After thinking about it for a little bit, I’ve decided that today can be explained by the different feelings I experienced at the  different phases of the day. Phase one: wake up at 3:40 AM – This is not worth it at all. Phase two: insane mob at the metro and 10 degree temperature- this is really not worth it right now. Phase three: battle to get street level and find the line: time is passing so this could be ok….Phase four: finding our gate learning we have to wait six hours- most certainly not worth it. OK I admit it was pretty negative up to that point, but whether I got used to the cold or started to wake-up, it got better from that point on. We got through the first point at about 6:30 or 7 so that was a little encouraging. From that point on the sun started to come up, giving off what little temperature increase came with it, and we were routed to the security check point then the standing area that we were allowed access to because of our tickets (Thanks again Jenn and Cara). It was rather interesting from this point on. We were standing right in front of the pool directly in front of the Capitol building, with a small gap for handicapped individuals. This gap did not last long, and around 9 AM people broke through the advanced  barrier (and by that I mean staked snow fence) that separated us from the section and the group slide up about 30 or 40 feet. We did not do it initially because it seemed very wrong to do, but when you have thousands of people pushing you forward, you don’t really have a choice. From there on out the time went by and it was time for the ceremonies to begin. It seemed fairly drawn-out, much as I expected until the swearing-in. President Obama’s speech lived up to everyones expectations. It showed the importance of change, diplomacy, and uniting the division that exists in our nation. He spoke clearly about the notion of terrorism, but also spoke about diplomacy and the importance of peace. I found it very moving and it left me with reassuring feelings and an even greater hope for an amazing four yours. Getting out of the city was a nightmare, people were everywhere, and it can be summed up to a 2 million person mosh-pit at times, but I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything, and I doubt 1,999,999 other people would disagree.

Yesterday wasn’t a bad day at all for me. I didn’t have very much in mind or planned, and wanted to leave it that way considering how Inauguration Day was looking to turn out. I got up early and waited for everyone else to get up and around. I decided to go down to the Congressional offices with Kara, Jen, Dan, Sarah and TJ. We walked around for a few hours and ended up going to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. That turned out to be pretty uneventful as most of the building was being roped off and there wasn’t much to look at. We ended up leaving and going to dinner at a jazz lounge/restaurant in the downtown area. There is so much anticipation for tomorrow its insane!!

Today was a great day considering how busy the past week has been. For the most part I got up late, quit the opposite of those who left early to make the concert. A few of us went to a restaurant just off of Union Station for lunch. We realized how busy it was in the downtown area, which was obvious to us by now after riding the metro, and I decided to head back to the hotel for a nap. I woke up in time to catch the end of the Philadelphia-Arizona game and finish the book I started a few days ago (The Soloist by Steve Lopez). I feel great and am well rested for a good day tomorrow and an even better Inaugural Day on Tuesday.

Today was the first day that we did not have a seminar or meet with the entire student group here. Instead, we went to the Newseum. The museum was composed of major media mile-stones and pieces of media history. There were two specific sections that caught my eye: the 9/11 and FBI sections. The 9/11 section had the front pages of well over one hundred different news papers world wide which had the different headlines of the day after the towers were hit. There was also a piece of one of the towers in the exhibit as well. It was the radio tower off of the very top of one of the buildings. It was a sad reminder of the devastation that happened that day, seeing the twisted and warped steel. The FBI section was very interesting as well. It had different possessions from major gangsters and mobsters that were caught during the early days of the bureau and the “G-Men.” It also had a section on the DC snipers and a recreation of the car trunk that they shot through. Along with this, there was sections on the Wako, TX and Oklahoma City bombing. I thought it was very well done and the building was extremely modern and open. The most interesting part that occurred though was a protest that happened within the museum. Ten or so people had been able to sneak in a banner and wore sweatshirts under their jackets that displayed their mission: bring Cheney and Bush up on war crimes. They had a very well planned operation, as five people took a banner to the second floor and draped it over the railing while two or three people went to over floor, 1-6, and started yelling their message. It lasted for about 5 minutes before security broke it up and they were moved outside. It was effective on their part regardless, as they did get everyones attention. Very interesting day.

OK so I’m a little late posting about yesterday’s activities. The day began as the last day of actual seminars. I enjoyed them for the most part but it was rather repetitive as we had been doing them since last Sunday, so to be done was a good feeling. After the seminar we went to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. I thought it was an amazing place. There was a huge President Lincoln (my favorite President) exhibit going on which had items on display such as his watch, suit, hat and other things that belonged to him. It was very well done and I like it very much. The rest of the museum was very good as well, and it became quit clear to me that you need at least a few days to make your way through all of the different buildings that make up the Smithsonian. It surprises me how much I have come to know about living in D.C. and it is beginning to feel very familiar to me (a good thing!).

Today we met with the Algerian Ambassador who was a very interesting person with very good ideas regarding peace in the Middle East- which to him can only happen with a resolution to all conflicts involving Israel. Ted Koppel spoke at the seminar as well as Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune. Koppel was rather monotone but interesting none the less. I thought Page was an intriguing intellect as well. His humor was very witty and he made for an entertaining hour. I would say that today was the best day so far aside from Dana Perino. She made a comment that upset me and deeply insulted me as well. When she was speaking to the crowd a student asked her about the administrations frequent use of the words “terror,” “terrorists,” “weapons of mass destruction,” and other words related to 9/11, terrorist attacks and lines that were used as fear tactics by the Bush administration. Perino came back to say that perhaps we did not remember the 9/11 attacks or the weeks and months that followed. Whether she thought we were too young or just didn’t care at that time is what I am assuming she was implying. I thought about this alot today and the more I thought about it the more I was insulted. To begin with, I was in 8th grade when this happened. I can tell you exactly where I was when it happened, who told me and what I was doing. I remember the footage on tv, the interviews, the pictures, the towers falling and above all I remember staying in front of the tv for days with my family. I remember deciding what I wanted to do with my life at that point- the ultimate motivator, at that time, for why I was going to join the Army. I remember the ultimate sense of pride, anger, and frustration that I felt and which I still feel today. For this to come from the Bush administrations press secretary only left me with two feelings- more disappointment in the administration and a deeper and greater hope in the newly elected.

OK, today was not the best day so far. In the morning seminars C-SPAN was filming live for about three hours. Steve Skulley took questions from the crowd and viewers nation wide, and did two interviews. The questions from the students were pretty good and generated good responses; the questions from callers, not so much. Not only did they make over-thought statements and look for their one minute on live tv, they either got cut off before asking their question for taking to long or made a completely uneducated statement (one caller stated that they were completely surprised that there was a black president before a female, note the ignorance in their tone). After this we spent a hour or so with the NDN, a democratic lobbyist group with the aim or further developing the democratic party in parts of the country where it does not have the support of the majority within the state/area and account for the changes to party strategy. It provided me with little knowledge and insight into what they do, as the speaker pretty much only stated what accounted for President-elect Obama’s victory in the election, something that has been talked about for the past two days and the past few weeks.

The night ended with the reception at the Chamber of Commerce. This was a major disappointment to me, and an embarrassing one at that. Bob Scheifer, a Sunday morning political talk show host that I have watched for a significant amount of time and a major player in the 2008 presidential debates, spoke at the reception. During the twenty minutes or so that he spoke the Washington Center staff had to ask the crowd to quiet down more than three times and Mr. Scheifer at one point said that he would “wrap it up” in a tone that sounded both irritated and offended. It was embarassing that other students from other schools could not handle or respect a well known journalist. Lets hope tomorrow is better.

Today was the second day of the seminar and the first day of sight visits. David O’Connor, a special agent in the Secret Service, Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel, columnists for US Today and Marc Pachter, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery all spoke in the morning. O’Connor talked about different aspects of the secret service and what his job entailed. The US Today columnists, both of which represented different political ideologies, spoke about the importance of putting aside the ideological differences that separate the citizens of the country into political parties aside with the intent of further developing the country and the benefit of all individuals alike. Both men had very extensive political backgrounds and I took  a lot of what they were saying to heart. Beckel spoke about his participation in the civil rights movement and it had an amazing affect upon the group. Pachter gave a slide-show presentation of the presidential portraits, beginning with Washington and finishing with Clinton. I thought it was considerably boring, just my opinion. Our first site visit was to the NORML office, a lobbyist group pressing for the decriminalization and future legalization of marijuana. It was interesting to say the least. We talked about how the drug has been decriminalized in certain states and the rise of medicinal marijuana in specific states as well. I can’t say it persuaded me to change my feelings on the topic but it was very informative regardless. Tomorrow C-SPAN will be televising our seminar and later on in the evening we will be going to a reception at the US Chamber of Commerce. Should be an interesting day.

Just a brief follow-up on what TJ and I saw yesterday- There was a Pro-Gaza/Pro-Palestinian protest outside of the White House and we spent about an hour observing, photographing and video-recording what we say. Check TJ’s posts for videos and pictures.

Today was the first official day of the inauguration seminar. For the most part it was a well organized day with a few minor exceptions. Today Steve Bell and Michael Genovese spoke at the auditorium. I found Mr. Bell to be an exceptionally impressive person. Not only is he an extremely accomplished professional (Vietnam journalist and morning television personality to list a few) but he is very charismatic. He did not have to work very hard to carry my attention. He spoke briefly about Obama-Mania and then turned the podium over to Michael Genovese. Genovese wrote one of the books that I had used in a previous political science class and, knowing the topic he was discussing and his feelings upon it, I was very interested in his brief discussion on the paradoxes of the American Presidency. The day finished up with a tour of Washington and stops and the major monuments. It was a very good day.

TJ and I got to Washington about 7 AM this morning. My flight went well and getting to the hotel was easy. Its really nice here and the hotel is pretty classy so it should be a good stay. We have plenty of down time today as we got here early this morning so our plan is to see the monuments or Arlington cemetery before our meeting tonight. Should be a good day.