Finally!

Saturday afternoon, while the air conditioner people were working outside on our unit, a mighty thunderstorm rolled through our neighborhood. The sky grew suddenly dark, strong winds blew rain and leafy twigs horizontally, and lightning struck so close that there was almost no gap between it and the shattering thunder. One of those bolts hit the tower from which our antenna delivers our internet service. They had to replace their tower, so service just resumed a few hours ago - not sure exactly when because I slept pretty well last night.

It was a long four and a half days. I missed the blogs most of all, both mine and yours. But at least I had Sarah Palin and everyone's reaction to her to keep me company. I have enjoyed the coverage quite a lot. I was not "energized" before this. My first impression - a more Republican Sally Field.

I also caught Rick Warren's interviews of Obama and McCain Sunday night, which Fox rebroadcast. Sarah made me give him a look as I had not followed the primary speeches at all. Thus I had also missed Thompson, Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee's presentations. But I don't think I would have been as impressed with them as I was in the context of their fun defense of Sarah Palin during this convention. It wasn't knight in shining armor defense of a helpless, trapped female, it was ontologically natural male and female dynamics, which I can't explain, but which all seem glad and relieved to finally participate in.

Not that that's all I cared about. I now care about John McCain. Sarah mentioned something about the qualities that suffering can engender in a person. Not just compassion, but a certain independent wisdom. Sarah seems to have it too, but the only thing that I've heard from her past that would bring it, is the broken foot she played on to win state as she captained her high school basketball team, or maybe her recent maternal challenges contributed, but it seems to be more fundamental than that. I'm glad John McCain and his friends shared more about his experiences. There's always the criticism that people are "parading" their troubles for selfish gain, but I don't see things so black and white. We must all balance our tendency to self-promote, with being open and real with people. It's tough, but I think people know when someone comes across as self-absorbed to the point of walking over others without conscience, lying, and changing their personality to gain advantage (Clinton), and those who almost grudgingly share their story because they want to connect with people on a more personal level. We are story-telling people, and that's how we relate to each other. Not that ideology doesn't have it's place, but stories give ideas context. I love first-person narrative, and if it gives the speaker points, what's so bad about that? We want to root for someone and that's ok.

I'm looking at pictures on Fox of John McCain returning from Vietnam with his injuries right now. Crutches, limping, stiff arms and all. I so admire his spirit to encourage others while he was being tortured - encouraging them to endure it with resolve. That testing matters. Some caved, but some didn't because of him I'm sure. And I like how he's more comfortable with being outside than inside with the crowd, even though he's apparently got the respect and friendship of some pretty respectable people. He's proven that he's not self-serving throughout his political career, even if I haven't agreed with his party-line-defying endeavors. I'm starting to trust him. Maybe he wont be war-mongering like I've feared without much information. Listening to anti-war people, Orthodox and not, has made me rethink issues of defense, but I have to say, Sarah Palin and reviewing John McCain has reaffirmed to me that there is a time and place, though not well-handled by George Bush I guess. I don't believe I have the whole story as I don't trust the media and where else are we going to get it? Divine revelation? Which brings me to Patristic Theology, my other company while being in internet time-out. More on that soon.