The headache started with a glass of wine for lunch, and I think I have developed a sensitivity to sulfides. It made the afternoon and evening harder. I will try to keep hydrated and avoid alcohol.
I rose early on Saturday as I had an opera at the local movie house. It was time for the Met Live in HD broadcasts of El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego at 10 local time for the NYC 1:00 matinee showing at the Met. This was the only one I caught in this season of broadcasts; my travels to this point had overlapped some of the dates, and I became inattentive and missed a few. I saw a reminder for the show in a movie preview and bought a ticket only a few days ahead (and ended up in the second row from the screen, but it worked, and I have sat here before). Someday I will have to have an Opera Saturday for the church and get a group, and maybe a Sunday School class on the opera.
I made coffee, grabbed a yogurt, and swallowed that as I rushed. I wrote a few hundred words in the blog, recalling the events of Friday quickly today, which is not always easy, and saved the text to finish later. Dressed in a T-shirt, as this was a movie theater, not The Met, and boarded Air VW the Gray with a 50% charge, and spent a percent to get to the Century Theater. It is assigned seating, and I sat alone in my nearly front-row seat. I was only ten minutes early. A few other folks grabbed the end, but I was alone. I enjoy being with friends at these events, but also the quiet of being single.
The first act surprised me with how wonderfully bright, full of dance, and the opera was filled with haunting music. The story of the Day of the Dead and the release of Frida from the Realm of Death for this special moment. It introduces Diego first, and he is heavy now (there are lots of jokes about that), and his appearance at the Day of the Dead celebration, and begs Frida to cross over. A contra-tenor plays a dead person who cross-dresses as Greta Garbo, Orlando, and the ruler of the land, wonderfully played and sung as a sassy woman in a bones costume and skull face, only lets Orlando out when Frida agrees to cross over too. I was mesmerized by the colors, singing, music, staging, and the emotions of the first act.
It is a modern opera, and the breaks included interviews with the creators, and they discussed how the opera works in their minds. The singers, too, were interviewed, and we, as The Met Live in HD audience, also get to watch the set changes. I got some kettle corn, but I couldn’t finish it because the sugar high was too much.
The second act felt somewhat flat at first, but it slowly built to an incredible ending with Diego’s death (it is an opera, after all). Frida refuses Diego as he tortured her in life (the words from the opera) and will not have that pain back. She painted to stop from killing Diego or herself; her art consumed her pain. She returns to life not for Diego but the colors; she misses the colors in death. At the end, both shades now and all their pain fading, they finally hold hands, and the opera ends. Not forgiveness, but now, as shades, pain and anguish are behind them.
I cried and relived Susie’s passing as Diego passed on stage, but I was not hurt by those memories. I felt more at peace this time. Of late, I have had stray thoughts of how I could have saved Susie by getting the diagnosis of heart issues before the strokes, how I could have pushed more rehab, and all the usual replay your mind does, freely mixing grief and guilt (shaken but not stirred). I know it is grief (and survivor’s guilt) and yet another phase of acceptance (from Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross), but it does not make it easier (which Ms. Kübler-Ross said in her studies). Many folks who have faced the death of loved ones have told me it never stops. You keep going. I keep going. Deborah spots the hard days and is supportive. Susie’s mother, Leta, helps too.
Aside: My only psychology class, honors version as a freshman at Central Michigan University, by a practitioner, and I still draw from what I learned back in the 80s. It was a very difficult class. I remember doing well, but the tests were a nightmare of memorization.
I was dizzy from sitting in the dark and a sugar high, and drove the short distance to the other side of the strip mall that includes the theater, and tried Pastini. This is a chain, but this specific one at Cedar Hills seems better to me. Salads and garlic bread seem expertly made. I tried the meatball with pasta and found it industrial. The meatball was excellent, but the sauce reminded me of something from a can; my tastes are not what they were, and this could be a personal issue. I will stick to the Carbonara for here out. I ordered wine (and a headache) with my garlic bread. The salad was great.
Corwin called and was stopping by. I agreed, spacing I needed to get food at Costco, and waited for him, and he arrived with Hank the Dog. Corwin and I played the Cthulhu Pandemic board game and just missed closing all the gates, losing. Seldom have I played when Cthulhu appears (the stars were right) and ended the game. At least we went out spectacularly with the world being destroyed by the elder god.
I headed to McDonald’s on the way to Richard’s in Portland for a quick dinner and remembered I needed to get the sandwiches. I rushed to Costco. I managed to get the sandwiches and a meat-and-cheese platter with grapes. I then rushed back to the house and dropped off the platter and sandwiches. Corwin was cooking the spare pork chop I suggested he cook for dinner, and I managed to catch Hank before he bolted outside. With that problem resolved, I drove to Richard’s and arrived about ten minutes late. The traffic was low (It is the Rose Festival Parade weekend), and I was surprised, estimating 45 minutes late.
Today, my first time playing a Settlers of Catan brand game, Starfarers, and Richard did the teach for the game, and we soon were playing. The rules and structure are clear, and we were off. I started by dropping some colonies, not realizing how the resource generation worked, and just happened to have good numbers. I tried most things, but noticed Richard was playing a different game with upgrades. Laura (there were three of us) got a lucky break, and her ship jumped to the other side of the board. She was colonizing like me.
Richard won with my scoring three back, and Laura was just a point behind. Overall, I liked the game, and it plays fast. It sells for about $107 for a new copy (there are two add-ons for about $55 each). I passed on another play, but we did play the card game Flip 7, and Laura beat me by a few points. With the last game done, I headed out while Richard was heads down on some Kickstarter. There is always another game out there getting upgraded or reprinted (often with a super-sized box and premium components).
My return home was uneventful. Corwin was watching cable and the last season of Daredevil; it was a bank robbery story, and I did not remember much about it. We enjoyed that together, and then Corwin and Hank headed out. I ordered a prescription that would run out during my upcoming trip.
I snuggled into my bed, read more American Civil War history, then turned off the light and fell asleep.
Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:
BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.
With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.
ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.
HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public
Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs
Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 