The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Barenaked Ladies, "Who Needs Sleep?" from Stunt (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I don't experience insomnia, thank the Lord. The times I don't get enough sleep are because I stay up too late trying to get "one more thing" done. "One more thing" is of course rarely only one thing.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXXI

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part XV
Clifton Curtis "C.C." Williams Junior (26 September 1932-5 October 1967), Major, U.S. Marine Corps—He was scheduled to fly as L.M.P. of Apollo 12 (1969, Yankee Clipper & Intrepid) & would have been the fourth Moonwalker, but he died in a T-38 Talon crash; he was the first bachelor astronaut, who married the summer after being selected; his second child was born eight months after his death.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Fourteen—C.C. Williams
Sufjan Stevens, "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On, Feel the Illinoise (A.K.A. Illinois) (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of C.C. Williams
"The Explorers' Club," No. CMVI: In Memoriam C.C. Williams

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Fourteen
"The Explorers' Club," No. CMLXXXVI: Astronaut Group 3 (Part I)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXIV: Dave Scott (Part II)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXXIII: Gene Cernan (Part III)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXXV: Michael Collins (Part IV)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXXVII: Dick Gordon (Part V)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXXXII: Buzz Aldrin (Part VI)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXXXVIII: Donn Eisele (Part VII)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXLI: Walt Cunningham (Part VIII)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MXLVII: Bill Anders (Part IX)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLIII: Rusty Schweickart (Part X)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLVIII: Al Bean (Part XI)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLXIV: Ted Freeman (Part XII)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLXVI: Charlie Bassett (Part XIII)
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLXXV: Roger Chaffee (Part XIV)

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the IV Sunday o' Lent

The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima; Laetare Sunday)
Cake, "Pretty Pink Ribbon" from Comfort Eagle (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: At my territorial parish, I served as reader; we read the Cycle C readings. The Gospel pericope was the Parable of the Prodigal Son from Saint Luke's Gospel. At my parish of choice, there is a catechuman preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil; so, we read the Cycle A "Scrutiny Readings." The Gospel pericope was our Blessed Savior's healing of the man born blind from Saint John's Gospel.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead" from "Weird Al" Yankovic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I had a very productive morning: I worshiped the Lord at daily Mass, went to the library, went to the green grocer, went to the bank, picked up a item I had carelessly left behind yesterday, & picked up from the fishmonger & put away the fish for next Friday's Fish Fry. (We receive the Atlantic cod [Gadus morhua] frozen & slowly thaw it over the course of six days.) I had a less productive afternoon: I took a nap after lunch.

This is my first Saturday "at home" in a month & a half: Four consecutive Saturdays hosting the Knights of Columbus Bowling Tournament, then the Anchor Conference (middle-school kids), then the Ignite Conference (men). All this on top of my normal schedule & the Fish Fry. I'll be mellow when I'm dead, yes, but I needed today very badly; I've been running on fumes.

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

Project OSPREY: Team 108
N.C.A.A. Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
(№ 5) Michigan v. Auburn (№ 1)
28-9, B1G 14-6

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "El Victors Caliente" from Forever Valiant (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Cards on the table, I did not think the valiant Wolverines of Team 108 would make it to the second weekend of "March Madness," to the "Sweet Sixteen." Well done, gentlemen. Tonight's tilt is a tough nut to crack: the epithetless Tigers of Auburn University are the № 1 overall seed, not just the № 1 seed in the regional quadrant. But these valiant Wolverines, if they play their game, have a puncher's chance against anyone.

Go Blue!

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Potshot, "Every Rain Lets Up" from 'Til I Die (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whalesucker)

Commentary: I hope the weather forecast is wrong, as it so often is.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXX

The Grumman X-29: An experimental aircraft with forward-swept wings that flew test flights from 1984-1991; a joint program of N.A.S.A., the U.S. Air Force, & D.A.R.P.A., the X-29 was composed of parts from the F-5 Freedom Fighter & the F-16 Fighting Falcon, with carbon-fiber wings; the design was inherently dynamically unstable, but the expected exceptional agility was not observed in testing.

Commentary: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (D.A.R.P.A.) is the U.S. Department of Defense's research & development agency; yes, the D.O.D. has a "mad science" division.

Today, the two X-29s are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio & N.A.S.A.'s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. I had a toy of the X-29 when I was a boy, but I don't know if it's still somewhere in my parents house or if at some point it was thrown away.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Dangerous Leon!" from Kooky Spooky… In Stereo! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:

"I don't know why he leads a perilous life,
But to him it's alright,
And I don't know why the villains always come at the worst time,
Day and night.
Part of his day, tryin' not to get annihilated,
And I must say, there must be a reason why
He's such a great guy!

"I don't know how he can prioritize
To get the bad guys,
And I don't know how he always makes it on time
To thwart every crime.
Part of his day, tryin' not to get annihilated,
And I've got to say, I've got to say, there must be a reason
Why they call him—

"Dangerous! Dangerous Leon!
Dangerous! Dangerous Leon!

"Fighting for justice,
Staying on a budget,
Nice to your mom,
But don't get me wrong,
They call him, they call him,
They call him dangerous!…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Billy Preston, "Nothing from Nothing" from Elf: Music from the Major Motion Picture (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

New Found Glory, "The Promise" from From the Screen to Your Stereo, Part II (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Annunciation

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

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXIX

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 9
21-24 March 1965: Ranger 9 lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Agena rocket, tasked to photograph & then impact the Lunar surface; the midcourse correction burn was successful; all six television cameras functioned perfectly, broadcasting live, & returned 5,814 photographs of the Moon for nineteen minutes until Ranger 9 crashed into the Alphonsus Crater.

Commentary: After six consecutive Ranger failures, due to problems with both launch vehicles & spacecraft, the last three Ranger missions were unqualified successes, providing close-up views with unprecedented resolution of the lunar surface. Ranger (1961-1965) set the stage for the Surveyor lander (1966-1968) & Lunar Orbiter (1966-1967) programs, all in preparation for the Apollo Moon landings (1969-1972).

During Ranger 9's kamikaze mission to the Moon (21-24 March 1965), Gemini 3 conducted the manned test flight of the Gemini capsule (23 March). Busy days at Cape Kennedy, with less than five years left to meet the namesake president's goal of landing men on the Moon & returning them safely to the Earth.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Ranger Program
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXVI: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 1
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLII: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 2
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXIV: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 3
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXXI: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 4
"The Explorers' Club," № CMIX: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 5
"The Explorers' Club," № MIV: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 6
"The Explorers' Club," № MXXXIX: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 7
"The Explorers' Club," № MLXXIII: The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 8

Ex Luna, scientia.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Callin' In Sick" from Bad Hair Day (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I did not call in sick, but I am carrying a box of facial tissues with me at all times.

The Explorers' Club Special

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Gemini 3
23 March 1965: Gemini 3 lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, carrying Command Pilot Virgil "Gus" Grissom & Pilot John Young aboard the Gemini spacecraft Molly Brown atop a Titan II G.L.V. rocket; during three orbits, they were the first crew to maneuver their spacecraft in orbit & ate a contraband corned beef sandwich smuggled by Young; they were recovered by the U.S.S. Intrepid.

Wayback Machine: № DCCCXXXIX, "The Space Race—The 55th Anniversary of Gemini 3"

Commentary: The two-man Gemini capsule was affectionately known as the "Gusmobile" because Grissom—the shortest member of the "Mercury Seven," Astronaut Group 1—had played a role in its development & its dimensions well suited his small stature. Project Gemini began development long after the Apollo Program, when it was realized that the limits of the Mercury capsule had been met & that new flight techniques & mission control methods needed to be developed in order for Apollo to achieve its lofty goals. Gemini is very much the forgogtten middle child between the pioneering Mercury & the historic Apollo, but Gemini on its own merits is also when the United States took over the lead of the Space Race from the Soviet Union, achieving new endurance records & perfecting orbital rendezvous & docking.

At the time, March 2020, "The Explorers' Club" was in the midst of the fiftieth anniversaries of the Apollo Moon landings, plus catching up on the fifty-somethingth anniversaries of the pre-Moon landing Apollo missions. We'd missed the fiftieth anniversaries of Project Gemini (2015-2016, when the Great War all but wholly consumed "The Explorers' Club") & I was unwilling to wait for the sixtieth anniversaries tocome around (right now-2026); so, we settled in the fifty-fifth anniverary compromise. I'm looking forward to revisiting the ten Gemini missions over this year & next, & I hope you'll join me.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the III Sunday o' Lent

The Third Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima)
Sam Cooke, "Jesus Gave Me Water" from the Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964 compilation (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: At my parish, there is a catechuman preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil; so, we read the "Scrutiny Readings," the Cycle A readings instead of the standard Cycle C readings. The Gospel pericope was our Blessed Savior's conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
N.C.A.A. Tournament, Second Round
(№ 5) Michigan v. Texas A&M (№ 4)
27-9, B1G 14-6

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, "Get Out of Denver" from the Bonus E.P. (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: The epithetless Aggies are another nightmare matchup for the valiant Wolverines, a club whose strengths corresponds to our weaknesses. Texas A&M are the best defensive team in the country & excellent offensive rebounders. Survive & advance is the name of the game at this point.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Littlest Man Band, "Better Man" from Better Book Ends (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Today is the Ignite Catholic Men's Conference; this was formerly the diocesan men's conference, but it is now a joint venture between the Diocese of Lansing & the Archdiocese of Detroit (& the Knights of Columbus). I'm running on fumes after four consecutive weekends of the Knights of Columbus Bowling Tournament, the Lenten Fish Fry, & last weekend's Anchor Catholic Middle School Conference in Grand Rapids, in addition to the rest of an already busy life. I hope this event will be spiritually uplifting & revitalizing, because I really need it to be.

"I'm just trying to be a better man…"

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "King of Suede" from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Mike Papa Whitefish)

Commentary: Every Lent, I become temporarily a small business owner—a very small business, one that is only open seven days a year, & only six this year. Never in my life have I wanted to be a small business owner; I was perfectly content when I was just the French fry guy. I never wanted authority, I had authority thrust upon me.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "She's Not the End of the World" from Candy Coated Fury (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"But how can I eat?
How can I breathe?
How can I sleep if she's not with me?
Oh, she feels like the end of the world!…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
N.C.A.A. Tournament, First Round
(№ 5) Michigan v. U.C. San Diego (№ 12)
26-9, B1G 14-6

Suburban Legends, "Under the Sea" from Day Job (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: The epithetless Tritons of the University of California, San Diego are a nightmare matchup for the valiant Wolverines: U.C. San Diego turn their opponents over on twenty per cent (20%) of possessions & Michigan is a veritable turnover factory, averaging a B1G worst fourteen per game. However, not all is lost: in two of their three B1G Tournament games, the valiant Wolverines turned the ball over significantly below their average.

The seeding in this N.C.A.A. Tournament is a scandal. The valiant Wolverines finished the regular season tied for second in the B1G, ahead of Wisconsin & Purdue; yet, Michigan is a five seed (№ 5), Purdue is a four seed (№ 4), & Wisconsin is a preposterous three seed (№ 3). Michigan beat Wisconsin on the road in the regular season & split with Purdue, each club winning at home. Michigan then defeated both Purdue & Wisconsin in the B1G Tournament. Why on both Wisconsin & Purdue seeded ahead of Michigan? I call shenanigans!

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the First Day o' Spring

"The cruel, hot summer
led into the long, hard fall,
becoming the dark, killing winter
until spring replenished us all."
—Bill Willingham, Fables

The Vernal Equinox
Suburban Legends, "Bright Spring Morning" from Rump Shaker (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

MxPx, "Biting the Bullet (Is Bad for Business)" from Secret Weapon (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"She's so calm, yet so confused,
She don't know she's being used,
She tries so hard, but it makes no difference,
'Cause biting the bullet is bad for business…"

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

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

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXVIII

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
18 March 1925: The Great Tri-State Tornado—A massive tornado perdured for almost four hours & traversed 219 miles, carving a path of destruction across Missouri, Illinois, & Indiana; 695 souls were lost; the tornado, an E.F.5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, was described as an "amorphous rolling fog," the funnel obscured by heavy rain & debris, catching many weather-wise farmers off guard.

Lest we forget.

Bonus! Song o' the Day after Saint Patrick's Day

Flogging Molly, "Drunken Lullabies" from Drunken Lullabies (Mike Papa Irish Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Less Than Jake, "Surrender" from Anthem (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I prefer L.T.J.'s cover of "Surrender" to Cheap Trick's original version.

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

The Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop
Dropkick Murphys, "(F)lannigan's Ball" from The Meanest of Times (Mike Papa Irish Whiskey)

Commentary: Based on the Irish folk song "Lanigan's Ball."

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
B1G Tournament Champions
(№ 3) Michigan 59-53 Wisconsin (№ 5)
26-9, B1G 14-6

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "The Victors" from Forever Valiant (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Cards on the table, I did not expect the valiant Wolverines of Team 108 to win a single game in the B1G Tournament, much less the three games in three days to win the B1G Tournament championship. I am enjoying being wrong. I have not been blogging about Michigan Men's Basketball, but then again I haven't been blogging about much of anything. I watched most of the games after football season ended; so, I am allowed to enjoy this.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the II Sunday o' Lent

The Second Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima)
Sufjan Stevens, "The Trasnfiguration (Home Demo Version)" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On, Feel the Illinoise (A.K.A. Illinois) (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

King Apparatus, "Hold Me Down" from King Apparatus (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Well, you tried, but you won't be satisfied,
Until you hold me down.
You can hold but not control me, girl,
You can't hold me down.
Come on, try and try, but you gonna find
You can't hold me down,
Because better than you have tried and failed
To hold me down, I'm leaving town!

"You can't hold me,
You can't hold me,
You can't hold me down…"

The Rebel Black Song o' the Ides o' March

Operation AXIOM: The 2,069th Anniversary of the Assassination of Julius Caesar
Goldfinger, "Put the Knife Away" from The Knife (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Take On Me" from BASEketball: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I heard the original on the radio today & my thoughts immediately went to the far superior cover by the Reel Big Fish.

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Wally Dogger, "I.T. Is for Rockstars" from I Surrender, When Do I Start? (Mike Papa Whelk)

Commentary: Typically, my co-chairman misses approximately one-third of a season's fish fries. These days are especially stressful because I have to do most of his job in addition to all of my regular responsibilities. I called him because our online payment app wasn't loading & the tablet wasn't re-starting as instructed. (The eventually successful re-start solved the issue.) He answered the phone by asking, "What did you break?" He was trying to lighten things up, but I wasn't in the mood for it.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Barenaked Ladies, "Maybe Katie" from Everything to Everyone (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"What's so maybe about,
What's so maybe about,
What's so maybe about Katie?…"

The Explorers' Club Special: March 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
After a one-episode break from the grimness of 1914-1918, March 2015 was exclusively devoted to the Great War. Episodes focused on the Western Front, the Eastern Front, the final end of Germany's Asian colonies, & the beginning of the Gallipolli Campaign.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: March 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXIV: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10-13 March 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXV: The Battle of Más a Tierra (14 March 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXVI: The Battle of 18 March 1915 (The Gallipolli Campaign, Part I)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXVII: The Siege of Przemyśl (24 September 1914-22 March 1915)

Lest we forget.

Bonus! Song o' Trivia Night

Project Mercator: Trivia Night @ Saint Matthew
The Dendrites, "Never Knowingly Serious" from the Fly Casual E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Trivia Night is such a delight.

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town" from Jailbreak (Mike Papa Walleye)

Commentary: This is the season-opening fish fry, because the traditional pre-Ash Wednesday "warm up" was deep-sixed by the fundraising dinner/auction of a local independent Catholic school. The dinner/auction was Saturday night; so, why they needed to do all their set up on Friday, precluding our use of the hall, is beyond me.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Atlantis
6 March 1985: The Space Shuttle Atlantis OV-104 rolled out of the North American Rockwell factory in Palmdale, California; she flew thirty-three missions from 1985-2011, launching the Magellan (to Venus) & Galileo (to Jupiter) interplanetary probes, launching the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory & servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, & flying the final flight of the Space Shuttle, S.T.S.-135.

Commentary: The Atlantis was the last Orbiter of the original Space Shuttle fleet; the sixth & final Orbiter, the Endeavour, was not commissioned until 1991, six years later. The Atlantis has been on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex since the retirement of the fleet in 2011.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: The Space Shuttle Atlantis
Super Boat Warp, "Farewell Atlantis" from the Fire All Weapons! E.P. (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.