I couldn't get connected to the internet last night ... here goes:

I can't believe our trip is already over! It went by so quickly. Today was a very long and hectic day. I woke up at 3:00 to get to the Metro by 3:30, which went smoothly until I had to transfer to the red line. Once I got to the transfer point, there weren't a lot of people, but the train took forever to get there, so by the time it arrived there were a lot of people waiting. I wasn't even in control of my own body. If I wanted to stop, I couldn't have. People behind everyone else were pushing against everyone in the front. It was ridiculous. But I'm glad I left early - I got a good spot in the security line, and waited three hours to get through security. Once I got through security, it took me about 30 minutes to scope out a good spot. I had a great spot in between the Capitol and the Capitol reflection pool, pretty much in the middle. I was surprised at how long the whole ceremony was- on TV it's a lot different, with the commentary leading up to the actual oath. It took FOREVER for all the senators and congressmen to get seated, and once they did the oath took like a minute, maximum. I really enjoyed Rick Warren's prayer; although he is seen as controversial I think he kept things pretty level-headed. The one thing I didn't enjoy (besides the COLD and waiting) was the fact that everyone booed whenever former President George W. Bush was mentioned or showed up on the jumbotrons. I was disappointed in the level of respect of Americans- I don't agree with Obama's policies, but I applauded and cheered along with everyone else. Overall it was a great experience. I don't know if I'd be willing to wait hours and hours and hours again anytime soon, but I recommend attending an inauguration sometime in your lifetime!