Will you all
please humor me for an entry and act like you didn't
know I was going to do this? 'Cause seriously, I was
not going to DC. I had no one to go with and no "in"
of any sort. I did have a place nearby to stay, but I
just missed a bunch of work with my trip to Columbus,
and this would cost me another week of
work...
...and
then I found a plane ticket for $220 round
trip and I freaking hit submit. Barry is
costing me a fortune in missed work. The
debates and now this? My bank account is
wishing McCain had won... at least in the
short term. :-)
Obama
aside, there is one very personal side to
this that longtime readers will certainly
understand. The last time I was in DC was
in 2005 at the March on Washington right
after Katrina protesting the war and the
failed administration as a whole. It
really, really effected me. I was there
for several days and seeing the sites
angered me even more. There was this giant
stain on our history and everything seemed
tarnished. I know you're supposed to
respect the office, but how can you do
that when the president
doesn't?
It occured to me
when Obama came along... just how shitty these past 8
years have been. How no one should ever feel that
about their country. I pray future generations just
read about it in awe and learn the lessons from these
years - 'cause it's not a happy thing to protest
against your own country. And honestly, I'm not that
guy. I'm far too concerned with my own life and career
to constantly be involved in the atrocities of the
world. I try when I can, but I'm very, very
moderate. Katrina, fucked, me, up. And the shit Bush
said about it in his last press conference? He thinks
people are pissed because he didn't land the plane?
Fuck you man. Seriously, I'm as excited watching you
stand there humiliated at 2 million people cheering
your ass being DONE as I am celebrating Obama's
moment.
This
is why we marched. This is why 200,000 of
us came from all over the world to try and
put a spotlight on how incredibly inept
this administration was. You spread all of
our resources to fight a made up war and
then can't take care of drowning poor
people after a hurricane? DAHHHH. I'm
STILL angry. The blood on that man's
hands - I pray when he has his "Come
to Jesus" moment he's got a LOT of
whiskey ready. He's gonna have a lot of
guilt to numb.
Going back now
though... it's so poetic. It heals me. It allows me to
put a stamp on my country and feel good about the
future. This was what we wanted. An anti-war president
(in regards to Iraq) that knew Iraq was a mistake from
the beginning... and the fact that he's black -- after
Katrina -- are you kidding? Icing. Black icing on a
hip-hop cake.
Fucking.
Word.
In Journey
fashion, when I bought the tickets - I had
fuck all of a plan. I literally jumped off the
cliff and then started looking for parts to the
parachute. My plan was to get in Monday night go
downtown and just stand my ass there all night no
matter how cold. I had one person I knew that I
could stay with on Tuesday and Wednesday but that's
about it. Then Linda writes me from Germany (radio
producer who got me into the debates) and says she
accepted a TV job in India (seriously, this woman
makes me look boring, I love it) but will be in the
states for a week to cover the Inauguration. So now
she's lining up Inaugural balls and shit, staying with
her Aunt on Monday/Tuesday... and depending on a
friend from highschool's decision on "fear of crowds"
I may have an actual ticket to this thing.
JUMPING RULES. A week ago I was gonna watch
it on TV and now there's yet another Journey
Series and crazy adventure to chronicle. I really
need to teach some seminars on the joy of vlogging. It
forces you to write your life like an adventure book.
Wonderful.
