Sunday, January 25, 2009

A picture will tell a thousand words

But more importantly, it takes less time to put on the website than writing a thousand words. Because we have had an action-packed few days since the Inauguation, I haven't really had too much time to craft any blog posts. There are plenty of great stories and fun facts from our last few days. I will post them on the site when I get some more time on my hands. In the meantime, here are a few pictures and helpful captions that will explain where we have been and what we have done.

These images just scratch the surface of what we have been up to. I will go into further detail soon.




Our first stop after celebrating the inauguration of our country's first African American president was the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va.



Phillip Morris Headquarters outside of Richmond. We didn't go in. This is as close as the tobacco companies can come to roadside billboards these days.



Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. for the UNC-Clemson game. I don't really like UNC because they beat Michigan in the 1993 NCAA Championship game, but I definitely respect their tradition and the size of the Dean Dome. I just wish that I rooted for such a showtime college basketball program.




Onion rings at the Varsity in Atlanta. Marshall says they are the best onion rings he has ever had. I concur.




Tuskegee Airmen Museum in Tuskegee, Alabama. This is where they went through basic flight training. The museum is normally closed during the week, but because one of the Airmen's flight instructors was visiting, they let us join his tour. 




Old Hickory in Jackson Square in New Orleans.



Ian + Bourbon Street = Bad news for everyone involved

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Is the country better yet?


Obama is somewhere behind that pole We stood in front of the Washington Monument with a clear view of a TV screen.


Everybody has their own impressions of the significance of this event in American history. For me, it was a cool experience. I am excited to see how this enthusiasm translates to change in America. The country has bought into Obama’s message. Now, I look forward to seeing how that message becomes action.

It has been a few days since Barack Obama took the oath of office. I've been in D.C. the most of the time, so I don't really have a good feeling for what is going on in the rest of America. But by my estimates, the country is 30 percent better than it was at 11:43 on Tuesday morning. Is this the sense that you get?

Who would've thought?

Go back five years in time. If someone were to tell you that in 2008-09, the following six events would occur, which would would you say was the least likely?
  • The Devil Rays made the World Series
  • The Cardinals made the Super Bowl
  • Michigan would not go to a bowl game
  • There is an African-American president
  • Matt Millen would be fired by the Lions
All have occurred.

Just like shavuot

I have tried to compare this atmosphere to anything else I have experienced. The closest thing I can think about is shavuot at the Western Wall. And the more I think about it, the closer this comparison becomes.

On shavuot, Jews gather from all over Jerusalem at the Western Wall. They walk in the wee hours of the morning to congregate at the Kotel for services before sunrise. Everybody is walking for the same purpose. There is some singing, some reflecting, and some conversing.

It was very similar on Tuesday morning in Washington as people walked from all over to meet at the National Mall.

Apparently, we were on TV

When some of the TV stations tried covered what the scene was like on the Mall, they apparently showed our group doing the hokey pokey trying to pass the time and stay warm. Then, as we, and more than a million others, filed out of the Mall after the ceremony, we broke into song (Lean on Me, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Victors). And everybody around us joined in. Someone told us that they heard something about that on the news.

Power nap
We woke up at 6:45 and got to the Mall at 8:30ish. The Metro was so crowded that we couldn't get on. So we had to walk from my friend's apartment in Woodley Park. Some people were pretty tired, like Danny. He slept on the ground for 45 minutes. When he awoke, half his body was freezing cold. He claimed to be very well rested.

People laughed at Dick Cheney in a wheelchair

Despicable

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with 2,000,000 others

On Monday, we didn't have any inauguration-related events to attend. Instead, we observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and did a bit of sight-seeing in Washington.
In anticipation of inauguration, museums throughout Washington prepared for
history museums and prepared presidential-related exhibits to mark the occasion. Like most other tourists in town, we headed down to the Mall on Monday morning to check out some of those institutions.

All of American history in one museum

That's quite a task for anything to accomplish. So when you go to the National Museum of American History, you should lessen your expectations. I mean, it's only one building. They recently completed a renovation, and I don't think I've ever been there before.

The crowds were pretty intense, and the lines were pretty long. But if you go through the exhibit backwards, you won't run into many lines. That is how we approached the American Presidency exhibit. While the lines near the entrance were extensive, there was no wait at the exit.

The exhibit explored various aspects of the presidency, from the portrayal of presidents in film to the constitutional duties conferred upon the president. Obviously, I had to take this picture.



We also went through the exhibit about American at War, which gave a crash course on American military history. I thought it was very cool but gave extremely brief explanations on some of the most transformative events in American history (World War I, for example).


If it worked for Barack, it should work for us

Everywhere you look in DC, there is an advertisement supporting the ideas of hope and change. It's the same message that Obama used throughout his campaign to the White House. But these ads aren't coming from the Obama campaign. They're coming from Pepsi, Ikea, and SEIU.





Day of service

As one of her first acts as "Humanitarian-in-Chief," Michelle Obama declared yesterday a "national day of service." There were numerous volunteer opportunities throughout Washington. We didn't build homes with Joe Biden. Instead, we went to a massive volunteer fair in Rockville and helped make scarves and blankets with Montgomery Hospice. There were hundreds of people at the fair.

The Maryland Coalition Against Porn. The woman said that Maryland is one of four states where possession of child pornography is a misdemeanor. One of their goals is to support any business which does not support pornography. So, that means they're interested in supporting 99 percent of businesses in America. They taught us that pornography degrades children, not just child pornography but all pornography.

There were massive signs saying that there were peanuts on the premises because of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich operation on the other side of the room. There were a lot of signs, but that makes sense when you think about how many peanuts there were.

Danny was walking by a booth. The woman asked if he smoked. He didn't respond, but she gave him a pamphlet anyway. It was all in Korean. So, if you any Koreans in Montgomery County interested in quitting smoking, let me know. I have the organization for you.

Portrait Gallery

After volunteering, we went to the Portrait Gallery. I've been there before, but it's always a good time. I really enjoy the Presidential Gallery. Here are a few of the fun facts I picked up:
  • Andrew Johnson's wife taught him to read.
  • Calvin Coolidge's dad administered the oath of office to his son on their Vermont farm after Warren G. Harding's death.
  • Phyllis Wheatley was the first black woman to financially support herself as a writer.
They closed the top level of the gallery for a party. I was a bit offended by this.

The most popular picture in the gallery was the Obama "Hope" picture. There was a very long line to get your picture taken with it, or you could just walk by and get a quick snap shot.

Obamania or, in Hebrew, Obamagan

I spent Saturday afternoon with 750,000 of my closest friends. We sat in front of the Lincoln Memorial, in the same setting as Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech", Marian Anderson in 1939, and Forrest Gump's "That's all there is to say about that" speech.

We got there at 9:00 a.m. and, after sitting in the freezing temperature for seven hours, left the Mall feeling great — about life and out country's direction.

Here is what we could see from our spot, which was actually very good. We were about 80% of the way up the reflection pond.



I'm sure you all watched the concert on TV, so I won't go into the details of every speaker. The consensus top performances from the afternoon were Bruce Springsteen, Herbie Hancock, Will.I.Am, Sheryl Crow, and James Taylor. The consensus worst was Tiger Woods.

Preview

At about 10:30 a.m., several of the performers came on stage for a practice run. The top performers of this part were the national anthem performer who went through the song six times (there was a lot of confusion over whether to stand up every time or just realize he was practicing) and Tom Hanks.

Hanks was standing at the podium for a long time, apparently trying to pick up the cues for his montage. But the sound kept going in and out while he was up there, which had everybody joking about his scene from Forrest Gump. There were also several people joking about running on the frozen reflection pool, playing the role of Jenny. Disappointingly, nobody did.

Jack Black also appeared on stage during the dry run, but nobody really heard him.


I came prepared for seven hours in the cold

Now, I forgot to bring a book, a deck of cards, or anything to keep me entertained throughout the day. Luckily, I brought these.



Riot?

Five minutes before the HBO broadcast started, someone stood at the podium and started to speak. But the issue was nobody could hear. The jumbotrons showed somebody speaking at the podium, but the sound was off. This was the case throughout the sound check as well.

This evoked chants of "turn it up," "we can't hear," and "there's no sound." Luckily, the speakers turned on once the HBO broadcast started. If this quiet continued throughout the concert, there would have been a massive riot.

The organizers could have corrected this problem a few ways. One would have been to turn on the sound. The other would have been to turn off the monitors because we were so far away from the stage we would not have known someone was speaking unless he appeared on the big screen.


Men in Trees

Put a few hundred thousand Obama supporters in an open field for three hours and you know a few of them will resort to their hippie tendencies. The loudest cheers throughout the pre-concert festivities were when people climbed up the trees that line the reflection pond.

It took about six hours for the first beach balls to appear. C'mon, people.

This feels very familiar

Walking through downtown D.C. after the concert the the entire crowd heading in the same direction felt very similar to the feeling of walking down Hoover Street after a big Michigan win. And everybody was feeling that good after the concert, too.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Welcome to D.C.

Day 1 = Success

We drove from Detroit to Washington, D.C. No problems. Here are a few highlights from out first day on the road.



Coincidence?

Yogi Berra once said "that's too coincidental to be a coincidence." I'm not quite sure what he was referring to, but as merged onto I-696 yesterday morning, we experienced something beyond happenstance.

While we were on the on ramp, the opening notes of "House of the Rising Sun" started played on the radio. Since the climax of our road trip will be a weekend in New Orleans, I can't help but think something beyond pure chance was at play.

I'm probably wrong, though.

Let down by The Wolf

With the advent of iPod and the technology that allows you to connect them to your car stereo, the importance of the car radio has lessened. You no longer have to scan the entire spectrum, looking for a song that appeases everybody in the car. Instead, you can put your iTunes library on shuffle.

But when I drive in Ohio and Pennsylvania, I turn off the iPod and listen to the best classic rock station in the Big Ten, 93.3: The Wolf. Every time I go through this part of the country, I tune in. And it has never let me down. I felt as if the station knew exactly what I wanted.

But times have changed. No longer routinely playing hits from the 60s and 70s, The Wolf now features heavy metal and modern rock.

The cheapest Quizno's sandwich ever

Ninety minutes into the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Danny and I got hungry for lunch. We pulled off at the service plaza. But meal options were relatively slim. There was a Roy Rogers, Starbuck's, and Quizno's.

At Quizno's, the only vegetarian option was the $6.59 Vegetarian sub. For me, that was a bit too much to spend on a mediocre sandwich. I had sandwich fix-ins in the car. All I needed was some bread. So, all I did was buy a piece of bread and put some of my lox on it.

Danny also bought some bread. But instead of fillng it with stuff from the bar, Danny made a sandwich from the pepper bar.

A taste of Kandahar

When we got to D.C., we went to dinner at an Afghani restaurant with our friend, Naomi. Neither of us had ever eaten Afghan food and didn't really know what to expect. The menu was full of grilled meat and other Central Asian favorites. There were a few vegetarian items on the menu, mostly featuring eggplant, sweet potato, and spinach. There was also a delicious dip served with the bread before the meal.

Overall, the meal was pretty good. I don't think I will travel to Afghanistan just for the food. I will need another reason to go.

Party foul

After dinner, we went to a graduation party for Naomi's friend. It was pretty much your standard apartment party. I met a bunch of interesting people and had a good time. But we witnessed something rather atypical.

It's always nice when you can bring a beverage to enhance the party — it's just part of being a good guest. But three girls came into the party and just brought mixers.



Now, I understand that you might need to bring a mixer to dilute/add flavor to the alcohol you are drinking. I find it completely inappropriate that these girls would bring four mixers and no alcohol to the party.

What's he going to do with the leftover Diet 7Up?

Drinking games without the mess

Naomi's friend lives in a nice apartment, but from all appearances, it doesn't look outfitted for people to play drinking games. There is plenty of space, but it lacks the front lawn for cornhole or a table long enough for beer pong.

These problems can be remedied with Wii Sober. This is a beer pong and cornhole video game. Brilliant.

We can't wait for Wii to upgrade its game with a flip cup and lawn darts.

Friday, January 16, 2009

I've gone to look for America



For the next two weeks, my friend Danny and I will embark on a road trip.

We each have a little while before we have commitments in the real world. Seizing upon this opportunity, we decided to go for a journey. Our original idea was to drive all the way to Mexico City. Although the itinerary has changed drastically, the purpose has not.

There is so much of America that we have yet to see, and we don't know when we will have this opportunity to explore again.

Saddled up in a Buick LeSabre, we have gone to look for America. I will post about what we find.

The Post-Graduate Life

I worked hard for four-and-a-half years to earn my college degree. Don't I deserve a little bit of a break?

Maybe I don't, but I gave myself one anyway.

In the three weeks since finishing finals, I have spent the majority of my time on these two cushions.



Despite all the hours logged on the couch in the last few weeks, I would classify that time as productive.

This free time has allowed me to catch up on movies and TV shows that I have missed in the last few years.

Here is a partial list of what I have watched since coming home (I have seen some of these before).
  • Crash
  • Last King of Scotland
  • Three Days of the Condor
  • Independence Day
  • Major League
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Favela Rising
  • City of God
  • Entourage (first season)
  • Flight of the Conchords (first season)
  • The Sopranos (first three seasons)
  • Barton Fink
  • Primary
  • Chariots of Fire
  • Primary
  • Glory
  • Juno
  • Black Sheep
  • Christmas Vacation
  • Alien
  • City Slickers
  • Tommy Boy (well, I sat the front of the car while it was playing the back seat)
  • You Don't Mess With The Zohan (several times)
  • High School High
  • The Simpsons Movie
  • Home Alone 2
  • Zach and Miri Make a Porno
  • Remember the Titans
  • Jerry Maguire
  • I'm Not There
  • Transformers
  • Matilda
In addition to the films I've watched from the comfort of the living room, I have also seen a few films in the theater. I would highly recommend each of these films, but if you think you would suffer a reversal of fortune by watching someone staple guns a five-dollar bill to their forehead, I would miss the last one.
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Gran Torino
  • The Wrestler
Like any good Jew, we went to a movie Christmas night. And like any good Jew, we also ate Chinese food on Christmas night. But we fulfilled that mitzvah to its fullest by combining the two activites. After getting carry out from the restaurant down the street from the theater, we ate our food during the movie. I can think of no better way to spend my Christmas night.