More pissing and moaning

It's just occurred to me recently that I never shared my experience of going to the inauguration. Probably because it sucked, where sucked means it was cold, and crowded, and cold, and because I'm only 5' tall all I could see was a massive wall of winter coat clad backs. And it sucked. I had a ticket and it sucked. Imagine how it was for the poor unwashed masses who braved it without. How did I come by such a coveted token, you ask? Sit here at my knee, my pretties, and let me tell you.

My father lives in a somewhat exclusive little mountain community about an hour outside of DC. He lives there not because he is exclusive, but because when he built his house there twenty five years ago it was just a mountain. And he lived on it alone. Then the city folk found it and he's complained about them ever since.

Except for one. The Senator. The Senator lives next door, a few trees down the road. Well, he does when he's senatoring. Otherwise he lives where ever it is he senates for. We have known The Senator for over twenty years. In those twenty years I have never heard him referred to as anything other than The Senator, and yes, you say the capitals. I'm sure he has a name and actually I do know it, but it's seems wrong somehow to say it. He just is The Senator.

And because The Senator is the stereotypical old (really, really old) white, rich, republican, he nor his family were interested in his tickets. So, using all of my wiles and graces (which, in actuality, amounted to simply asking) I scored a ticket.

I took the train out of Harpers Ferry into DC, where I took the metro to the mall. Where I then went through many, many security checkpoints. I haven't been manhandled so much since my honeymoon. Just when I was starting to have a good time, I got through. Then I stood in the cold, looked at everybody's backs, got scared by Aretha's hat and went home.

I wish I could say that I was moved by the historical-ness of it all, blah blah. But I can't. I wish I had stayed home and watched in on the telly. But hey! I can say I was there.