They say it was an "historic event", so I feel like I ought to have some mention of it here. But to be honest, I've never paid much attention to any other inauguration, so I hadn't planned on watching this one.

I mean, King's dream won't have come true until the election of a minority President isn't historic, you know?

The only other inauguration memory I have is how excited I was to hear Fleetwood Mac being played at one of the Clinton balls. A true indicator that the torch had been passed to our generation.

'Course, only two presidents later, it appears it has already moved on to the next. We didn't make that great of a showing...

But yes, I played hooky from work to watch some of the ceremonies.

I got to watch Obama screw up the first line of his oath, and Chief Justice Roberts screw up the second. And you knew just exactly what had happened. He'd spent so much time working and rehearsing the hard parts (like the speeches, and ballroom dancing) that he'd let the actual oath slide.

I mean, how hard can it be? You just repeat what is said to you. But has he never watched those stupid wedding videos on TV? Simple recitation ain't so simple when your mind is racing hours or days ahead.

Or when the Justice messes up his part.

Details, details. The Devil is in the details.

I also noticed, when they gave us a rare camera angle from the Capitol side of the dais, the pieces of tape marking everyone's place to stand on the floor.

I would love to know what was written on those markers. Was it "Pres", "Lady" and "Judge"? Or just Barack and Michelle? Or did they use their Secret Service names? Or some efficient "Place 1", "Place 2", etc?

Presumably some anal bureaucrat took a photo for the archives.

And I noticed, during one of the prayers or invocations, that everybody had their heads properly bowed with eyes closed...

Except Michelle. Our new First Lady had her eyes slightly parted, staring hard to her front right.

At their daughters.

Not hard to imagine what was going through her mind: "The eyes of the World are upon us. Don't you dare start acting up now..."

But the girls were good, of course.

I was amused how the MSNBC staff began to suspect the President was listening to their broadcast during the parade, since he seemingly went out of his way to do exactly what they just reported he would not do.

As the First Couple walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, I had an odd thought:

Is there anyone in the limo with the daughters?

I mean, it looked like the extra Secret Service got out to escort the President and First Lady.

Presumably that brand new "Beast" is loaded with all sorts of gadgets and communications devices. The wife had the same thought when she watched the replay late that night. "I bet before she got out, Michelle shook her finger and threatened 'Don't you girls touch anything.'"

I can just hear the conversation as the President got back in the limo...

"Daddy, we tried to call Nanna on the car phone, but we got some man named 'Putin'. He sounds really mad."

Which might explain the horrible distortions and outright lies about our new president on the front page of Pravda.ru today.