Goodbye Francis

I watched a little of the funeral for the late Pope Francis. I remember seeing on TV the old movie The Shoes of the Fisherman when I was a child, and learning that there is a pope and an election. The more recent Conclave is a fun set of twists and turns, more like a Cold War spy movie (George Smiley as a cardinal). Dan Brown gets credit, too, for this movie, Angels & Demons. And the Godfather III movie includes papal intrigue. There is also a comedy in which an unknown was selected by accident, The Pope Must Diet. And lastly, The Road to Gandolfo is a comedy spy book that includes kidnapping a pope by the thriller writer Robert Ludlum (originally published under another name as it was too zany for his usual audience)–I enjoyed it years ago.

The point is that I experience the papacy and its election through books and movies. It seems unreal to me, obviously, I am not Catholic. However, one of the items on my list is the “Dan Brown Tour of Rome.”

I will miss Francis’s attempt to merge kindness and discipline. It seemed more of a personal struggle for Francis, who then extended it to the Catholic Church. I wish the conclave well and am betting on Cardinal Parolin, an Italian. He would continue Francis’s work as he is the head diplomat of the Holy See and an insider.

I rose late on Saturday, after 7:30, and the sun again appeared. I had turned off the heat and AC as we are now in the in-between times in Oregon. The house was just getting cold. It was another bright and sunny day in Oregon, which seemed more like California than April in the Pacific Northwest.

I started on the blog, rejoiced that coffee awaited me (I assembled it the night before and set the timer), and started on the blog in the office. My morning started with a text from Deborah, and we also talked for a while. I wrote fast, but at 9ish I showered and all that to make my show.

Today, Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) was shown locally in theaters at 10. The Met in NYC broadcasts and records the matinee show for some of its operas. Today, the Met used a spinning stage but revised the story to a 1930s look with suits, dresses, and even hairstyles, but no smoking. It was my first time seeing this Mozart opera. Though I thought it dragged a bit in the second half, it was fun, lovely music, and an enjoyable 4.5 hours.

The sound was troubled, the broadcast started too quiet, and it was not in sync for much of the show. I read the words often, so I did not see that problem. There were some dropped frames here and there. They gave rain checks to the audience. Still, I enjoyed the Opera and will try to make some more. I got a small bag of popcorn for the second half.

I was at loose ends for a few hours. I thought about heading to Portland for lunch, but instead found the Cedar Hills McMenamins and got a seat at the bar not far from the open door. My sweater vest worked as the desert wind was cold while the sun was hot. We often get cold winds from the high deserts; in the winter, it can be 20°F winds on a 30-40°F day. It will kill any tender plants. Thus, smarter gardeners plant those near the house and out of the wind.

I had a beer with fish and chips. While I sat at the bar, eating, I wrote the rest of the blog. I use my iPhone’s HotSpot for the Internet, never trusting the local connections.

I was late for lunch, about 2ish, and ordered dessert and coffee. The lemon cake was OK, but the berries with it were a mess. I thought we did better in Detroit at the cooking class. It was not as lovely, as often happens, as the picture.

I boarded Air VW the Gray and dared the Sunset Highway (26) on a sunny, warm Saturday. It was slow, but there were no accidents or construction, and I was surprised to quickly arrive at Guardian Games in SE Portland. There, I looked at the games and other role-playing game (RPG) items. I found a cheap ($23) stapled book adventure for the SciFi Horror RPG, Nietzsche’s Demon.

It was still early, and I was still at loose ends. I took the VF to Cargo’s parking. I saw that the Hair of the Dog bar, which once shared the parking, was defunct. The establishment was a favorite that did not come back strong after the pandemic and appears to be finally gone. Before the plague, their beer and food were proud and well executed. I remember the Chuck Norris Duck Wings were spicy–they had a kick. I had forgotten my hat there, and a week later, I found they were holding it for me; the bar will be missed!

When they reopened, the food was awful, and the beer was expensive. They did not last long. On Saturday, I walked by the For Rent sign, and a guy was sitting at the table drinking and looking unhappy. I almost stopped, but I decided I wanted to remember the place as I remembered it.

Instead, I entered Cargo. This store is a mix of imports, antiques, and miscellaneous paper items. I found some cards and breath mints in an Ouija-style. However, resisted some of the cool wall hangings and their new travel book section.

Next door is Malpractice, a high-end cocktail bar. I met the owner, Rick, and he had no recommendations. I picked something from their online menu: a boozy and interesting mixed beeswax and bourbon drink with hints of peach. A bit of mint was placed on a clip on the super-thin, tiny glass bowl-like martini glass. I would breathe in mint as I sipped, not mix it into the drink. It was a perfect fit. While not cheap, the drink was good, and I would like to try others. There is light food to go with the drinks. I will be back!

After giving out my cards, I headed back to the EV and traveled to Richard’s place. Soon, we were repeating the same board game as last time: Stupor Mundi, a deck-building and resource management game. I watched Richard have perfect combinations and score 50% higher than the next person. Yikes!

The game appears more like a race to get the perfect combination than an efficiency game. I struggled with my setup, and Kathleen said it was difficult when she played it. Each player has special superpowers and can acquire more. Blue, the side I was playing, was weak. I managed to just stay in third place with some misplays at the start as I had some trouble reading some cards and process. I was more careful for the rest of the game and watched Kathleen struggle a few times. It was not just me.

While I will play it, Stupor Mundi will not be in my collection. Victory is based on knowing what combinations to grab that complement your color’s special abilities. You then efficiently use your unstoppable advantage to win. Not that interesting to me, but my complaints may be unfair. I have played the game twice and still have not gotten it into my head. After the game, we talked politics, and I got home safe late in the VW. I had trouble sleeping and woke before sunrise at 5:30. I did turn the heat on as it was cold tonight (30s).

Thanks for reading.