undermine the games of oppression and exclusion that we rely upon in order to boost our own egos.

Let this encounter remind us that God’s ways are not our ways, and that there is one even greater than the sabbath.

Video reflection by Deacon Miguel Santos (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Lenten Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Lenten Reflection.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXIII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-3, Part I
22 March 1982: The Space Shuttle Columbia OV-102 lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center with CDR Jack Lousma & Pilot Gordon Fullerton; this was the first launch without the External Tank painted white, giving the Shuttle its iconic appearance, & the first endurance flight, scheduled for seven days; testing continued of both the Orbiter & the Remote Manipulator System ("Canadarm").

Commentary: This episode is late, & I am very sorry. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-3
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, "Third Time Lucky" from Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 4 Days 'til SKApril

The Articles, "Ska's the Limit" from Flip F'real (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: The Articles' lone foray into ska was featured in SKApril '13, the third SKApril.

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: IV Sunday o' Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
Henry Mancini & His Orchestra, "The Pink Panther Theme" from Son of the Pink Panther: Original Music from the Motion Picture (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' 5 Days 'til SKApril

Desmond Dekker & the Aces, "Jamaican Ska" from King of Ska (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Not everybody can cha-cha-cha,
Not everybody can do the twist,
But everybody can do the ska,
It's a dance you can't resist.

"Ska, ska, ska,
Jamaica ska,
Ska, ska, ska,
Jamaica ska…"

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Saturday of the Third Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21, Wayback Machine '20, & Wayback Machine '19.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 6 Days 'til SKApril!

The Aquabats!, "Ska Robot Army!" from The Return of The Aquabats! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Skammentary!: It will never not be funny that The Aquabats!' debut album was titled The Return…. "Ska Robot Army!"

"They're coming to take over,
Look out behind you and
Beware of the ska robot army!…

"They're coming to take over,
To terrorize the Earth,
They're skanking in their best suits, and
Beware of the ska robot army!"

Bonus! Song o' the Annunciation

Matt Maher, "Gabriel's Message" from The Advent of Christmas (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Beat Fishin'" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: "Beat Fishin'" is comprised of two very musically distinct sections, a boy taking a girl "beat fishin'" & the girl's response to being taken "beat fishin'."

"But you're not really fishin',
You're really just tryin' to catch beats,
'Cause fishin' is when you catch fish
And you're not catchin' beats,
You know what I mean, boy?

"When we went on a date and we pulled into Beats in a boat that we were sittin' in,
I couldn't believe how lucky I was, you're Skipper and I was Gilligan,
I'm a girl, you're a guy who lives inside a doublewide at Camp Pendleton,
Sympathize, gettin' high on life, and that's alright, but, hey, then again.

"Just glad we're not really fishin' for fish, 'cause I'm not into fisherman.
(Just glad we're not really fishin' for fish, 'cause I'm not into fisherman.)
Just glad we're not really fishin' for fish, 'cause I'm not into fisherman.
Just glad we're not really fishin' for fish, 'cause I'm not into fisherman.

"No! I'm not into fisherman!"

Saints + Scripture: The Annunciation of the Lord

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Catholic T-Shirt Club Unboxing: Lent"

'Tis the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '20.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 7 Days 'til SKApril!

The Aquabats!, "Ska Boss!" from The Aquabats! B-sides (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Skammentary!: "Ska Boss!" opened SKApril '17!

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Thursday of the Third Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 8 Days 'til SKApril

The Skluttz, "Ska Police" from the Confidence Is Key E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Ska Police" was featured in SKApril 2020, a bright spot in a dark year.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' 9 Days 'til SKApril

Nothing for Something, "Ska Kids" courtesy Sergeant Ska (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Ska Kids" was featured in SKApril 2012, the second SKApril.

"Many guys will leave the show tonight
With a little girl in tow (Alright!),
For us it's always just dance, dance, dance,
And we never will get a chance—

"'Cause ska kids (Hey!),
We never get laid,
And ska bands (Hey!),
They never get paid,
Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

Saints of the Day
'Tis the commemoration of Saint Turibius of Mogrevejo, Bishop (1538-1606), third (III) Archbishop of Lima (1579-1606).

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '20.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Quadragesima Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 353.4 lbs (Wednesday, 9 March)
This weigh-in: 351.0 lbs.
Difference: -2.4 lbs.

I can do better. My aim is to return to weekly weigh-ins starting next Wednesday, 30 March, & continuing every Wednesday thereafter.

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Jump In the Line (Shake Shake Senora)" from BASEketball (Mike Papa Watercress)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Nena, "99 Luftballons" from 99 Luftballons (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Kommentar: Auf deutsch!

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Judgment: Defending Your Life—The Four Last Things"

'Tis the Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXII

The Endurance—A three-masted barquentine with a steam engine, launched in 1912 as the Polaris, she was purchased by Sir Ernest Shackleton for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917); the Endurance was purpose-build for Arctic voyages & was heavily reinforced; trapped in the sea ice of the Weddell Sea near Vahsel Bay in January 1915, she was crushed & sank in November 1915.

Commentary: The wreck of the Endurance was discovered on 5 March 2022 by the Endurance22 expedition operating from the R.V. S. A. Agulhas II. Not one of Shackleton's crew perished aboard the Endurance, so she isn't a grave, yet no artifacts were salvaged because the shipwreck is protected by the Antarctic Treaty System.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Endurance
Bombskare, "Sink or Swim" from A Million Ways to Die (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train Orchestra, "Mojo Strut" from Hothouse Stomp: The Music of 1920s Chicago and Harlem (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Monday of the Third Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

Saints + Scripture: III Sunday of Lent

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Third Sunday of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: III Sunday o' Lent

Third Sunday of Lent
The Daughters of Mary, "To Jesus Heart All Burning" from De Profundis (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Saint Joseph's Day

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Daniel Schmit, "Joseph's Song" from Christmas Hope (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Dropkick Murphys, "Sunshine Highway" from The Warrior's Code (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Go Sailor, "Fine Day for Sailing" from Go Sailor (Mike Papa Whale Shark)

Commentary:

"This is the last time that I'll wish you dead,
I think I've decided to like you instead…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Less Than Jake, "Overrated (Everything Is)" from In with the Out Crowd (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Maybe I'm jaded and bored,
Always looking for more,
Wait around for the next big fix.
I know I'm a wreck, I'm a mess,
But I couldn't care less;
Don't know what it would take to change me.

"Everybody's so afraid to be different,
Please excuse me now if I don't get it.

"Having sex is overrated,
So is always getting wasted,
Designer drugs and dead end jobs,
And classic rock is so outdated.
I'm so sick of therapy
And all the things it's done to me.
How can I be satisfied
When everything is overrated?

"Maybe the problem is me,
But I won't make believe
And I can't take this mediocrity.
What if this is a test?
And I deserve what I get?
Will I wake up with all the answers?

"Everybody's too afraid to be different,
Please excuse me now if I don't listen.

"Having sex is overrated,
So is always getting wasted,
Designer drugs and dead end jobs,
And classic rock is so outdated.
I'm so sick of therapy
And all the things it's done to me.
How can I be satisfied
When everything is overrated?…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Saint Patrick's Day

Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop
Dropkick Murphys, "Captain Kelly's Kitchen" from The Warrior's Code (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Dropkick Murphys, "World Full of Hate" from Blackout (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"The memories you build in the house on a hill,
Would you really change a thing?
Corrected mistakes in a world full of hate
Never changes anything.

"'Til the end like a friend stands by you again,
Toe to toe, friend or foe, it's all that I know,
'Til the end like a friend stands by you again,
And I wouldn't change a thing,
Toe to toe, friend or foe, it's all that I know,
And I wouldn't change a thing."

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Quadragesima Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 353.4 lbs.

The Queue: Quadragesima Edition

I finished Ut Unum Sint three weeks ago, on the eve of the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. I found this very poetic, especially in light of one of the closing articles of the encyclical (№ 97):

The Catholic Church, both in her praxis & in her solemn documents, holds that the communion of the particular Churches with the Church of Rome, & of their Bishops with the Bishop of Rome, is—in God's plan—an essential requisite of full & visible communion… This function of Peter must continue in the Church so that under her sole Head, who is Jesus Christ, she may be visibly present in the world as the communion of all his disciples.

I'm glad I live in an era when the Church is so committed to Christianity unity & highly recommend Ut Unum Sint to all persons of good will, especially Christians—Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, & Evangelical.

Depending on how slowly I read Eucharist, which I should have already finished by now, I might read A Devotional Journey into the Easter Mystery during the fifty days of the Eastertide. I'm reading Walking with God along with The Bible Timeline study I'm facilitating, which will also wrap up during Easter.

I plan to pair Reclaiming Vatican II with The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection, reading the major documents of the Council as Father Britton discusses each. This plan is the fruit of an interview with the author, who endorsed this very scheme. Depending on how all that goes, I may also jump two others books to the top of the queue, Xavier Rynne's Vatican Council II, an eyewitness account, & John W. O'Malley's What Happened at Vatican II, a contemporary (2008) assessment.

Recently
Ralph Martin, A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward
Robert Barron, Centered: The Spirituality of Word on Fire
Pope Saint John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint: On Commitment to Ecumenism

Currently
Robert Barron, Eucharist

Studiously
Tim Gray & Jeff Cavins, Walking with God: A Journey through the Bible

Presently
Christopher Carstens, A Devotional Journey into the Easter Mystery
Father Blake Britton, Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Says, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church
various, The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection
Xavier Rynne, Vatican Council II
John W. O'Malley, What Happened at Vatican II

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy" from A Place in the Sun (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"It's no surprise to me
I am my own worst enemy,
'Cause every now and then
I kick the living shit out of me…"

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXI

The Golden Gate Bridge—A suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate from San Francisco to Marin County, California, construction began on 5 January 1933 & the bridge opened on 27 May 1937; the world's longest & tallest suspension bridge in its day, initial design work had begun in 1917; the bridge deck was replaced 1982-1986 due to salt corrosion & today seismic retrofitting is ongoing.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Golden Gate Bridge
MU330, "San Francisco" from MU330 (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.