Today, January 20, 2009

Random thoughts leading up to ceremony:

• Elder President Bush seems very old today, having difficulty walking
• Clinton looked grim going down the hallway to approach the stand
• The advantage of NOT being there is person is being able to see the long shots of the amazing crowd. What a
  
• Clinton coming out in the open, breaks into a big smile and stops to shake hands with onlookers.
  
• Wow! Here comes the Bible! Again a great thing to see up close.
  
• Right now they are showing the moving van with people taking things INTO the White House. Guess that is Obama's stuff! Pretty cool to see the family's stuff going into their new home.
  
• Awww here come the Obama girls! So exciting! They are bundled up and wearing big smiles.
• Oh my goodness...very, very negative crowd sounds as Bush comes out. He has a very set expression on his face. What must this feel like to him? All those around him look very tense as well.
• I just POWERED OFF MY IPHONE because NOTHING is going to interrupt the next minutes...Obama just appeared. Olbermann says Obama looks a little nervous, something I noticed also...now waiting for him to be officially announced.
• I did not get a little teary when he appeared as I had anticipated. Instead I had what was more like a breakdown.
• Warren's prayer was least favorite thing, though glad he spoke about tolerance. Maybe he will heed his own words...
  
• Love Aretha's hat!
  
• Wonderful touch of class, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, et al with composition by John Williams...harks back to cultural emphasis in Kennedy years. Here is my latest tweet: "ohhhhh love the music, mix of familiar and new in composition, just lively, all musicians wearing big smiles lifting spirits just great" Shades of Aaron Copeland, very appropriate.
• Here it comes! John Roberts introduced

Here are comments that I thought were striking as I heard the speech.

• Greatness never a gift, must be earned
• Scripture quote
• America bigger than sum of individual aspirations
• Starting today we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves out, and begin the work of remaking America
• We will transform our schools to meet the demands of the new century
• False that we must choose between safety and ideals and we will not give them up for expedience sake.
• New era of responsibility
• Fantastic conclusion!
  
• WE ARE READY TO LEAD ONCE MORE

Comments immediately afterwards:

• One of my tweets just posted an Inauguration Day haiku...great activity for students!
• Take yourselves and your students to the new whitehouse.gov site. It was up immediately after the inauguration, or maybe during.
• The recent newsy site at whitehouse.com does have updated information.
  
• I cannot get whitehouse.org to load. I wonder if this satirical site is regrouping. Surely it will not go down??? UPDATE: It is up now and as uppity as ever.
  
• Looking at Ted Kennedy as he waits to be seated at the luncheon after inauguration. He actually looks pretty good!

Comments 9 PM

• Seeing the first couple at the balls is wonderful. Graceful, elegant, with touch of glamour. Nice change.
• Spoke with my dad, age 96. He had a wonderful day. Slight regret that I was not there with him.
• Ironic that I commented on Ted Kennedy looking so good and then he fell ill soon after. I am relieved that he is now improved and hope he is able to see health care move forward.
  
• This was a long work day for me as well as watch day. Just finished all my must-do's. Sitting back and basking in good feelings.
  
• Signing off with great feeling of gratitude.