The Pope has passed away

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

He's gonna melt like a chocolate bunny in the window of a Winabego.

On another level: I've heard that the recently dead sometimes have involuntary movement. Like, what would happen if suddenly the Pope's legs flew up, or if his arm swung out or even worse if he passed some gas (aka fart) during one of those quiet moments.

We'd see it all on CNN. One more reason to watch...

[Prudence]

I watched lots of pope funeral coverage today. Here are my thoughts:

From the angel on one shoulder -- the Catholic Church is this amazing and enduring structure overlaid on top of shifting political boundaries. Its leader is appointed, not elected, and reigns until death or resignation. While I was watching today, I had this momentary feeling of history -- of feeling the panic just under the surface my ancestors somewhere must have felt when their leaders died -- papal or political. That's an enormous seat of power and it's empty. Will the transition be smooth? What will the next leader be like? There's anticipation, eagerness, and most clearly -- fear. The amazing shared experience of ritual is comforting as it manifests a sense of community necessary to successful transition to a new era.

The devil on the other shoulder says: Hey! That one guy carrying the coffin is super hot! At the end of the service, he was second from the feet on the pope's left. (Heck, I think the rest of them were much older.)