OBAMA-tized!!!!

Just got back from Washington DC on yet another whirlwind trip that was both poorly planned and very fun. That seems to be how we roll...like it or not. We arrived on Friday (Jan. 16th) to 7 degree weather. It was the type of cold that is refreshing for the first 5 seconds when you go outside. After that is pain and a yearning for tropical vacations. Lucky for us the weather steadily rose after that night. By the time we were in full on inauguration / tourist mode the weather was bearable...although still quite cold. The only other obstacle we had to overcome was the torn meniscus in my right knee. I had thought of bringing crutches...or even a cane...but my ego got in the way. I probably shouldn't have walked where I walked, or danced how I danced, but Obama was going to be president...so my knee took a backseat.

On night one we stayed with Ira and his wife Suzie at their place near Potomac. Very nice house (that was for sale) which was insanely clean. Liz and I basically exploded into our spare room like usual, making house tours for potential buyers problematic...I'm assuming. Big thanks to Ira and Suzie for the hospitality...and to Ira for driving us places. Night three, four and five were spent closer to the heart of the city with my other high school bud Dylan and his wife Alexis. Yet another intimidatingly nice abode that made me think that being 30 meant getting rid of my ratty hand-me-down furniture. Big thanks to Dylan & Alexis too!!! So I guess we're lucky to have friends in high places. I made sure to offer my house should they find themselves slumming it in the Burque anytime soon. This badboy pic is of Ira and Dylan in the metro...looking tougher than they really are.

Now on to more important matters....we gots ourselves a brand new prez! Obviously this is why we went out to DC, despite all the warnings of massive delays, crowds, lines and frustration. Our first foray into the city found us attending a last minute inaugural ball. Borrowed duds from Ira made me look passable and since Liz always steals the show we fit right in...at a black tie optional ball no less....we leaned toward optional. The party had a number of rooms with DC hipsters socializing and drinking "blue drink." I stuck to beer...a staple. We were joined by our ol' friend Katy June-Friesen and her special agent boyfriend Tom. They were good company and we spent a good 4 hours at the ball dancing and praising Obama for various trivial things like blue drink. We even found a Barack Obama cut-out...so it was like he was right there with us. No secret service so we got up and close with prez...Liz even broke him in two with a quick grind. More pics of the event below. The video is at the dance party...it is sideways...and so was I by the end of the night.

The next afternoon was the We Are One Concert at the Lincoln Memorial. We expected crowds but I was floored. We got off the metro on the other side of the Washington Memorial (the tall phallic looking needle in the middle of the Mall) and it was already swamped. We fought our way through crowds to eventually get this close.....not bad eh? Far too far to see anyone on those distant steps...so we opted to walk 25 feet to our left to watch the event on the jumbo-tron. It was as perfect as an unorganized couple like us could expect and ever want! The concert was 2 hours long with music and speeches from various celebrities (some strange...some stupid and some decent). Best moment may have been during a Garth Brooks take on American Pie. A group of ladies started a line dancing extravaganza!! Video is below. And then, after a awkward attempt to bring a uncooperative bald eagle on stage, Obama came out and soothed our addiction for his message of change. He spoke for only 20 minutes, but his message was appropriately different from the rest...this being his last public speech before being inaugurated. All good things...definitely a highlight of the trip. Bono and U2 were obviously my favorite act...and Garth Brooks and Beyonce were surprisingly good.

The following day was our time to be tourists...we met up with Dylan, Ira and Cindy and Sarah (Liz's friends from high school). I limped my way (usually 10 feet behind - but always with my accommodating Liz!) through the biggest walking day of the trip. We covered the mall from the Capitol to Lincoln Memorial....hit up Georgetown for a bit and then metro'ed back to the suburbs for a less crowded dinner of cheese fries at an Irish pub (their version of Nachos apparently). A big day that was highlighted by our one and only celeb sighting...Chris Matthews of Hardball...talking to some dude outside his trailer...pic to the right. I tried to stalk him to get a better shot, but this eyes closed shot was the best one. He was being stalked by other celeb hunters as well, and I'm not too limber these days. That evening we went to a club called Muse in Chinatown. After a full day of walking, my knee had had enough however. I didn't mix well with the hipster DC crowd that night. We left earlier than we had previously thought we would...around 12:30am. Cindy and Sarah...the nightlife veterans it seems were in their prime. I'm sure Liz would have loved hanging with them but she was faithful to her broken man...and saw him home. Getting on the metro was quite a task however. Professional people pushers jammed bodies into the cars...only to have it catch on someone and reopen again. The driver threatened re-boarding if we as a metro-riding brethren didn't get our act straight. I was patiently sitting on my seat with a drunk prostitute leaning on my bad knee as she slid her drooling face down her "partner's" jacket. Quite an experience...sorry no pictures of that one. So the night ended with a tired twosome ready for some quality futon Z's. That just meant waking up Dylan and Alexis to let us in...as we bashfully made our way to our room (their office) like teenage sinners.

And alas, the finale is not what you would expect. Due to various factors...including my screwed up and worsening knee and our 5pm flight out of Baltimore airport, we decided to watch the inauguration in TV with Ira and Suzie at their place before heading to the airport. I know, once in a lifetime chance...I'm kicking myself already...BUT...I'm also not kicking myself because my knee was (and is) in bad shape. Also...I got reports from various other friends that many people didn't get in (even those with tickets!). Story from Cindy and Sarah is that they made it only to the security perimeter before being turned around. They ducked into the Christian Science Reading Room to watch with some peaceful folks. That being said, our experience was rather nice. I got to watch the inauguration in a warm, climate controlled environ...complete with a rocking chair and pillow for lumbar support. It sounds like a joke, but I am that guy (at least until I am mobile again). And my thoughts on the inauguration??? Well, let's just say I'm finally proud to be an American. I wouldn't go so far as to say I bleed red, white and blue...but I did just take down all the anti-Bush paraphernalia around my house today. Positivity...it is the way back to a prosperous, well respected United States. My expectations of Obama are high...like everyone else...but I know it will take time. It is my hope that at the very least, we as a nation can bury the red, blue hatchet and back up this intelligent and inspiring person. I feel grateful to have been a part of history...even if it were from a rocking chair in the suburbs.

Phil