Birthday fun -- A classmate of mine was going to have a party on Saturday anyway as an inauguration celebration and because his girlfriend's birthday was Friday. Turns out my birthday was Sunday and another classmate's birthday was also Friday, so it was just a big celebration. I went incognito and straightened my hair and wore contacts. I do it for special occasions. But the unfortunate result was that a lot of my friends didn't recognize me and didn't say hi or happy birthday until halfway through the party.
Here's a snapshot of one of the highlights (or really a lowlight) of the night.
Here I am after I found out that the $5,000 I thought I won (and already mentally started spending on my school trip to Turkey in May) from this birthday present lotto ticket, was not actually real. The back of the ticket read:
- Winning tickets of $100 or more must be sent by mail or in person to the Money Fairy, 123 NoWhere Drive, in Make-Believe Land.
- Valid only in your dreams. Any resemblance to a real or implied lottery ticket is what makes it fun.
- THIS TICKET FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Thanks for being a good sport.
ODDS OF WINNING: 0 in 10,000
I'm a sucker. But then a group of us left the party and dancing occurred. All was forgotten.
Oh, and there were a lot of people out and about in DC, in case you hadn't heard. Bars were open late, and it was tough to catch a cab.
That's a crowded bar.
Sunday was the actual bday, which I spent with folks I often neglect because of school -- my old Apple buddies and my parents. We went over to my parents' house for some delicious pizza and Steelers. Twas a grand old time, especially because "Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!!" (Click for a catchy tune).
Then today I braved the crowd of 2 million to be a part of, to sound cliche, *history*. I felt like the inauguration was the Woodstock of my generation -- I wouldn't be able to look my future children in the face if they found out that I was living in DC and did not go. Besides, I hadn't heard Obama speak in person yet, and that's something I've been wanting to do.
The energy was incredible. People didn't mind the crowds because it was such a celebration. A weight was lifted off the shoulders of America. I was a mile or more away from "The Moment" (as CNN has so lamely dubbed it), but everyone who was around me watching the jumbo tron between the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument felt just as connected as the folks packed in at 12th Street between the Monument and the Capitol. There was much rejoicing.
I was a multi-media fiend. With my left hand, I filmed everything from Biden's swearing in through the closing benediction with my Christmas present Flip video recorder, and snapped as many pictures as possible with my digital camera in my right hand. And while my phone battery still lasted, I was snapping and sending picture texts and emails to my family. My hands were frozen by the end of the day, but it was worth it. Here are some pictures:
It was cold. I bundled.
Lots of people here.
Lots of people there.
No longer "President-Elect." If you look closely, the closed caption says,
"President Obama: Thank you, thank you."
My underoos that kept me warm.
And I needed that warmth, because I decided to walk 5.5 miles from the Mall to the last metro stop I could get to before I would have to start walking on a highway to get home (putting me only 3 stops away from home). It took me 1.5 hrs to get into the city in the morning, on a trip that usually takes 20 minutes. The only reason I even was able to fit on the train was because I live at the 2nd stop on the line. There was no way I was getting on a train in the middle of the city right after the inauguration. So I decided to walk to the point at which enough people would have gotten off the train so I could fit. It was still crowded, like a usual rush hour crowd, but this was at 2pm on a Tuesday. Rad.
Awesome weekend.
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