(If your computer can handle
it please click this YouTube
linkand 'Watch in HD'. It's
Incredible.)
4:10 PM,
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009:
Hard to believe
this is possible in such a short amount of time, but
there's so many side stories I had to skip over that I
can fill a "Randoms" entry. The first one, by far,
being the coolest, most random shit
ever...
1)
Randobama
So I
go down to the White House today and take
some video. After I load it into my
computer I notice a guy coming out the
front door right as I'm filming.
I zoom in and holy shit, it looks
like Obama. Noticing it's a blue tie I
disregarded it because he wore red
yesterday - and just now I turned on the
TV and sunuvabitch, there he is at the
White House with a blue tie. Thankfully
the video catches his signature "gate" and
even more telling, there's no security
credentials on him like a badge or even a
laminate. That was Obama...
Again, without
seeing the video you could call it iffy (though it is
his FREAKING HOUSE), but after watching the
video, there's just no doubt. Just one of those random
perfect timing thingees. So awesome.
2) The
Spot
Walking
past The White House I noticed this corner
and instantly recognized it as where
I stood to watch the march go past 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue. I just said, wow. I
could barely recognize the city anymore. It
feels so different than it did 3 1/2 years
ago. I jumped up there to recreate the
shot...
So cool that you
can see the exact same tree shapes without leaves a
few years later. Just amazing. You can also see the
little bubble he was in to watch the parade... oh that
HAS to be a random.
3)
Oboredoma
Seriously, how did
he do it. How in the fuck did he sit there for what, 4
hours? And watch goddamn MARCHING bands. Marching
Bands. No offense to those that took band in high
school but holy shit can you imagine after the morning
that man had -- having to sit in that bubble for that
many hours watching a parade. Maybe it's just
my personal distain for parades, but that seemed like
cruel and unusual punishment for him. He handled it
like a pro, but wow. Just wow. So glad I didn't try
and get in line to see that.
4) Sick
Ball
Speaking of not
seeing things, I ended up not going to the Youth
Ball. I just couldn't. My body was sooooooo beat and I
really just wanted to finish my entry and get to
sleep. I watched him speak there around 10pm on the TV
and was actually relieved I didn't go 'cause... I've
already been a foot away from him, and to have killed
myself to see him say 4 lines and turn Michelle around
and leave... Whew. Just was not worth putting my body
through any more torture. Even going to the White
House today I looked clearly under the
weather:
I wonder why your
eyes get all glassy when you're sick?
Hmmm...
5)
NOT TODAY!
Man, I so wanted
to fit this into the last entry, but there really
wasn't a place for it.
So needless to
say, the crowd was overwhelmingly black. Being used to
being the minority living in LA the last 9 years I
couldn't have cared less. I was still rubbin' up on
anyone near me to stay warm. However there was one
white woman in the front of our first position there
that was just being... annoying. She would move an
inch and then react to someone "touching" her and go
CRAZY. Like would SCREAM for the guards to help her
and then cry, actually cry - as we all laughed around
her. Then a few moments would pass and she'd move to
the left a bit, hit someone and make a fucking drama
again. Dude behind her finally stops saying "I didn't
touch you ma'am" and finally mutters: "Typical white
woman". LMAO/ Every black woman around him just lost
it. "NO! NOT TODAY! YOU WILL NOT say
that shit TODAY!" Oh my God it was funny. Like the
swearing in of a black president meant we couldn't
make stereotypes anymore. HA. But it was true,
everyone was sooooo positive - there was such a
feeling of peace and brotherhood between the races
that it did seem out of place to hear that
comment. Funny considering it was a comment Obama made
about his own grandmother. LOL. But this was clearly
derrogatory 'cause this woman was just startin' shit.
God I'll never forget that moment.
6) Not
Understated
Speaking of race.
Whew. I wanted desperately to buy something from the
Inauguration but I cannot express how little there was
to choose from that I would EVER consider wearing.
There was nothing subtle about the swag. You just had
to step back, be very honest and admit... "Adam, you
are too white to wear that hat." LOL. There is a part
of this movement that I am simply not a part of.
Heh. I'm so giggling during this random. But
seriously, some of the shirts they were selling were
so "Tupac & Biggie Airbrush" that you could barely
believe it was our president on the shirt. I love it
actually. To think that kids are going to look up to
our president as someone in the same vein of their
musical heroes has to make EVERYONE happy. Finally a
real role model. It's very, very exciting.
7)
OOOOOOOOOOOOBAMA!
Hahahaha, this kid
was awesome:
He was standing in
front of The White House just yelling
"BARACK OOOOOOBAMA!!!" Like - "Yo Barry! Over
here!!!" Heh. I really have to take a breath when this
scene sinks in. It's what I talked about a year
ago about what his presidency meant. It meant some
little black kid would only know of a black president
for the majority of his childhood. It's astounding
really. Seriously, so many parents don't have to lie
now. "You can be anything you want to be..." They can
say that shit now... and actually believe it. It realy
will take decades to understand this moment.
8) The House is
still White
LOL. It's a bad
joke as old as time. And being there for his first
day, I can assure you - there were no workers with
black paint scaling the outside walls. I joke of
course... but you do realize that there are people
that are scared right now. Scared that this
"black" man is going to soil the sanctity of the
office. Clearly that means these people felt BUSH
didn't do that... it's a fucked up country out there.
But they're finally in the minority.
Finally.
9) "I Got
This..."
Competence. Can
you feel that? I was looking ahead to all the issues
facing our country and I just kinda shook my head and
let it ALLLLLLLLLLLLL go. For the first time
I feel like I can stop worrying about all
that shit because he's got it. The most competent man
to balance everything is in there. He gets it, the
people around him get it - and I can now focus on
my own shit. How I can help my own community, how I
can get back on track in my career and my life and I
can rest assured our government is doing the same.
It's an amazing feeling. I just heard him speak a
few minutes ago and it was just an overwhelming
feeling of: "Concentrate on the funny Adam.
Concentrate on what you do brother, he's got this
shit." The problems are huge but they're in good
hands. All you can hope for.
10) Ageless
Smartass
So I'm walking in
front of The White House and this guy probably 17, 18
was on the phone goin' apeshit. "Yeah? Yeah? Well I
don't know where the FUCK I am. How 'bout that? I have
to find out where the FUCK I am". I turned to him and
muttered "1600 Pennsylvania Ave.". He was not pleased
with me. I laughed and kept walking. In my head I
was wondering is it an age thing? Is the younger
generation just not sarcastic? In the same way the
older generation doesn't seem to get it? Then I
come upon a man in his late 60s who is struggling to
follow two women (most likely a wife and her friend)
and he stops them and goes: "I have a great idea...
how 'bout we walk all day TODAY too?? Huh?" They
laughed and kept going and I just smiled. I will have
a place in 35 years. Ha. Smartass has no age
requirement. :-)
Alright - I'm
gonna take a nap and figure out how I'm getting to the
airport tomorrow night.
