Olympic Gold or Convention Gaffs?

I am an Olympics fan. Reluctant, unexpected, but there it is.
The beauty of the venues, the athletes, the music - not so much the commentary - is mesmerizing. What a wonderful way to let the worries of the day melt away as the competitors take to the field, track, sand, asphalt, water, whatever, and do mind and body bending things.
What grace and style. What determination and concentration. How can a mere mortal understand the dedication that comes to a two minute routine?
Contrast this spectacle to the ones to come in Denver and Minneapolis. The gaffs, the hot air, the rhetoric, the confetti and balloons...Do these folks dedicate their lives and bodies and brains to the race for the gold the same way Olympians do? Maybe if they did, we would be in better shape as a country and a world.
What new records will be broken, boundaries crossed?
I will watch, but I'm not sure I'll stay away or as engaged as I have been in the past two weeks.
Hey, maybe we should have them switch places - Olympians at conventions, politicians at the games? We wouldn't fall asleep

I'm Back....and I'm Not Batman

Can't believe I haven't logged a word since April.
A lot has happened since then, good and bad. Bittersweet. That's my favorite word for life. Double-edged sword, best and worst of times at once. You know.
My favorite movie of the summer - yes, Batman, the Dark Knight. Single-edged sword? Dark and night? Not bloody likely. What a wonderful study of two sides, two faces, two-ness.
The whole movie plays with opposites, likenesses, illusion, masks. I've seen it twice, and we're going again this week.
Not only is it a good summer action movie, but it is a deeply woven tale of the challenges of being. Imagine finding such stuff in comics. But, as my husband always points out, comics have always dealt with the tough stuff, because they can "coat" it in color and bubbles.
Aren't all of our "heroes" cloaked somehow? The problem, and the challenge, comes when they stand in the light.
My latest disappointment? The uncloakingof John Edwards. Damn. I thought we had something there - a Harvey Dent for the country. I am sorry, but I believe if you can't honor your marriage vows, what else can you not honor? It raises questions, concerns, bumps on your skin...
I know no one is "clean." Not even Batman. Superman maybe. How about Commissioner Gordon? Alfred? Elizabeth Edwards?
Being "clean" has been achieved - usually, I believe, by unsung folks who live quite, loving lives. You probably know one or two. And while we can't see the masks or the things done in the dark night, we can celebrate the things we see in the light. We can hold them up, acknowledge them, envy them. Learn from them.