A day for all of us to celebrate

Everyone's doing their best today to make sense of the superlatives. Historic. Inspiring. Global. Humbling. Today Barack Obama takes over from the worst Prezidunt in the history of our Nation. As the festivities were unfolding live, I was enjoying my favorite part of the day - getting Maya ready for "school" @ the JCC. We walked this morning through an uncharacteristic Seattle fog bank (our car's in the shop, so to speak). Well, I walked. Maya skipped. I coached her on why this was a big day. She thereafter perfectly pronounced "Barack Obama's Inauguaration". Call me what you will, but if you're a committed liberal that hears that from your child...well, a few loving tears are required. After I got it together as we entered the JCC, we found all of Maya's classmates and many parents gathered in a darkened room watching the festivities in DC that at that moment was the swearing in of Joe Biden. I didn't want to watch just part so I told Maya I was going home to watch there. After we hugged she told me "have fun at the Inauguration". Once again perfectly pronounced. You can imagine that I booked out of there before any of the other parents saw what a soft-shell crab I actually am.

Anyhoo, I'll do a bit of "not-quite-live" blogging now that I'm nestled in front of the TiVo. I'm using MSNBC for my network of record. Seriously.

MSNBC just commentated that former President George H.W. Bush is "walking old". Lay off the dood - he looks great. And, yes, he's at least 100 years young.

They have "The Speech" in the hands of the networks. But it is "embargoed". How many people in "Real America" do you think know what that means?

Hillary and Bill look like they each just swallowed half of a bug.

Chris Matthews just opined that Bill Clinton has such obvious affection for George the Elder because Bubba never had a father. Really? Wow, would I love to be in the room when a therapist floats that theory to the former President.

Cut to the moving vans outside the White House. There's the "change we can believe in".

Back to the Obama girls. They are simply the cutest kids on the planet.

Lynne Cheney appears to be wearing a fur collar. Laura Bush appears to be wearing a smile that would frighten the dead.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden are the sort of women that everyone can admire.

People are booing Dubya as his image came up on the screens. Not surprising. But sad on some level. Especially because it stepped on Michelle's arrival on the platform.

CHENEY IN A WHEELCHAIR! The official story is that he hurt his back "moving boxes" for their departure. You heard it here first - he shot himself in the foot. Which, oddly enough, is an improvement.

Joe Biden is having more fun than anyone on the planet today. With nearly the least responsibility of anyone on the planet, as well. For the moment.

Barack Obama descending to the Inaugural Platform was the coolest crowd pass I've ever seen. But that guy's nervous.

Rick Warren. Um, this is awkward to criticize. He did an awesome job with limited weirdness. But he's still too evangelical for my taste.

Aretha Franklin showed off one of the greatest hats in the history of hats. But I expect that Re-Re had a bit too much emotion flowing to make this one of her greatest performances. Incredibly good, nonetheless.

John Paul Stevens is the cutest old guy on the planet. Joe Biden I think even called him "Mr. President" at the end of the oath of office. Biden - I'm tellin' ya, that guy's having fun today.

Birds are circling over the classical quartet interlude. Why is Robert Gibbs (Obama's Press Secretary) sitting behind them?

Chief Justice John Roberts I believe purposely messed up the wording of the oath. Maybe he was nervous. But I can't wait to see what the wall-to-wall dooshy-class makes of a few humble stumbles on President Obama's part. After all, Obama voted against Roberts' confirmation.

And now...the speech.

Once he gets speaking, there ain't nothing that can hold this man back.

I'll just enjoy and comment later. I hope y'all also soak up this larger than life day the way it was intended - as a celebration.