The Inauguration and the Band on the Run

Mags' Musings:

First off...WHOOOOOO! Can you believe it? Regardless of political affiliation, I'm pretty sure that everyone is at least a little psyched for this (except for my chorus teacher who, while I was talking with him, called Obama "your socialist fascist president," but he's not even worth arguing with).

At my public high school in mid-upstate-ish New York, a few accommodations were made for us to see the inauguration, though not anything like in my friend's school in Brooklyn, where they got the day off. We got to stay in fifth period long enough to see Joe Biden's swearing in, but as soon as the music started, it was off to sixth period. Not wanting to miss Yo Yo Ma (cello god), I ran across the street to the field house, nearly colliding with a pair of my friends with similar intentions.

Obama's swearing in was amazing to watch, even in a largely disinterested gym class. I just kept saying "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh" and ended up on a friend's lap...not totally sure how that happened, haha! Personally, I thought he nailed his speech. It was tough and direct, but didn't overlook how amazing and historic today was.

But the period ended just before the national anthem, hence the Band on the Run -- my band geek friends and I full-out ran to chemistry, trying (and failing) to catch it. I spent the remainder of the period trying to ignore my teacher who insisted on actually, y'know, teaching when all I wanted to do was watch the Bushes get into their helicopter, and that was the end of my inauguration coverage.

I did have the interesting experience of spending ninth period (which is like a free period after school) with my two most conservative friends. Hearing their opinions and impressions was actually pretty fascinating. It's nice to have people who are close to you and whom you respect that have such different opinions than you do, because it gives you a realistic view of "the other side." Without trying, they kept me from gloating because it was easy to put myself in their shoes, because that's essentially where I was four years ago, although the particularly historic nature of this inauguration, with Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president, does put a different spin on it.

So, that was my inauguration. I didn't get to do any really cool stuff, like going to DC or to a party, but today is a day that I know I will never forget. So I'm curious: What did you girls do today? What did the inauguration mean to you? What's your favorite memory?