A palindromic date after a week of palindromic dates, and still a couple days to go. Next year it will happen for ten days in August.

‘Tis a fine blue sky on a Monday here. Which is a hopeless segue into the song “Blue Monday” by New Order. If you don’t know the song (and unless you’re under the age of 20, how couldn’t you? Did your parents hate good music?), give it a listen.

It was redone a few years later, sounding a bit different and released at “Blue Monday 88” (another palindromic number, if only just barely),* which also garnered much airplay.

Taking it to an ultra-blue level, Orkestra Obsolete has covered the song in retro style using only 1930s instruments.

Jazzy, in an art-deco-on-acid kind of way.

• 1988, or “88,” is an unusual number, given that 1+9+8+8=26 and 2+6=8. And the 8s are sideways Infinity symbols. No, there’s no point to this information.