tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post5935241224719457607..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: Obama: Premonitions of a new epochJoel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-24225207504891702252009-01-27T17:08:00.000-05:002009-01-27T17:08:00.000-05:00Daniel,Glad to hear you were there too. It was def...Daniel,<BR/><BR/>Glad to hear you were there too. It was definitely an experience - and thanks for the Dardo...Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-801263798409423752009-01-27T00:17:00.000-05:002009-01-27T00:17:00.000-05:00I thought I saw you there!Haha, just kidding. Yes,...I thought I saw you there!<BR/><BR/>Haha, just kidding. Yes, I was there among the millions with you, but I would have been lucky to find my left hand in that crowd, let alone another person. My girlfriend and I had to literally link up anytime we moved.<BR/><BR/>This is a memory to cherish forever. It truly is. And...it's writing like this that makes you deserving of a DARDO! I'm not exactly sure where it came from, but I've chosen you as a recipient. Details <A HREF="http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2009/01/dardoed.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-80678330939652309962009-01-22T09:01:00.000-05:002009-01-22T09:01:00.000-05:00Jon,I probably should have said that virtual netwo...Jon,<BR/><BR/>I probably should have said that virtual networking is only just starting to reap dividends...that up to now it has mostly been promise. But you make a good point in that regard.<BR/><BR/>Great image here:<BR/><BR/>"I got the sensation watching the inauguration that millions of young, bright, hopeful people were awakening from hibernation, stretching their limbs and rubbing their eyes and preparing to get down to serious work."<BR/><BR/>Tony,<BR/><BR/>Thanks - and do you think the one-legged man is us or Bush? If it's us, let's hope reconstructive surgery is on the way...<BR/><BR/>Jason,<BR/><BR/>In the side of the Mall I was on, access to the other side of the street was extremely limited. As in you could see people walking on the other sidewalk but you couldn't get there until you went several blocks north, which was intermittently open and close as they let traffic pass, and you had to figure out for yourself if this spot would eventually open since "the fuzz" gave out contradictory information, usually occompanied by the caveat, "But I have no idea..." I guess D.C. just wasn't prepared for that many people; I've heard it's the largest crowd ever assembled there, which is kind of amazing when you think about all the momentous historical events which have taken place in Washington...<BR/><BR/>As for lunch, now you tell me! Though the hot dog suited me just fine, in no small part because (though a line existed even there) because it was relatively quick. I was thrilled to be there for the Inauguration, but once it was over I just wanted to get the hell out of there!Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-58211214551355640872009-01-21T21:38:00.000-05:002009-01-21T21:38:00.000-05:00Wow, man. And to think I woke up an hour's walk fr...Wow, man. And to think I woke up an hour's walk from the location I took on the Mall and actually paused for a second to wonder if I wanted to deal with the hassle.<BR/><BR/>Just a few points ...<BR/><BR/>1) If it took you that long to get from Union Station to the Mall, the fuzz gave you very bad information. Then again, in their slight defense, the angle you took to get there was most problematic because of all the shut-downs in that area for both the Capitol and the parade.<BR/><BR/>2) At my position further west (away from the Capitol), reactions were somewhat similar to yours: big cheers for Powell, for example. But, thankfully, not much booing for Bush. Because, really, what's the point now. It's done.<BR/><BR/>3) In the awesome documentary "When We Were Kings," George Plimpton has a great line about how a defeated fighter is always suddenly dwarfed. Wasn't that Bush on Tuesday?<BR/><BR/>4) Next time you're in town, lunch is on me.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-25601861552051994992009-01-21T20:03:00.000-05:002009-01-21T20:03:00.000-05:00PS: The use of the wheelchair metaphors when talki...PS: The use of the wheelchair metaphors when talking Cheney are brilliant!Tony D'Ambrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359495250856189815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-72829002020815825602009-01-21T19:58:00.000-05:002009-01-21T19:58:00.000-05:00As Jon said, "an excellent and superlatively writt...As Jon said, "an excellent and superlatively written diary", which deserves a much wider audience. Not being an American, I cannot see the event or share the feelings as you and other Americans have, but I certainly share your hope.<BR/><BR/>Your disappointment with absence of resonant cultural icons is also shared, but I heard a very interesting song on the eve of the Inauguration. The haunting theme song by Bruce Springsteen over the closing credits of 'The Wrestler', I feel, is a fitting epitaph to the Bush years:<BR/><BR/>"Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?<BR/>If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me<BR/>Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making his way down the street?<BR/>If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me<BR/><BR/>Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door<BR/>Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before<BR/>Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor<BR/>Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?<BR/>Tell me can you ask for anything more?<BR/><BR/>Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and wheat?<BR/>If you've ever seen that scarecrow then you've seen me<BR/>Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze?<BR/>If you've ever seen a one-armed man then you've seen me<BR/><BR/>Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door<BR/>Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before<BR/>Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor<BR/>Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?<BR/>Tell me can you ask for anything more?<BR/><BR/>These things that have comforted me, I drive away<BR/>This place that is my home I cannot stay<BR/>My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display<BR/><BR/>Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free?<BR/>If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me"Tony D'Ambrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359495250856189815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-35074911224321614322009-01-21T19:04:00.000-05:002009-01-21T19:04:00.000-05:00An excellent and superlatively written diary, many...An excellent and superlatively written diary, many good points in there and I do wish, now, that I had made more of an effort to experience this epochal ceremony in the flesh. Ah, well. I watched it on television with friends and neighbors, several of whom wept.<BR/><BR/>You make a lot of trenchant assertions that ring very true to me, since you and I are more or less a part of the same generation (although in a way our communicating here via this blog somewhat combats your assessment that the "tenuous tentacles" of social media haven't connected us, however subtly. That's also a likable metaphor -- I once considered rewriting/updating Frank Norris' <B>Octopus</B> with the cataclysm of the railroad converted to online traffic, but it seemed like far too much work.) In any case, the image of the isolated individual in his or her little hole is one I identify with strongly -- I tried to describe that in my <A HREF="http://blog.aspiringsellout.com/2009/01/change-you-can-eat.html" REL="nofollow"> own blog post about Obama yesterday</A> (yours dwarfs it in both size and analytical prowess, of course). I got the sensation watching the inauguration that millions of young, bright, hopeful people were awakening from hibernation, stretching their limbs and rubbing their eyes and preparing to get down to serious work.<BR/><BR/>And one last point -- I find it interesting that you only spent a paragraph on Obama's speech. I found it eloquent, inspiring, and evocative of all the correct "sacred" texts, be they canonical in the biblical or American sense. But it seemed somewhat insignificant when compared to the occasion itself, and to the monolithic task looming over the citizenry. Then again, I think that the same could have been said about any speech, no matter how verbally and emotionally accomplished. To put it plainly, there are some things we simply don't have words for. <BR/><BR/>I sincerely hope that Obama can utilize his uncanny ability to inspire generational cohesion and ideological unity into something monumentally useful. Not an easy task, but I doubt there's a better man for the job at this point in history, and for the first time in my life I may be able to follow politics without becoming unspeakably angry every 10 seconds.Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.com