San Diego!

Obama Inauguration

So...I just got back from downtown. I am definitely NOT volunteering tonight....too cold and my feet hurt :-)
Parked in Rosslyn at my office and rode metro down this morning, which wasn't bad. Tried to find my two friends who I was meeting but they closed so many roads that it literally took me an hour to get across 14th street to the Washington monument....and then the crowd was so bad you couldn't move. I was a bit miffed for a while cause when I came out of metro I could have gone East and had a good view (I thought) but I ended up going down to the WWII memorial and watching the jumbotron there, which I'm actually happy about. I had a great view of stuff and monuments and then I got to quickly leave and hike over the bridge to Rosslyn. Too darn cold!


My camera stopped working for a few minutes. Had to stick it in my pocket with a "hand warmer" to get it functioning again! REI hand and toe warmers work pretty well.

Very glad to be home and greatly looking forward to all the visitors leaving and roads opening so we can get back to normal around here!




At our poker game on Sunday night, Kathy brought Obama cookies from Safeway. I cannot share all the hilarious comments that were made but trust me , there were some awesome ones! and it's a good thing we're all such good friends.

Inauguration 2009!

So.....I got it! My assignment! Can you believe it? The Balls! As I checked in for training last night with 4,999 other people, I couldn't believe I was handed a pink ticket which designated me for the Balls.

Now mind you, 98% of the assignments are outdoors, so none are that fantastic but in the realm of the 15,000 assignments, it's pretty cool! A lot of people were unhappy (why do I have to be outside? I have to be there at 5am? etc. etc.) You know what, people? You gotta be pretty special to even see the parade so don't complain. You wanted to volunteer, so volunteer!

I am going to be an innaugural ball ticket checker/greeter! There are 6 official balls being held at the convention center (that really sucks, cause the ball I actually went to back in the Clinton time was at the Mayflower, much nicer venue)

Of course ticket checkers are stationed at the "perimeter" which is a couple blocks from the door.....all I can hope is that it is above freezing. What I heard today on the radio was that Reagan's innaugural in 1980 was the warmest at 55 degrees and then the next one in 1984 was the coldest at -2 degrees~~

yikes.

The training last night was hilarious.....80,000 people applied to volunteer and they took 15,000. Last night's training had 5,000 people at it! The people who did the overview etc were really super, great organization, schedules, detail and jokes and history. If Obama's government is going to be made up of people like this, can't wait for our new government!

As the guy was going over the schedule of the 4 days, he was very detailed: 11am the Obamas head for the car, 11:15 arrive at the Capital, 11:20 emerge onto the platform etc.....11:45 speech, 12pm shake hands and head back in and through to the other side of the Capital, 12:10 Bush departs on Marine One......we were all kind of in a daze, having come from work, tired, not REALLY paying attention to this long schedule....but at that last item, there was a pause,
and someone yelled "woohoo!" and the room realized what had been said and everyone started cheering and laughing!

Anyway, we will see what the weather is like that day, I may back out at the last minute. My shift is supposed to be 4pm to 1am! I've got my red hat and badge and chose a job where I'll hang out with the FBI and cops so I figured it'd be the most fun. We get dinner at least and maybe will see some cool people!

Tom Frank on Skeleton's of Cats and his Career

The science fair project with the cats.



Tom's career and education

Inappropriate Christmas Day Dinner stories

The topics of conversation - what type of coffin everyone wants, Dad is to make everyone memorial hammers to pound nails into the coffin with, Rich's thoughts on Moses and misbehavior at Catholic school, Uncle Tom and how he made two cat skeletons for a science fair project.....

Well first some more pictures:
Christmas morning sky -
Crazy dog under the tree and upside down:


Crab treat thanks to Mom:





What type of coffin does everyone want?


Moses



Rich doesn't throw duds, especially at church!

Cool Christmas Presents!

The moose jaw and moose antler clock!
Some of the Wood Artisan created presents:

Crazy Christmas Eve dinner videos at the Goldsteins

I don't understand why we have the craziest time with the Goldsteins every year at Christmas Eve dinner, but I'm definitely NOT going to complain! They make great video.

Elephant trunk for dinner


Offensive Christmas singing (Hava Nagila, Indian chanting and.....)




No Quitters Allowed!

Bingo

Even with Kathy's new theory (getting our cards early, eating dinner and coming back) we still didn't win.....but we got MUCH closer.....so next time....come even earlier!

even with my Hawaiian heathen statue....no luck!!

Christmas videos, pictures, and stories...

coming soon....I promise!