That white dot in the upper left hand corner is the planet Venus. Cool, eh?
At big moments in history, the ability to sense time is altered, there's no doubt about it. Afterwards, it's normal - I guess - to feel disoriented, which would explain my sense of surprise yesterday when I remembered that I have an ongoing life outside of the inauguration; bills to pay, clients to see, a room that badly needs to be vacuumed. As a creature of habit, I am comforted by my routines so in truth it's a relief to get back to normal, whatever that means!
"Normal" is now different than it was before January 20th. Certain patterns no longer exist, such as my habit of tilting against the president. I suppose the folks who supported John McCain can take up that behavior, while people like me adjust to a new habit of adoring the president. Meanwhile I'll have to find other ways to vent my spleen.
Many old patterns will take awhile to unwind. Obama signed the executive order to close Gitmo, but there are still people there in that awful limbo. People are still getting killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And of course there are plenty of people who have completely failed to notice that their lives must change, like the former CEO of Merrill Lynch who, in spite of the economic meltdown and the fact that his company was the recipient of TARP funds, spent $1 million redecorating his office. What was he thinking? Please explain.
It's a cold, quiet, gray Saturday in Washington DC. The inauguration is over. At last we can return to our regularly scheduled lives, now so different and yet in many ways exactly the same. Oh yeah!
21 comments:
Great post & photos. I too am somewhat struggling to get back to 'normal'. Yesterday was laundry day. Bought a couple of new plants to get in the ground (yes it's the right time of year here for that!), but I have put off the vacuuming until next week. Today we're off to San Antonio. Next week will have to suffice in "getting back to normal".
On our way into the cold and slow and gentle falling snow ; )
As for the flags, these guys are why Wars are started I think. Otherwise, I never would have mentioned it.
Cheers!
Onward and upward we go ; )
Yes, it feels different not wanting to vent against the president . . .
Have a great weekend, Reya!
No snow here in DC yet this year. Can someone blow a little snow in our direction? Please??
Venus was beautiful. And I, saw Jupiter and Mercury aligning with the moon here a few weeks ago. It's refreshing to be brought back to center and be reminded that we are not the most important thing in the universe - we are but a blip in the grand scheme of space and time.
And, yes, after a week of inaugural balls, entertainment, news flashes, parades, pundits, pundits, pundits, chattering, chattering, chattering, it's really starting to feel like our country is back to normalcy. I don't think of the presidency and have a sick feeling in my stomach anymore. And I don't think anymore of 'how could America do this to ourselves'. I now think of 'Look what America finally accomplished!'
The '8-year rule' has truly saved us from ourselves.
The shift in energies is beyond understanding for some of us.
Not being old enough to have experienced the heady optimism of JFK's time, I only became politically conscious during the early days of Reagan's first term. And there began such a crippling dark age of corporate short-sightedness and American imperialism... My young memories of Carter's time was tainted by TMI and early cold-war nuclear fears. Clinton had his bright spots but he inspired brutal divisions in the country as well.
So this is the first genuinely majority-positive moment in this young punk's life. It's like taking a Hopi up to Syracuse for a crash course in snow.... is there a WORD for this? There's a whole generation (plus) out here with cold, bitter cynicism hardwired into their central nervous systems.
If Obama becomes even a fraction of the President he appears to be, we will need to invent a new psychic vocabulary, 'cuz this 'optimism' scene is a whole new dig, dig?
Can the United States of America finally become the country I read about in high school civics class?
Dig. Oh yeah.
It is a struggle to get back to normal--our little village is still in celebration mode. the excitement is still in the air like the crackle of cold temps.
Great Photos, esp the first one.
I cannot imagine the electricity that must still be in the air in DC. It's here in Philly too, but to be there, in the middle of it all... wow.
Thanks for documenting it.
must be a minor let down right now for all the die-hard Obama-ites ; but cheer up , Rome wasn't built in a day & the poor guy isn't the second coming ... by the way , the midwest will gladly give up some of its snow and below zero temps in exchange for some of your abundant optimism !
Hi Reya! Picture is ebullient (effervescent, sparkling, aglow)! I've been eyeing Venus every night I'm out. Amazing brilliance - I think my favorite star (besides the Big Dipper cluster). Right over my head, yours - a shared vision.
Hey, sun is coming your way. Sat. here - sunny - blue sky altho 18 degrees. So I'm sending the rays your way. (How long will it take for our weather to travel to Wash. D.C.?)
have you seen the movie Chaos Theory?
Your post so reminded me of it.
Love
I’ve traveled to DC for 12 years and your photos have shown me the District in ways I never imagined.
Thanks.
Loved the photos and remain optimistic for the first time in years. There is room for lots of improvement, and I hope Obama will not be like Clinton in either his personal habits or his ability to divide...I do not think so. We'll see...
Thanks Reya, great post and photos. The night sky seems to be feeling the vibe of this week ...it has been stunning! Thanks for continuing to share.
Smiles
So, let's address the former CEO of Merrill Lynch and what he was thinking. Apparently, he was thinking, me, me, me!!! The nearly $1+(9 zeros) he spent on renos was just the start. The designer he hired was the same one that the Obama's will use in the Big House. Only difference, the CEO paid him nearly $900,000 for his part, while the new first couple will spend only $100,000. He also gave out over 18 million in bonuses to his staff while B of A requested $20 mill in bail out funds after assuming control of said company. Who received the bonuses and when? Because on the surface, it appears he was expending income just to reap income. On the surface, and porbably, under the surface too. I, for one, am tired of these corporate cock and bull ploys because in the last few years, my 401K and 102B as gotten more cock than bull. My RANT on this issue has just begun. Thank you for P***ing me off!
P.S. On the lighter side, it is 11:30 p.m. PST and, they are airing the Miss America contest as I respond. Miss Washington DC finished in the top four and performed admirably. I won't divulge the results for those who haven't yet heard.
Glad to hear that things are getting back to normal, beautiful pictures again. Thank you.
I do have one question and am not sure if you can answer it, I like how your posts go across the whole page and not just in a little section in the middle of the page like mine, anyway I was wondering how you get yours to post that way? I have searched in blogger help and cannot figure out how it is done and it is so much easier to read your posts, probably why I enjoy them so much. I am so new at this and not sure how to change mine, so would greatly appreciate any help you or anyone else can give me. I am the only one who reads my posts but it would sure be easier on me if I did not have to spend so much time scrolling down.
Thank you for any help you can give, I would really appreciate it.
Venus is awesome!
Every day lately has been a different kind of normal. The pure wonder of what has happened is settling into the nooks and crannies of "everyday life" and it's just fascinating to me. I've said it before, and I love saying it again. I am so proud to be an American today.
Cool photos.
There seems to be a sense of optimism up here in the Bronx,too. Is it my imagination, or are people actually more courteous now???
You're very perceptive, Ronda. The trees have definitely been talking to me lately.
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