Inauguration day at a private school.

7:00 a.m. I woke up this morning when it was still dark outside and flipped on the TV to find out what coat I would need to wear to class before I got into the shower.  I noticed my morning news was not on and remembered it was inauguration day.  I was awed but the number of people on my screen waiting for then President Elect Obama to be sworn into office.  I can't believe I forgot.

7:30 a.m. Look at tv while drinking my morning shake and eating banana and find out Cheney has thrown out his back moving boxes and is in a wheel chair, poor guy.  Think it's rather funny when CBS commentator calls him a tough old bird.  Quite possibly the most exciting thing I had seen on the tv screen this morning

8:00 a.m. Fiction class starts off with the importance of watching this inauguration, almost the whole class is already sporting Obama t-shirts, sweatshirts, and socks.  Continues to cover Hemmingway's short story Hills like White Elephants and get into detailed conversation about back alley abortion.

10:00 a.m.  Philosophy professor asks why we are all taking the class, tells us about a text that was just ordered and not on our book list, hands out syllabi, informs us that we cannot miss class or our grades will be deducted, tells us all to go watch inauguration.

10:30 a.m.  Head to bookstore to pick up anthology for fiction class and run into three friends!  One starts trying to figure out the average cost of a meal on a meal plan and asks me how much it is.  My response: "I'm an English major, you do the math."  We all head to the campus center.

10:40 a.m.  Everyone stops in front of TV in campus Grille.  I look at my watch and realize I have just enough time to mail out books and head back to my apartment before the good stuff starts.  

10:50 a.m. Eating a slice of cold pizza, I watch the final moments before the swearing in.  I chuckle at Katie Couric saying Joe Biden was President for about five minutes before Obama was sworn in.  

11:05 a.m.  Obama takes oath and messes up a bit.  I think it makes him human, the reporters try to make up for it by saying it doesn't matter what he says it's just great that it is him saying it.  I continue to watch former President Bush leave the white house and notice they leave exactly like the Reagan's did, ten minutes later they show the Reagan's leaving the White House and comment how similar the departures were.  I watch the coverage and commentaries until 12:30.

12:30 p.m. Head to Linguistics.  

12:45 p.m. Professor of Linguistics comes in, hands out syllabi, I realize she is a pacer and this is going to be an interesting semester looking back and forth across the front of the room.  A few comments are made by my fellow students that make me realize all those kids in high schools across the nation that are annoying, outspoken, and just plain weird that everyone can't wait to get away from must flock to my school.  Prof. says we are not to miss handing in assignments unless we are in the hospital or miss class unless someone has died.  We leave because Prof. wants to go watch CNN online.

1:10 p.m.  I sit in Grille entering syllabi information into my planner, see my old SA who just got back from Africa, agree to do lunch, go to rock climbing class.

2:15 p.m. Rock Climbing instructor comes in, "how bout that president?  Let's get started."  Straight forward and to the point, I like this guy.  We climb up a large ladder to throw our ropes over, put on harnesses, learn to belay, start climbing and belaying.  When I am belaying for a girl I think is my size (who took ten minutes to learn to tie the knot and couldn't get her clip unscrewed), she gets about ten feet up and says she is falling like twelve times before she actually falls.  I think I am ready for it but, not knowing that this girl has about forty-fifty pounds on me, I go flying up into the air, the instructor catches me while I am still somewhat holding her from falling, at least with the rope, and am dangling for a minute while I wiggle my way back to the ground to let her down.  Instructor tells her not to jump off the wall next time if she is "falling."

4:00 p.m. I am tired, everyone outside is still chanting for Obama.  I am proud he is the President, I think he will do an amazing job, I respect him and admire him and his family, love his honesty, but do not chant.  He can't hear me and he is already the president, I have no one to convince and I walk back to my room.

Now: I am amazed that I got out of approximately three hours of class time for the inauguration when my professors stressed how important class time was.  I am thankful that in a private school, so concerned about education, national news is still important