LBPOSTSports.com columnist Ryan Thies is in Washington D.C. to witness today’s inauguration.
10 Thoughts On Washington DC
1. Neither “Barack” nor “Obama” are acceptable words to my spell-check. The world is changing right before our eyes.
2. Cell phones throughout DC have had trouble all day Monday. Local news reports claim that there were so many cell phones in use in DC today that the circuits crashed. I don’t need to say anything more to prove how crazy this city is right now.
3. I cannot explain to you how cold it is here. Supposedly it is 26 degrees but all the weather reports admit that it “feels like 16 degrees.” This is ungodly weather. Surely no humans were supposed to live in places like this. Granted I was born and raised in Long Beach, but I will gladly take earthquakes, fires, floods, and the Governator himself, over living in any place where the words “feels like 16 degrees” are uttered.
4. Watching sports on the East Coast are tough. The Lakers/Cavs game didn’t end til after 1AM here. East Coast Bias is a real thing; but it’s not because of maliciousness, it’s because of bedtimes.
5. The winner for the “Best Bar Name” has been settled: The 18th Amendment. Every other contestant can stop bothering.
6. The Capital Police are the only police in the country that can fire without provocation. Also they can order an air-strike. Let me repeat that: the local police have the military are at their disposal. That was told to me to make me feel better, but ever since I heard that I have now been petrified of every cop I see.
7. Due to technical difficulties, there are currently no pictures of the street vendors. But rest assured they are everywhere.
8. There will probably be 2 million people on the National Mall today. Only 200 will be able to see the President take his oath. The rest of us will be watching on giant jumbotrons; I have never seen this many TVs in my life. Even Smooth’s has nothing on this city.
9. I cannot explain to you how nervous I am. I feel like it’s Christmas Eve and the first day of school all rolled into one.
10. The outcome of November 4th was obviously in doubt, but I have been making plans for this day since July just in case. I realize that is a bit extreme, but the other side of the coin is the approximately 1.9 million people that seem like they decided to come here on a whim. I cannot explain to you how many people slept on the National Mall last night simply because they had no where else to go. Today represents hope and change, but it also represents good planning – something that has been sorely lacking in this city. So people, please follow the President-elects example – plan ahead.