Where I was
Jan. 21st, 2009 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bex77The news anchors and commentators kept saying "This will be one of those "where were you when?" moments. Not sure that's exactly true. But just in case...
I was at work at Harvard yesterday. I had wanted the day off, but we're in the run-up to a major teaching conference next week, so it seemed like I should be there. So I talked my boss into letting us have a viewing party.
He asked for "American food." What with the budget woes at Harvard, we didn't want to splurge on catering, so the office staff agreed to bring in various treats.
I got to be at the grocery store at 8 am. Blech. It was a ghost town. I was surprised that they hadn't glommed on to the day as a marketing opportunity. There were no flag cakes or Obama t-shirts. Not even the red/white/blue napkins I would have purchased.
We camped out in a classroom a little after 11 am. Our tech wizard to set up a TV and the big screen. Twenty people (about twice what we'd expected) appeared. We set up a feast of this and that - the true American way - with a hot plate for chili and cornbread, clam chowder and oyster crackers. We set out peanut butter and jelly (had planned to have Fluff, a true American original from Somerville, MA, but it didn't appear), shrimp cocktail and sauce, goat cheese and crackers, chips and crudites and dip, Utz popcorn (cheese and butter varieties), then finished with apple pie and brownies. Yum!
I had worried that I wouldn't be able to hear much, but people watched in rapt silence, clapping when appropriate. It was interesting to watch the former presidents and vice presidents being seated, and who in the office knew the faces of the bigwigs from the Senate and Congress and the Supreme Court. Those with Harvard connections got more attention, especially Yo-Yo Ma. We even spotted former president of Harvard, Larry Summers, close to the action. Very happy to see him there rather than here. One of our directors was down there, volunteering in the crowd. We didn't her.
We watched until the helicopter took off from the East face. That was a very special moment for me. I didn't remember the bit where the new president sees off the former president...wondered if it was new.
The officials trailed off to lunch, and we cleaned up a bit and got some work done.
News began to trickle in that Ted Kennedy had another seizure. Gave us pause on the vagaries of life.
I had hoped to watch a lot of the parade, but it started so late, I had to finish up and head out to auditions for the next play. So I missed the parade and the first couple's walk down five blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue. I saw 10 seconds of it later...they looked so happy. I got a brief glimpse of Michelle's gown and Barack in white tie...and them dancing at a ball, smiling and whispering to each other.
I was relieved that it all came off so well. As they began, so may it continue.
I was at work at Harvard yesterday. I had wanted the day off, but we're in the run-up to a major teaching conference next week, so it seemed like I should be there. So I talked my boss into letting us have a viewing party.
He asked for "American food." What with the budget woes at Harvard, we didn't want to splurge on catering, so the office staff agreed to bring in various treats.
I got to be at the grocery store at 8 am. Blech. It was a ghost town. I was surprised that they hadn't glommed on to the day as a marketing opportunity. There were no flag cakes or Obama t-shirts. Not even the red/white/blue napkins I would have purchased.
We camped out in a classroom a little after 11 am. Our tech wizard to set up a TV and the big screen. Twenty people (about twice what we'd expected) appeared. We set up a feast of this and that - the true American way - with a hot plate for chili and cornbread, clam chowder and oyster crackers. We set out peanut butter and jelly (had planned to have Fluff, a true American original from Somerville, MA, but it didn't appear), shrimp cocktail and sauce, goat cheese and crackers, chips and crudites and dip, Utz popcorn (cheese and butter varieties), then finished with apple pie and brownies. Yum!
I had worried that I wouldn't be able to hear much, but people watched in rapt silence, clapping when appropriate. It was interesting to watch the former presidents and vice presidents being seated, and who in the office knew the faces of the bigwigs from the Senate and Congress and the Supreme Court. Those with Harvard connections got more attention, especially Yo-Yo Ma. We even spotted former president of Harvard, Larry Summers, close to the action. Very happy to see him there rather than here. One of our directors was down there, volunteering in the crowd. We didn't her.
We watched until the helicopter took off from the East face. That was a very special moment for me. I didn't remember the bit where the new president sees off the former president...wondered if it was new.
The officials trailed off to lunch, and we cleaned up a bit and got some work done.
News began to trickle in that Ted Kennedy had another seizure. Gave us pause on the vagaries of life.
I had hoped to watch a lot of the parade, but it started so late, I had to finish up and head out to auditions for the next play. So I missed the parade and the first couple's walk down five blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue. I saw 10 seconds of it later...they looked so happy. I got a brief glimpse of Michelle's gown and Barack in white tie...and them dancing at a ball, smiling and whispering to each other.
I was relieved that it all came off so well. As they began, so may it continue.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-22 01:24 am (UTC)I watched up here at the observatory with my fellow astrophysicists. They were all clapping politely and smiling appreciatively at all the right moments, but when the speech came around to restoring science to its rightful place...boy howdy, did the room erupt with cheers.