In case you've been living in a cave deep underwater for the past two and a half years, we have a new President! I was fortunate enough to have a job where this historic event was appreciated and got to watch the festivities all morning. My building has an old big screen TV (I don't know how old it is. But it's the type of big screen that is almost as tall as me and three times my size deep. I'm not sure how big the screen is. Maybe 36-48 inches, nothing like the giant plasmas they have nowadays.) in the basement that I wheeled up to the lobby. I arranged the lobby furniture around it, hooked it up to cable through one of my RA's rooms, and settled in to watch it all unfold.
The ceremony and stuff was nice. The enormity of the crowd was amazing! The whole Mall looked like it was one of those giant bee hives where you can't see anything but waves of bees. I would have HATED being in that crowd. But at that moment when Obama became President Obama, I was very proud to be an American. Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to appreciate that we have finally reached a point where having an African-American President is even possible. We still have a long way to go in regards to the ignorance of many, but we've come a long way. I literally got goosebumps.
I was a little disappointed in the reactions of some of my students though. I wasn't expecting a huge crowd, because every TV on campus was tuned in to it so those who weren't in class or sleeping were watching in the Union or in their classroom building where they were hanging out. But being in the lobby, all of the residents who came and went from my building had to see and hear what was going on. Only one of my residents actually sat down and watched with me. A handful stood and watched a little while before running off to class. But a dismaying number just walked on by. The ones headed out had more of an excuse, but the ones who just went upstairs I was disappointed in. One resident (the son of a professor, mind you) walked in and said "Is there anywhere this isn't playing?" I just looked at him and said "Not on campus, you'll have to go to your room to watch anything else." I can't remember if it was him or if it was someone else (one of my RA's) who said something about it getting a little old. I told him that it was history being made and turned back. Two of my residents came in making a racket, went upstairs, and came back down making a racket, and shoved a jewelry party catalog in my face saying "Bobbie we're having a jewelry party in a couple weeks, here's a catalog for you to look at while you watch...this" and gestured to the screen. Then they walked on out.
I'm certain that these students were the minority, and I know that this stuff means nothing to some people. I just don't get it myself. I just want everyone to appreciate what happened yesterday. I sure hope he does well. He has a lot stacked up against him, that's for sure.
And I'm sorry. Michelle Obama's dress for the inauguration was an ugly color, and her dress for the balls was just ugly in general. And why on earth didn't someone stop Jill Biden before she stepped out into public wearing stripper boots with an above-the-knee skirt, under a red trench coat? Just what we're looking for in a Second Lady. Yikes.
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