Astronomy: Muttnik

   

A depiction of a Muttnik in Soviet overtones by artist Richard S. Carbonneau. I must say the image maintains the cuteness of the dog while retaining the image and message of Soviet ideology and the pains and loneliness the dogs must have felt. Wow.

The song "Soap On Your Skin" by the Solids is pretty much stuck in my head. By the way, The Solids are also responsible for the music at the opening credits of How I Met Your Mother.

But that's not the main reason why I'm writing this post but here, do enjoy the music! I'll post on this #LSS of mine another time. 

The dog featured here is Muttnik. The same image is used in The Solids' album and in Carter Bays and Craig Thomas' sitcom, How I Met Your Mother

No, my reason for writing this post is because of Laika, the dog in the cover of their album. I saw the album cover and saw this adorable looking dog and that name - Muttnik! Soviet space dogs were called Muttniks by Americans -  a pun on the Sputniks they were placed in.

Laika (also called Kudryavka or "Litte Curly") is generally agreed to be some form of Husky and probably even have Terrier in her. She was taken from the streets and trained for space flight. The Soviets picked Moscow strays since they were able to endure rough and cold conditions. It was only revealed in 2002 that she died of overheating due to malfunction. She died on November 3, 1957. It took 45 years for the Russians to finally reveal her cause of death.

Monument of Laika in Moscow Russia. Picture taken from Google.

Here's to you Laika and to all the Space dogs and other animals who helped improve the safety standards and features of modern space travel. May they be remembered as heroes!

Poem: Harvest

Typhoon Glenda (International name Typhoon Rammasun) is about to hit the Archipelago. Though my region won't be hit directly, a typhoon will cause most of the country to share the same weather and not to mention an intensified monsoon. The current weather reminded me of an old poem I wrote on a stormy day while the movie 300 was showing on the television.  A friend even got the Greco-Roman feel in the poem.

Enclosed Wheat Field in the Rain or Rain by Vincent Van Gogh. Taken from Google.

I was thinking of re-posting an old poem that I am proud of as it was my first concise poem and a poem I had a friend and teacher check and edit for me.

Tickle the earth with a moment of great peace

Sending trickle torrents from grand albino fleece

Her rough palpable skin yearns his gentle caress

Pours love, dreams, initial outcry gropes, suppress

Thick cotton clumps , soaked drips, droplets, perspiration

The heavens hold endearing desperation

As liquid beauty lightly showers pleasing perfume

And hunger filled with the growing spring of life

As the war fulfills itself as the fog that sets strife

Spoils of the field puts asunder their short meeting

Dead drops now as life meets scythe upon the timely greeting

P.S. The italicized line: I want to keep it in the poem even if it doesn't rhyme with any other line.

Music: My Stupid Mouth

My stupid mouth

Has got me in trouble

I said too much again

Inside definitely wants out in this one.

This song  speaks to my soul. The acoustic version tears my heart to shreds, pushes me into clarity and speaks the truth about who I am (or who I try to be): Honest, sincere and beaming to the rim with things to talk about while being a listening ear and a ready shoulder. However, this stupid mouth is a bumbling idiot who is awkward and prone to mistakes fueled by selfish desires that usually end up compromising the good things that could be left alone or be allowed to develop. Aggressive is the word.

Again, I feature John Mayer.

My. Stupid. Mouth. 

No filter in my head. Oh, what's a boy to do I guess he better find one!

I leave you with my favorite lyrics of the song as an attempt to somehow justify myself. There's no justifying being an idiot though. Learn. Even if I am in the right in this case. Not really. Sigh

One more thing

Why is it my fault?

So maybe I try too hard

But it's all because of this desire

Just wanna be liked

Just wanna be funny

Looks like the joke's on me

So call me "Captain Backfire"

Awesome superhero name right? CAPTAIN BACKFIRE.

Trivia: July

Beware the Ides of March.

                - From Plutarch's Parallel Lives. Also found  dramatized in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

July is the month named in honor of Julius Caesar by decree of the Senate of the Roman Republic.

I worry when this month comes around and I don't really know why. The warning of Julius Caesar's betrayal and assassination is traditionally associated with March, made more popular and dramatic thanks to the writings of Shakespeare but this over-thinker cannot separate the fact that this month is named after the great Roman leader. Sure, the ides of this month are still a few days off but there's just something about July I cannot just shake off.

Every month has an Ides to it, much commonly known as the 15th or 13th of every month, depending on the month. It merely means the middle of a month.

Oh hey trivia! By the way, August is named after Augustus Caesar or Octavian, Julius Caesar's heir and the first Roman Emperor.

Reflection: Music is Inspiring

The quote I wanted to put was "Music is the answer to the mystery of life. The most profound of all the arts, it expresses the deepest thoughts of life." from Either/Or but this one is also good so I put this one anyway. Image taken from izquotes.com

     Listening to some piano pieces and songs, both secular and religious, I remembered that time I started talking to this classmate I had, who is now a dear friend. Of all days to start talking and getting to know each other, it was on the last day of class. We were talking about Agnosticism and Atheism and I said this: (non verbatim but something to the same effect)

"Deny God, the metaphysical and the supernatural but I believe you cannot just deny the spirit that is in music."

     Then I remembered what Schopenhauer said about music. Hmm, that pessimist seems to have a flare of romanticism (in the colloquial and philosophical senses of the word) in talking about music as the most profound of the arts.

     Simply put, music is inspiring.

  P.S. I was listening to some Chopin and piano instrumentals by the Jesuit Music Ministry's Lauds