The excitement is building!

First, this is for my mother:

I wanted to show you that I did twist my hair today. I know you were concerned about that. So now you can relax.
But since the inauguration is outside, I'll still have on my jean cap to help keep warm.

Now, to the excitement -
Everyone is so hyped here! And they are flooding in by the thousands. The metro is so crowded now, the trams are late because the ones in front of them are held up by droves of people trying to squeeze onboard.




















See what I mean? Where those folks are standing, that's usually just open space. They are are in there like sardines.
I mean, everywhere you turn, there are people. You may as well forget about having your personal space, because there is no personal space!
So for me, today started around 2 p.m., after I finished with my hair. My plan was to go hang out some, go to a party with the Pfister family, who are also from Jasper, and then go to Jarrod's family's house to spend the night. So I packed an overnight bag and took off.
I took the tram in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial, but never made it there. Instead, I got off at the right stop and jumped onto a free shuttle to the Kennedy Center. I figured I'd go see it, since it was free. Aretha Franklin was giving a free concert at the center and everyone was trying to get there. But the tickets were gone in the morning, and there was a line wrapped around the building, people waiting to get in. Some of the folks around me mumbled some, but then someone mentioned the "O" word and everyone started being all chipper again.
I bought more souvenirs for my family and me. I still have about four to get and then I'm done.
So I was due to a party with the Pfisters at 5 p.m. Because I was held up on the crowded trams - I had to get on one, transfer to another and then get onto a different one because the one I was on didn't go far enough, for some reason - I got the party after 6:30 p.m. But they were happy to see me.
The menu was - and I kid you not - chicken livers wrapped in bacon, some kind of sausage in an apple glaze, German fries, regular fries, veal and squirrel. Yes, squirrel. Bob brought them with him from Dubois County and everything. No, I didn't try that. Actually I ate a piece of sausage, veal and German fries.

We jaw jacked for a while and then Jarrod and I headed out. We caught the metro going to Virginia and chatted with this lady who was originally from Scotland. She is a U.S. citizen and had plans to crash a ball. She'd just bought a dress to wear, in hopes that they'll let her in. I hope she succeeds.
Jarrod mentioned that each person here probably have an interesting story of why they're here and how they got to this point. I'll bet they do. Everyone has their own reason for coming. While it may be similar, each one has its own twists and turns. But we're all here for the same reason - to witness first hand history in the making.

Barack Obama has a lot of weight on his shoulders. But I also believe he has a lot of backup in the American people.