inauguration

Is this just one of the odd come-together events happening around the country today, or is this just us - our little remnant of the wild wild West - here in Santa Fe? The only public place I could find to watch the Inauguration was a bar. It opened at 8 a.m. for the occasion, and served some drinks even. At any rate, it was a fine, shoulder-to-shoulder human celebration.

There was a little of the jeering and the bashing that I so hope we can get past now. Guess the people gotta vent their feelings, in whatever vocabulary they've got. When Bush appeared on the many TV screens around the room, there was a round of "BOO"'s, and a local drag queen (one of the hosts of the event) ran to the nearest screen and lobbed a shoe at it. Alright, that was a great move. A bit later, Cheney was rolled out in his wheelchair (wow! The implications - the vindications - of that sight. That's just too heavy to speak of, man). The voice on the PA announced the - sorry, I didn't catch the proper terminology - the un-swearing? swearing off? of the Vice President. A guy next to me yelled out, "CHENEY GOES FIRST!" and there was a cheer that shook the rafters. Alright, now we're done with the jeers...

On TV, one of the commentators gets caught up in the moment: "This is ALL REALLY HAPPENING."

Best crowd shot, on the Mall: a guy throws open his jacket to show off his T-shirt, which reads, "YES WE DID".

I won't try to recall all the beautiful lines from President Obama's address. Only to say I heard that sweet approaching music of Change, even now. Not just the change of government, of organization, of legislation. The change of essential things, within us and around the world. Let it be so...