It was a great day and Ed and I glued ourselves to the TV. I phoned my sister at noon and got my b.i.l. (the rabid Republican). I pretended I was calling to see how she was doing and we talked about the wind and the weather, then he put her on. I said “Are you watching the inauguration?” She said, no she didn’t know it was on (she has basically checked out of life as we know it). “What channel?” she asked. “Any major channel, I said, but try NBC.” So she said she would put it on. He probably turned it off on her. I’ll find out later today.

The moment was inspiring. I did not enjoy the “entertainment”. It seems mandatory to choose larger-than-life entertainment personalities who may be great when choosing their own material, but who are mostly bland at such events. Aretha Franklin singing “My Country Tis of Thee” should sing it as intended, not as a vehicle for her soul style. Composers usually know what they are doing. It’s why their songs endure. So sing it as written and omit the wavering syllables. Or sing one of your specialty songs and get some unknown to sing the patriotic song. (Also, that hat was too much.)

Views of the crowd were gratifying. I can’t say I would have enjoyed being at any of the inaugural balls since they all seemed chaotic. But if invited, I would have gone.
The reviews abroad were mixed with Russia and Egypt specifically saying nothing has changed. We’ll prove them wrong.

My childhood friend, P, lives in Chicago. I phoned her. She intoned that politicians were all dirty, you couldn’t trust any of them, nothing would change, and she wasn’t being negative, just “realistic,” so she wasn’t planning to watch any of it. It is her fantasy that she is not racist. I have given up on her as a sentient being. I stay in touch because she is like family.

I didn’t call my other friend from young days in New York because I would have gotten a different version of the same. It is a shame that I can’t bond with them on an adult level since we go back such a long way.

It’s the dawning of a new, hopeful era and we may never convince the naysayers because they still wouldn’t get it. So we’ll just go forward without them.

xx, Teal