The Buzz: The Pope, He's One of Us!
Plus, 'A Sampler Platter Of Loud Vehicles'
Quote
“Canos Nostros Ipse Comedit.”
— Latin on the marquee of the Wieners Circle, a famous Chicago hot dog eatery. Translation: “He himself has eaten our dogs.”
Pontiff, Party of Five
Chicago loves Pope Leo, and so do we. He American-ness is only now beginning to hit home. It’s classic how he called his brother last week and scolded him: “Why don’t you answer your phone?” Pope’s brother: “I’ve been dealing with reporters on my front lawn. I didn’t hear the phone. And you should know, you’re on the air right now.” Pause. His Holiness: “I am?” Then there’s this photo, shared by radio great Mark Scott: the pope, in a pizza joint with pals. Chicago isn’t far from here, so naturally there’s a Buffalo connection — a friend of a friend, somethng like that. The details don’t matter. What matters is the vibe: the pope, in a pizza place, surrounded by buddies. He is one of us!
This old house
You have just a few more days to catch the Decorators Show House at the George Urban Mansion, which Buzz explored and loved. One plus — though it’s the oldest Show House ever, and it has ties to Buffalo politics, and one decorator designed a bedroom around a shark, we can say pretty definitely that the house is not haunted. A friend went Friday. Ascending the staircase, she was ambushed by a wall of garlic. She shrank back. Another guest covered her nose. Turns out, the Show House was playing host to a cooking demo. “Why couldn’t I have gone the day before?” our friend wailed. “They were making cookies.” Sure, but cookies don’t ward off Dracula. Garlic wins the day — and clears the room.
Bless This Blunder
Touring Mount Calvary Cemetery last week, Buzz learned that the name came about thanks to the bishop consecrating the grounds way back when. He called it Mount Calvary, and so it stayed. Except, of course, when folks say Mount Cavalry. It is one of the great Catholic mix-ups, up there with Our Lady of Mount Caramel (you mean Carmel). And it’s not going anywhere! Wandering Forest Lawn the other day, Buzz mentioned to a couple of birders that we had seen a Baltimore Oriole at Mount Calvary. They looked puzzled, so we explained, “It’s a big cemetery in Cheektowaga,” we explained. Then the woman brightened. “Oh,” she said. “Mount Cavalry!”
Vroom With a View
Buffalonians celebrate spring with their loudest cars and motorcycles. Buzz tried to flee the cacophony on the Moondance, the catamaran that takes you far enough out on Lake Erie for the deafening city to fade into memory. But we couldn’t outrun it. Pulling away from shore, we heard first one roaring motor — then another — and another — until the lake echoed with the sound of combustion. Our friend Zachary Jenney, also on board, summed it up cheerfully: “A sampler platter of loud vehicles.”
The buzz
The pope’s brother John is single, and Buzz would like to extend an invitation — to Johnny D’s at the Hyatt Regency on a Friday, when Howard, the guy we married, holds court at happy hour. We know some wonderful women who are single, Catholic, and charming as can be. Surely we can set something up!
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You had me at garlic. Oh, the obnoxious sound of loud ICE engines. The newer residents of our subdivision don't understand the meaning of community. One of their more egregious acts is to have the loudest exhaust on their jacked up trucks and rev the engines as hard as possible.