The Inauguration!

I joined 1 - 2 million people in Washington DC January 19 - 21, braving the cold and the crowds to witness the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as our 44th president. It was an amazing experience.

This video chronicles my time in the city, from throwing shoes at a giant blow-up doll ex-President to joining the million + on the Mall to partying it up at an inaugural Ball.



There wasn't much of a question that I would attend the inauguration, and everything fell in place to make it happen, from cheap flights to free tickets provided by my Congresswoman, Lynn Woolsey (awesome!), to several housing options, and even 2 wool coats! It simply seemed the thing to do, destiny even.

I attended with my dear friend Maeanna, beautiful and passionate in every way, and met up with my old college friend Fouad. It was so sweet to rekindle our friendship.

I went for myself, and for my country, and I also carried the prayers and hopes of my friends and community, who all had the courage to believe and work for this in some way. I came for them too.

I felt joy in DC, and also some grief. But this was different than the jubilation and catharsis of election day.

Mainly, I believe that I, and many others who attended, came mainly to bear witness. To plant our feet on the cold earth and stand for hours, a peaceful, present, powerful army of 2 million people that could rest only after that oath was administered, that came to say, "We will watch to make sure this happens. And we will stand, forward-thinking, strong, connected to our country again, to honor our new President, to show him our support, and also to make sure he knows how seriously we take his promises. And to mark an ending, and a new beginning, and rebirth as a Republic once more. And to commit ourselves to the work ahead."

A few things stood out for me during my 3 days in Washington. The beauty of the city. The stark, bone chilling cold. The massive crowds. The sense of comraderie.

And race. The city seemed equally mixed between black and white. We stood together, in the cold, young and old, in a way that felt more united to me than ever. And of course, I couldn't help but feel such joy that the descendants of slaves could stand in a capital built by slaves and watch as an African-American man finally became president.

What a moment for our country. What a moment.

Love,
Roni

PS - There are some amazing pics here.

PPS - On his second day in office, President Obama came through with the first of many campaign promises, issuing an Executive Order to close Guantanamo and all 23 secret CIA prisons worldwide. Thank God. We are back to the rule of law, to a Republic, to some semblance of decency. Even if that were his only act - and he will do so much more - all our work would have been worth it.

Star Wars in the Desert

My last full day in Death Valley. High off my solo adventure, my communion with this magical place and with deeper parts of my self. I let the soft animal of my body lead the way, and love what is loves...giant sand dunes, and Star Wars, the mythology of our generation.



A lot more to come on the 10 days prior. In the meantime, enjoy some lightness!

The Dinner Party

Heading East

In less than 36 hours I'll be on a plane to New York.

The whirlwind continues. My life as a nomad is becoming more and more real.

First, it's dear childhood friends, my sister, and my mother. I'm excited to see them all. And to experience New York, which I love. And, of course, to attend my sister Donna's wedding! Yes!

I am not so excited about the fact that it's supposed to be 8 degrees the night I land. That's right. 8. Not 38. Not 18. But 8. Just 8 of 'em. That's fucking cold.

On January 19th, I fly to Washington, DC. I'll take the metro to Congress, or maybe for dramatic effect hail a taxi, and say, "Take me to Congress! I have important business there."

Which I do. I'll be picking up two tickets to the inauguration, courtesy of my Congresswoman, Lynn Woolsey, who is awesome. And a sucker for bribes. Hence the tickets.

Ha! Big, big joke. Lynn is amazing!

My friend Maeanna and I will be wearing long wool Kennedy-esque coats (mine is part cashmere too - thanks Ellis!) and staying at the home of the current/former ambassador to Kenya. I was pulling for a European diplomat's home, but this will have to do ;-)

How this all exactly came to be I'm not sure. I knew I was going before I knew I was going, before any tickets or posh housing or wool coats came through. Some things are just...laid out for us, I suppose.

And then, on the 20th, we will stand with a million people (more?) and watch as Barack Hussein Obama ends our 8 year political nightmare and becomes the first African American to take the oath of office as President of the United States. Oh my.

So much possibility here. This evening, the New York Times website is reporting, "President-elect Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office directing the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba."

I could cry over just that. And there will be so much more good. And also a lot that will disappoint us. Ultimately, I believe, it's up to us to keep moving this country in a progressive direction at the grassroots - and pressuring politicians to do the right thing.

I'll blog more on this for sure. For now, I want encourage and invite you to tell me what you want me to bring to the inauguration, and be open to, on your behalf. Just post a comment.

I feel I am going to DC for more than just me. I am going for those who came before and made this possible, for those who will come after and live in a world determined by our actions, for those who cannot speak, for our planet, and for all of you too, my community.

Consider me your representative in Washington on January 20! Sorry, you didn't get to vote on this one. ;-)

So? Bring it on.

Love Roni

Oh yeah regarding this Vision Quest thing I mentioned a few weeks ago, it really wasn't very much of a big deal, so not much to say on that one. Psych. More on that for sure...soon!