Inauguration Impressions

Even though, living in Washington, DC, we had potentially easy access to the downtown area to witness the spectacle that was Obama's inauguration, the thought of jumping on an albeit easily accessible metro train and sharing it with a million well meaning but disoriented and overhyped parade-goers didn't sound like the best course of action. So we decided to head to a friend's place for brunch, drinks, and child playdates. Some thing that stick out in my mind about that day:

- the Black Eyed Susans were damned good
- the egg and mushroom strata was also very tasty
- the shots of the thousands upon thousands down on the Mall was pretty thrilling - felt a little regret we hadn't braved it, but not for very long
- it was cold - which was why the regret about not attending in person was pretty fleeting
- Hailey is a super cute little girl - Noe and her seemed to get along, so hopefully they'll see more of each other
- I didn't see one second of the oath of office - picked the perfect time to try and resolve conflicts between toddlers in the basement
- reading about how the oath was messed up was somewhat amusing. I know John and like him a LOT despite his politics...but I don't cut the guy much slack on messing up the oath. The guy can quote you any significant legal opinion generated in the last 200 years verbatim, and he can't recite a few lines from memory?!? Yeesh...
- the first conspiracy theory I saw (which I believe was tongue in cheek...maybe) was that the Bible used (which supposedly was the Lincoln Bible) was in fact a Koran - that they chose to use the "Lincoln Bible" because no one knew what it looked like and a Koran could be easily substituted. The fact that the Chief Justice, one of the most conservative people on earth, happened to be holding the book didn't seem to register as a possible flaw in that theory. Eh, details.
- his little girls were so gorgeous - the youngest with the peach and orange ensemble rocked. They're going to be setting some trends over the next four years
- I like the First Lady's dress worn for the inauguartion. For the balls...not so much. I didn't get the one strap thing, and it really didn't show off the athletic build she has. But Obama looked pretty pimp.
- didn't experience any crazy traffic first hand - I think they scared a lot of people out of the area by blocking off so many roads and access routes
- the staellite photos of the Mall, showing more than 1.5 million people massed together in the sunny cold, confirmed what pretty much everyone knew - that the hopes of million of Americans - hope for greater prosperity, for civility, for a new paradigm for how a government treats its citizens and its allies - are riding solely on this man's shoulders