Jonathan's blog

We spent last weekend with Lisa's family in Grand Haven.  It was the third time that we've rented this house.  One of its key features is the pool in the back yard.  At some point in school Elliot had to identify his favorite place on earth, and this was it.  He planned to get in the pool as soon as we arrived.  Finn likes the pool too but was especially excited to sit in the Tiki Hut again, a bar area with a tv right next to the pool.

Here are some videos I watched tonight.  The first two are of Palin as governor speaking in the church where she grew up.  I guess these are supposed to be to Palin what the Jeremiah Wright videos were to Obama?  I've seen the Jeremiah Wright videos.  These are no Jeremiah Wright videos.  There is some interesting stuff here though - references to the U.S. military being sent according to Bush's plan that (hopefully) is God's will too, God also willing some companies to get coordinated to build an oil pipeline, Alaska as a place were hundreds of thousands of us are going to take refuge in the last days, etc:

In that last video Palin makes a reference to not being freaked out by spirited worship assemblies after growing up at the Wasilla Assembly of God. Here is a brief clip of Wasilla that some folks find peculiar (link).  Even though the churches I grew up in are nothing like this, this hardly freaks me out - though I can understand how all of this must seem a bit strange to non-religious folk.

My favorite passage from McCain's acceptance speech:

Finally, a word to senator Obama and his supporters...You have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, and that's an association that means more to me than any other.

I hope last night's speakers were paying attention.

On Saturday morning of our Petoskey camping trip, I did my 8-mile run (to Bob-In Again, didn't stop for frozen custard this time) while everyone else went to the beach.  Shortly after I got back from the run there was another major thunderstorm.  By that point, we were all considering packing up camp and heading home to get out of the rain.  The Moore and Wanous families decided to take refuge at a Chinese restaurant for lunch.  Afterwards the weather had improved enough that we reconsidered our plans to head home.  The Somasi were done, though, and headed home...but not before joining us for a round of miniature golf.  Later in the afternoon we headed back to the beach to enjoy another period of sunny weather.

Here's a blast from the past video of several of us playing basketball (presumably in Nashville) in late May 1997.  It features Jayson Rawley, James Lashlee, Bill Alderson, David Wade, Peyton Crump, Prentice Cotham, Amy Queen, and me playing ball.  Laura and Matt Sullivan and Scott Allen also appear.  Lisa is the cameragal.  I can't remember why all those folks were in Nashville at the same time (this was several weeks after Laura's graduation).