party on

I confess that....I can't get into all the Obama-mania.

I voted for Obama. Twice. And I am glad he won. I hope he will lead our country in a great direction and continue to inspire and bring hope...two things that are a lot harder to do as a leader than as a candidate. I think he is surrounding himself with a lot of talent and intelligence and I truly believe that is the number one key to a job like the presidency. No one can know it all, you need to have people you can rely on to know it for you. And I like that he looked for people who might challenge him...it is important to be challenged in your thinking if you've got such big responsibilities. I also think he has both a good head and a good heart. Okay, and I like seeing him with his little girls.

So, yes, I'm thrilled he'll be taking the helm next week. But I just can't get into the "spirit" that many others seems to have. My husband wants to stay home and watch all day Tuesday. Granted, he's a political junkie and his work is related to politics, but I couldn't imagine a whole day of coverage. I'll take my ADD-friendly news flash, even though I don't have ADD.

Even more so, I'm glad I'm not in DC. I don't like crowded trains or middle seats, let alone an entire city of wall-to-wall bodies. I don't feel the contagiousness of atmosphere that others seem to have in such situations. I don't feel the need to "be a part of it"....and wasn't casting my vote the true way to be part of it anyway?

On a related note, I recognize the momentousness of the occasion as the inauguration of our first African-American President. But I'm not sure I'd say I feel "pride" in our county for it. I'll feel more pride when we don't need to even mention a candidate's race. Certainly, racial and ethnic background is a part of who were are and should be celebrated and embraced. But it disheartens me how much it still "matters" in public arenas. I look more towards the day when a candidate is a candidate, not a woman candidate, a black candidate, a Hispanic candidate, a gay candidate...

Anyway, wrapping up the rambling...I'm happy for the change in leadership but having trouble getting into the vibe and the spirit that I'm hearing about. Maybe that's about where I am right now (a bit numb in some ways) or maybe it is about who I am (never one to really get "excited" about things). Or maybe it is about believing the real event is what happens after the inauguration, not the party itself.