Yes We Can
Jan. 21st, 2009 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marenziThe past 36 hours have been a whirlwind, and I can't even think of everything that's happened. Starting with last night - I got a chance to attend the Virginia Inaugural Ball last-minute thanks to a friend. He grew up with Mark Warner's daughters and his parents are like their godparents or something, so Mark called him when he found out he had extra tickets. (I will never, ever get over how connected a few of the people I know are. It's kind of insane & surreal.) We also got a chance to sit down with Mark and just talk later in the evening. Politics aside, he's a really easygoing, friendly guy - although he definitely slammed Idaho in his speech. Although I will admit we are pretty much the reddest state in the country.
I obviously felt incredibly out of my league, but it was surprisingly fun and we had a great time - the theme was Celebrating Turning Virginia Blue, which was awesome, and the cover band was fantastic. It was mostly late classic rock and there were way too many old people who knew all the lyrics to current pop songs. My friend and I desperately wanted them to play Centerfold, which is pretty much our theme song, but no luck. We still danced and generally made idiots of ourselves anyway, because we're talented like that.
And then this morning. I can't even describe some of it, because I've never experienced anything even close to it. We walked into D.C. around seven and wound up in front of the Washington Monument. Yes, it was fucking freezing, but I wasn't too bad for most of it because I wore ski clothes - my lips were numb by the end, though. Anyway, the crowds were fantastic. Every single person was so happy, so excited to be there - strangers were talking to each other, which I honestly never see in D.C.
Everything mostly quieted down during the speeches, though there were a few strong rounds of 'Hey Hey, Goodbye' & 'Hit the Road, George' when Bush was announced. And when Obama first appeared on the screens - the best kind of pandemonium. People were sobbing, praying, screaming in happiness. You couldn't possibly stand in that crowd and not believe you were witnessing history. The hope Obama has given to America is tangible.
I obviously felt incredibly out of my league, but it was surprisingly fun and we had a great time - the theme was Celebrating Turning Virginia Blue, which was awesome, and the cover band was fantastic. It was mostly late classic rock and there were way too many old people who knew all the lyrics to current pop songs. My friend and I desperately wanted them to play Centerfold, which is pretty much our theme song, but no luck. We still danced and generally made idiots of ourselves anyway, because we're talented like that.
And then this morning. I can't even describe some of it, because I've never experienced anything even close to it. We walked into D.C. around seven and wound up in front of the Washington Monument. Yes, it was fucking freezing, but I wasn't too bad for most of it because I wore ski clothes - my lips were numb by the end, though. Anyway, the crowds were fantastic. Every single person was so happy, so excited to be there - strangers were talking to each other, which I honestly never see in D.C.
Everything mostly quieted down during the speeches, though there were a few strong rounds of 'Hey Hey, Goodbye' & 'Hit the Road, George' when Bush was announced. And when Obama first appeared on the screens - the best kind of pandemonium. People were sobbing, praying, screaming in happiness. You couldn't possibly stand in that crowd and not believe you were witnessing history. The hope Obama has given to America is tangible.
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Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. I chose this quotation for my senior yearbook page back in September. Obama's ability to inspire hope and faith in America is incredible - literally, so extraordinary it seems impossible - and I can't wait to see what the next decade will bring. Yes we can. ♥ |
