Watching TV All Day

Today was a special day. I don't think I need to tell you that.

I'd been looking around for a TV I could tote to work to watch the day's festivities while I toiled away at TheCompanyIWorkFor. I finally found one from Mr M, who had a small but not too small number.

I took it to work last week to test it out, and got pretty much what I was expecting. Nothing. No swipe on the TV, but the concrete bunker in which I work prevents us from even picking up a radio station. I wasn't surprised when I couldn't even get our local station.

But I kept it there, because I'm a die-hard, and I knew that I'd be playing with that set all day today, just trying to get the slightest outline of Barack Obama, the Capitol, a car, the sky - anything.

I picked it up from an adjacent office around 11 am and started toting it towards my office. I dropped it. One ear of the rabbit ear antennae broke off. I forged ahead, shoving it up on my desk and plugging it in. I turned it on, hit channel 6, and - well, actually kind of got something.

It was fuzzy, but I could make out the scene. There was static, but I could hear. It was all I needed, really, enough to catch the action, and so I was a happy girl.

The office was blissfully slow today, a shock because we were closed yesterday, and the three of us gathered around the TV to watch. And right before Joe Biden became Vice President, I noticed something. The remaining rabbit ear could still be pulled out quite a bit. I did so, and when I did, I got a great picture!

And so we watched Joe take his oath, and then all hell broke loose in the office. Four people all came in at the same time and we were scurrying around, trying to get them taken care of as soon as was humanly possible. I don't know how we did it, but we got the office cleared in time to see Barack take his oath. We watched his speech. A local shop owner came over and watched with us.

From then on, the day was back to slow and we watched the rest of the day. Then I got home just in time to see the parade.

Some thoughts:

* The Obama girls are about the cutest things walking. I loved the coats, especially the pink one with the orange scarf.

* The Elder Bush couple were both limping like nobody's business.

* "Stars and Stripes Forever" got a workout today.

* The Clintons' music for entering the ceremony was "Seventeen Come Sunday," from Ralph Vaughn Williams' "Folk Song Suite." Love it, played it many times.

* Everytime they showed a trumpeter, I said, "Damn, his lips have to be cold."

* I was quite excited to see a clarinet player in the group playing "Simple Gifts."

* That last preacher was a hoot.

* When they were showing the folks entering the Inaugural Ceremonies, they all looked so happy. Then they showed Dick Cheney, in his wheelchair, holding a cane. I swear I heard the Mrs Gulch music from "The Wizard of Oz" in the background.

* I wonder how they got Dick down the stairs? I was hoping to see four military men hoist him up and carry him. And possibly drop him. No, I guess that would have detracted, wouldn't it?

* Barack yelled, "It's warm!" to Al Roker, the first time in five presidents he hasn't been ignored on the parade route. I felt very happy for him.

* Aretha Franklin was wearing one go-to-hell hat. I can't even fathom picking that hat out of an array of hats.

* There were parts of Barack's speech where I was expecting George Bush to just raise his hand. "Yep, that's me."

* I liked the poem, but its reader - the lady who wrote it - was absolutely mind-numbingly rotten.

* I was so happy I got to see the one band I was hoping to see in the parade. "The Get a Life Marching Band." They're all band geek adults who formed a marching band. I was even happier to see the Obamas grooving out and enjoying them.

* I wish Barack had worn a black bow-tie to the balls.

* Three balls down as I write, and the Obamas have had to dance to "At Last" at all three. If this continues, they're going to be very sick of that song come 2:30am.

Finally, right after work while it was still fairly light out, I had one more very special task to perform. It was only fitting to capture it on film. Try not to get too emotional.




Boy, that felt good.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* Acrowinners, we have acrowinners! So, what was your final message to George Bush?
- Honorable Mentions go to Kellie (with an ie), with her "Be on new way. I'm lighter," and Buck Nekid, with his "Beat out nationally. Without interns, leave."
- Runners-Up go to Mr Middlebrow, with his "Bugger off, Nudnick, while I'm laughing," and DeepFatFriar, with his "Bush, our nation was ill lead."
- And this week's winner goes to Marla, with her "Bush - only Nixon was idolized less." And it's a close race, too.
- Thanks to all who played, you've all done very, very well!