My God, it is almost unbelievable.  Eight years ago when Bush was ‘elected’ the first time, there where a whole bunch of us in our late teens and early twenties who could feel a great big weight land on our heads with a heavy thud.  Ask and ye shall receive, and we got exactly what we expected: eight of the most terrible years in history when the entire of Western civilization almost capsized.  I have never been a pessimist so I never got into it when people believed that it was the end of life as we know it, but I understand how they could grow that hopeless, given what was in front of them.

Bush leaves for good!!! We might not ever have to even look at him again!

But the tide has turned, the 21st century is finally underway, and Bush is not the President any more.  He’s done.  He’s gone.  He’s effectively out of our lives, and hopefully his entire posse of rented snakes is gone with him.

Obama is the President now.

Sometimes I feel providence moving.  You know, in the little things.  When I got on the ship and I was in a shared cabin, I put it out there that a shared cabin was not going to work for me.  Two weeks later, my cabin mate was fired and his replacement lives up at the front of the ship with one of the dancers.  Then I put it out there that however my schedule works out, I need to be able to watch the Obama inauguration.  And then I find out that Princess Cruises wants to make a big deal of the inauguration, make a whole party out of it, and that the Cruise Director wants me to produce and host it.

Remember that Obama illustration from the election? Well let me tell you, that sure came in handy!

Usually the ship shuts right down on a port day but the venue was pretty packed. Everyone was clapping at the speeches. They stood for the national anthem. And since the room is usually used for dancing and bands, there was lots of room for excited children to dance and jump as they applauded.

The prizes for Presidential Trivia – CNN Tote Bags! You know I kept one for myself.

Overall, a really nice moment. For all of the fun I am having being on a luxury ship and missing winter, this is a moment that would have been really nice to share with friends.

Tags: america, cnn, events, illustration, inauguration, life, Obama, party, president, prizes, usa