So, in spite of an intense desire to my last US home base amidst the radiant energy of a socio-political paradigm shift, and a $550 ticket from Colombia to NYC (close enough) for the occasion, I have concluded that it's probably in my best (financial) interest not to go to the inauguration in DC. I would have had to borrow money or be sponsored to every event I went to, mooching off of my very hospitable friends, but still starting 2009 in debt, which is never a good idea. My Brazil trip can't be cancelled because I'm going with friends and taking advantage of that cheap airfare would mean taking four days of unpaid leave from my job to comply with the flight dates. Like I said in the comments on my "Decisions" post, the cold or the crowds weren't reasons to stay away...in fact, I was looking forward to being squeezed on the Metro with thousands of other people - Americans of every ilk - excited about a new chapter in our country's history, smiling from excitement and shouting "Yeah!" and "Yes We Can!" and "Obama!" before even exiting the station. I was looking forward to the parties and the conversations and the old and new friends I'd meet and the job offers I'd get (truly) and the photos I'd take and witnessing political anticipation buzzing through the proletariat. But, like this year's Olympics and Sade's last concert (waaaaay back in 2001), I'll have to chalk up missing the inauguration to another instance of not being able to do it all.
Yet.
I'm glad that you're okay with it, I think you made the best decision for your circumstances. I'm not going either and I'm a lot closer than you are. There will still be lots of history to witness...
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with your decision. Once in awhile we all have to come down to earth and responsibly evaluate where we are.
ReplyDeleteI'm even debating if I should spare two of my very few vacation days from work to go down from NYC so I don't blame you for opting out! :o) I'm sure you'll be able to catch all kinds of footage on YouTube
ReplyDeleteJust turn on CNN - you'll catch it all - lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see I'm not the only one who had to wrestle with this decision! And to think I only lived three hours from D.C. one month ago! A $70 round-trip Greyhound ticket would have gotten me there (unless they jacked up the price at the last minute, lol.) Of course, I would have had to skip work, something I couldn't have afforded to do at that time. Plus there were other unexpected expenses that I wouldn't have been able to cover. Instead, I left the economic uncertainty of (a city in Virginia that I won't name) and chose to work in South Korea instead. Crazy, I know, but I feel that it's the right decision for me. So, here I am thousands of miles away (in probably the most wired country on the planet) watching the inauguration right now on the internet through CBS! Even more ironic is that my Korean bosses would have given me time off, but the price of the plane ticket from South Korea to D.C. and the incredibly long flight kind of squashed that idea. Ok, it's midnight here (Korea time) and 10:00 a.m. (U.S.) time and two more hours to go! The Obamas are in the Blue Room now. Let me get back to the live coverage...
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