What an amazing and historic day for America and the world! For the first time ever the leader of the free world is an African American man.
I was glued to the TV most of the day. I am 7 hours ahead of the eastern time zone. So at mid day I watched the sun rise over the Capitol and light dawn on the spectators who had been gathering since 4 am reporters said. I watched his swearing in and struggled to hear his speech. I fell asleep just after midnight as the high school bands had just opened the parade. And I awoke early this morning, and watched the President and First Lady dance the night away as I prepared for work.
Today, I live vicariously through friends reports who are in D.C. If I was in the states, I would be there with them camping out on a couch. I was in D.C. for Clinton's 2nd Inauguration. It was a lot of fun. It won't surprise you to know that I snuck into the ticketed area without a ticket for that one. You can't fence me in - or out. I'm sure security was much more intense today - as were the crowds. Simply spectacular to see.
My Obama moment was a simple but powerful one. On the way home tonight about 9 pm, I stopped to pick-up my ironing. (Yes, I send my shirts out to be ironed. So what? You would too if you were here. It costs less then a quarter per shirt!) Anyway, as I was saying, the young laundry man does not speak English at all. As I entered his shop he greets me with a huge smile and says, "Obama! Good!" and gives me a thumbs up sign. I return his smile and thumbs up and say, "Aiwa (yes) good." He thumbs at a small TV that sits on a stool at the end of the ironing board that he stands and works at for more then 12 hours a day and repeats, "Obama! Good!" Sure enough, it's Obama's inauguration on his TV too. He may not have understood the words, but he clearly grasped the larger significance of it.
"Obama! Good!"
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