A Look Back (at Tuesday)

Guest post by Jen: Thanks Jenny!

We decided to start looking for celebs on Monday afternoon, so we walked down to M Street in Georgetown. surprisingly enough, we were not the only ones with this novel idea! The streets were virtually clogged with celeb-spotters and the like. But to no avail. I did, however, pick up THE cutest pair of trousers at Anthropologie! Black with very muted stripes of dark blue, boot cut, with a sassy, attached wide-width ribbon belt. I can just picture me walking jauntily down the halls of the White House in them, helping Michelle choose the perfect window treatments...anyway...where was I...

Oh, right. So, walking back up M St., right in front of the Four Seasons where, I might add, people (not me! I swear!) were hiding in the shrubbery, we witness an SUV Limo totally take out this young gal riding a bike. I mean, she was stuck underneath his front end! (And NOT in a good way....) Anyway, as we gasp in disbelief, she un-wedges herself and tries to climb back on her bike. the driver does NOTHING. Just sits in his (heated) car, with what I could swear was a grin on his face. While I'm watching the progress of the bike rider extracting herself from the grill, I wasn't watching where I was walking, and ran SMACK into Tom Brokaw's chest. He's tall. And smells good. Very good sport about my social gaffe.

We stood outside Blair House later that night with everyone else, hoping that the Obamas would wave at us before tucking Malia and Sasha in for the night. Nope. My cousin Molly is preggo, so she has to go to the bathroom at the most inconvenient of times. Well this was one of those times. So we cross a few streets to get to the Cosi. We get in line behind some lady who has got to be the MOST NEUroTIC mother in the world. There was one bathroom in actual working order. Mom talks to her son, who looks to be about six, and tells him to not DO anything, she will do everything for him. We are not quite sure what this entails, until we enter the bathroom after her, and the area looks like a mummy crime scene. Toilet paper EVERYwhere. I wish I had taken a photo of it. Mom had evidentally used a whole roll of t-paper to line not only the seat, but every inch of the floor and walls. I wish I were kidding you. Needless to say, this toilet was now (surprise) clogged and rendered useless.

On our walk home, we witness YET another limo bring a bike rider down.

Tuesday morning we get up and take our time getting ready to walk down to the Mall, since we harbored no grand ideas about being invited up on the dais. We just wanted to get reasonably close to one of the jumbo-trons. At the risk of amping up the cheese factor, there was sUCH an incredible feeling of unity, happiness and excitement as we walked down Pennsylvania Ave. We got a good spot near the Washington Monument and settled in. The audio system rocked; we could hear everything. Of course, we could NOt stop ourselves from people watching, and let me tell you, there was MORE than enough to keep us busy. Obama's speech was so inspiring. I'm sure you heard it.

Walking back, riding the crest of the wave in the sea of humanity, it was organized mayhem. Somehow we got back to 22nd Street, where I decided to take the Foggy Bottom Metro home. There were police and National Guardspeople everywhere. They were limiting the number of people who could take the escalator down to the metro, so as not to have a huge pile up on the platform underground. However, once the train came, it was anyone's ball game. the first one was stuffed with people, and with my germ phobia on HIGH alert, decided to skip that one and wait for a lesser-crowded one. Got on the next one, pretty jam-packed, but still do-able. However, as the train made stops, and more and more people packed in, I am getting swept away and smooshed. At one point, and older couple next to me starts yelling at the jerks getting on at Arlington Cemetary, "Can't you see this young lady is getting CRUSHED???!!" I am yelping..all the sound I could muster. As I come up for breath, I croak, "Get off! Get off the train! They are running all day people! Just get off!!!" But my cries went unheeded, as I was screaming them mostly into the down-coat-covered hip of the older gentleman I was now lying on. Somehow I made it off alive. With all body parts attached.

I wouldn't have traded ANY of it for the world. What an experience.