Martin Luther King Day

Oh, man the last couple of days have been incredible. Even though I live outside of Washington, DC, I haven't gone inside the city mainly because of the throngs of crowds that have come from faraway places have descended on the city in droves. My local state delegate had a contest where he was giving away two free tickets to tomorrow's inauguration. I entered it but I lost so I'm going to watch it on television instead because there is no way in hell I'm going to step foot inside that city until after it's all over.

Besides, with my recent hip replacement surgery, the only way I could've gone to either the swearing-in ceremony or the parade would be if I could bring one of my portable folding chairs with me. But there are so many security-related restrictions on what you can or cannot bring that I know there is no way in hell I would even be permitted to bring that chair.

How strict are the rules? Well, this page on The Washington Post's site provides the answer. For example, you can bring a camera but not a tripod or a camera bag, you can't bring any bag larger than 8 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches, you can't bring backpacks or strollers, and you can't bring an umbrella with you no matter how bad the weather gets.

Yesterday I saw the concert at the Lincoln Memorial on HBO. I would've loved to have seen it live but the crowds would've been a bit much for me. I later learned that it was just as well because they capped the fenced-in areas off at no more than 400,000 people and anyone who came too late had to deal with watching the thing on one of the many giant screens that were set up further away from the concert area. If I was going to have to watch it on a screen, I was better off with watching it in the comfort of my own home--where it's nice and warm, I'm able to get food and drink anytime I want, and go to the bathroom instead of waiting in line to use a port-a-potty.

The entire concert was awesome to watch from beginning to end. It was star-studded ranging from U2 to Bruce Springsteen to Will.I.Am to Beyonce to John Mellencamp to John Legend. Here is an awesome clip that Bono made after he performed onstage with U2.

Today is Martin Luther King Day and here is an excerpt from The Washington Post's website about Barak Obama's call to make this holiday a day of national service. Here's video from Obama's visit to a homeless shelter for teens.

Here is how I answered Obama's Call to Service. Yesterday I purchased a few bags full of canned goods. Today I sent it over to a local non-profit organization known as SEED (Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development), an organization that helps out low- and moderate-income families and communities by providing education, job training, food, and clothes. I also spent a few hours helping out in the pantry where I sorted the various canned goods that many people had donated today. It was pretty easy work and I felt like I had something more constructive than--let's say--spending the holiday watching television or going shopping where I buy something on impulse that I don't need.

I hope the idea of service on Martin Luther King Day becomes an annual tradition. Heck, I would like to see other days of service throughout the year. For example, I think it would be cool to do something for our men and women in uniform on Veterans Day instead of ceding that holiday to the stores so they would use it as an excuse to run sales.

Tonight my husband and I are going to meet a few friends we've met through the Upsize This.org forum. They are a couple who live in the South Side of Chicago (where Barack Obama began his political career) and they arrived in DC just for the inaugural ceremonies. We're going to pick them up from the Metro station in our area and go to a local bar here in the suburbs. (There is no way in hell we are going to fight the crowds downtown to go to any bars or restaurants there.)