Sl OT. Where were you when Obama took the oath

[cadmium]

I was at work
in the waiting room with the patients and the other staff. We were secretaries, nurses, doctors and about 25 - 30 patients. It was packed with the seats full and most of the staff sitting on the floor. I came in while Biden was swearing in, Rick Warren speaking, the beautiful Appalachian Spring peice, and Obama. When Obama was done clinic spontaneously applauded--all over the waiting room - including the patients. On big guy from Canada cried. I imagine there were scenes like that in offices all over the hospital, city country and the world.

[TayTay]

1. I was at home.

My sister came over and we watched with my husband. I teared up a bit a few times.

It was an event to remember, for sure and certain.

[politicasista]

2. Sitting in the family den

We all took the day off.

The sights and sounds were so amazing, people from all walks of life. That is what democracy looks like. My mom got teary eyed off an on during the ceremony.

It was a day of reflection for my dad and I. I got teary eyed when NBC showed an aerial shot of the White House (it looked beautiful in HD. ). We never thought we would live to see a AA family live in the WH (it was built by slaves). I wish my maternal/paternal grandparents, great-aunt, and aunt were here see this day. They would have been so proud.

I am just proud to be an American, and proud of the voters for rising to the occasion after 8 years of hatred and hostility.

The real work is just getting started, but it was/is beautiful to see the hope and unity in the air.

[MBS]

3. I was at home

I took off the entire day from work (almost unheard of for me), and was glued to CSPAN(with occasional detours to MSNBC) from 6:30 am to 10 pm. And I watched the train ride and the concert over the weekend. And I watched the prayer service yesterday morning.
I've watched more TV in the last weekend than the entire preceding 6 months.
I felt that I just had to witness this moment in history.


By the way, CSPAN is selling a DVD set on the whole inauguration.
If they include some of the footage that I saw (magazine-cover/photo-of-the-year-type footage of the inside of the Capitol Rotunda, shot from high up, close to the ceiling. . .), it should be good.

At the cleaners yesterday, Henry Louis Gates came in with his tuxedo and additional inauguration accoutrements. The staff there peppered him with questions. .he told them and the other customer (me) that he'd sat "near the front" (though not on the VIP stage), and that he'd been to "a couple" of the inaugural balls.
Sounds wonderful. Sigh.

But I felt like I was there, too.

And yeah, that John Williams piece was wonderful, and so were the musicians (Yo-Yo Ma is a jewel, and Anthony McGinniss (spelling?) seems a wonderful musician in his own right. I also liked seeing the little smiles and salutes they directed toward Obama)

Now it really does feel like a new year.

[karynnj]

4. I was at home - with CSPAN on

watching - interrupted by good calls from one daughter who had gone down to DC on a bus from her MA college. They had no tickets, but did get in at the back of the mall. They left late on Monday and the bus took them to a Maryland train (I think metro) station. They managed to get a nice space later on the parade route (by luck) that they were at for a couple of hours. They had an incredible day. They got to wave to the Obama family as they passed - and were thrilled that Malia (sp?) waved back at them.

It was also interrupted by her older sister, who needed me to fax copies of my insurance card (same policy as hers) because she forgot to bring her insurance card. This happened shortly after noon - while Obama was taking the oath.

But, the entire day was incredible and it was hard to believe that it was really here and what I was seeing was real. The entire Obama family was awesome. (I really think that they could become like the Kennedys were in 1960. I know it sounds dumb, but the American people will see this young couple and their darling kids - and it will be harder to demonize him.)

His speech was intelligent and I hope that we (and he) will be able to live up to it. It was so good seeing the smiles on Kennedy, Kerry and Gore. (Kerry looked years younger than he did 4 years ago in many of the glimpses of him on the podium. He really looked happy and relaxed.)

The only sad note was Kennedy - but the positive side of that is that he did make it to that day - and he was beaming every time the camera captured him - and he is supposedly going to be able to return to the Senate.

[Inuca]

5. At work

community college. They turned all the various TVs on, including right before the swearing in the projection system in the auditorium. Not a huge crowd but enough to get a feeling of sharing. I was tearing up repeatedly ( ) and was grateful when I could move to the dimly lit auditorium rather than standing in a hallway. I was planning to stay at home, but there was a meeting later in the day where I had to go, and maybe it was better this way. But I was like in a daze the whole day, except for the (very long!) meeting I did not get any work down, chasing various TVs or being on the Internet. I was emotionally exhausted when I got home, and I don't think I am over it yet (the exhaustion, I mean, getting used to hearing "president Obama" without feeling the need to virtually pinch myself will take much longer).

[YvonneCa]

6. Reposted from ...

...another thread.


I can't tell you how much I wanted to be there. I couldn't...for a lot of reasons. So I was up at 3:43 AM watching on TV. The reporting was about how the crowds were growing, even though darkness made it hard to see on TV. Once it was light and the cameras scanned the crowd, I lost it. Just knowing that so many people showed up in support of democracy, Obama and hope for our future makes everything worthwhile.

As to the Inaugural weekend...everything seemed to go EXTREMELY well. The only glitch observable on TV was the Roberts' gaffe. Not a big deal, IMO. I've heard some complaints (as usual) about the money spent. But I see it all as an educational opportunity not to be squandered. Every event provided a lesson in our country's history, how our democracy/government works, empathy, civility, etc...all the BEST of what our country has been and can be. PRICELESS. Again...JMHO.

I will also share that I saw examples of people being VERY tuned in. I saw my neighbor leaving later for work, and he said he HAD to watch Obama. All my family watched...some taking a vacation day to do so.

Final thought...Michelle's dress was GORGEOUS.

[Blaukraut]

7. At Home with Tony

He worked on MLK day to be able to take Tuesday off. We had originally booked a room in Baltimore because we wanted to go to the inauguration, but ended up cancelling because Tony is in the middle of switching jobs, so it wasn't wise to take a lot of time off.

In the end I was glad we stayed home. We got to see it up close, and didn't have to be embarrassed in public being all blubbery and teary-eyed

[sandnsea]

8. In my jammies, it was early here

I didn't want to miss a second. I saw my grandson later - "Happy Inauguration Day!". So cute. I still have to pinch myself at the magnitude of it all.

[Mass]

9. Home, with my family.

The kids did not have school, so they were able to watch too.

[Noisy Democrat]

10. I was at Luftmensch's place

She's laid up with a broken ankle, and I've been hanging out at her place a lot. On Inauguration Day, I was moving things into my new place in South Boston. I moved as fast as I could to load up the stuff from my storage space in the morning, came racing back to Luftmensch's just before noon, watched the swearing-in and the speech, and then moved the load of stuff into my new place. The speech made me cry.

[europegirl4jfk]

11. Home early from a meeting

I made sure to be at home by 5:30pm local time, just half-an-our before noon US Eastern time. My dad was already watching live on German TV in the other room. I switched CNN on and stayed in front of the TV until 6am next morning. My parents watched until late into the night as well. And I talked to friends on the phone who were also watching on French TV. Even my dad had tears in his eyes during Obama's speech.

I would have loved to be there in Washington but because of the cold weather and the large crowd we decided against it. Julie and I will do our big USA trip in April now and come to the East Coast (Boston, New York, Washington) and to California as well.

[BlueIris]

12. With my mom (we watched the ceremony in her living room).

My mother was an active participant in the civil rights movement in the '60s/'70s, so the inaugural was especially important to her.

[rox63]

13. It was the first day back at school after semester break, so I couldn't watch it live

I was at a clinical workshop learning how to intubate human-like dummies. (Gawd help the first actual humans I have to intubate. ) The college was showing the inauguration on a big screen teevee in a student lounge area. But my workshop didn't take a lunch break until it was over.

So I had to watch the highlights on the various cable news channels later in the day.

[Island Blue]

14. I was at a friend's house across the street

I took the day off, and watched it with my friend, her daughter and another friend. Most of North Carolina was hit by a snowstorm that day (even here on the coast). The day was just so peaceful and beautiful. A rare treat for us - snow and watching the inauguration of a Democratic president that my state helped to put in the White House. What could be better?