The following is a "Tick-Tock" of the (somewhat interesting) events of Inauguration 2009, beginning Monday, January 19, 2009.
7:33 pm - Sign in at historic Hangar II
7:37 - claim floor space in Recording Production office
This is the office where I am an Assistant Booklet Editor for the band.
7:52 - watch members of the Airmen of Note destroy each other in Halo 3
Tech support set up a few HD tv monitors to provide band members a venue to hook up their Xbox 360s with wireless modems so all USAF Band members can play each other throughout the building. At the most, 12 different people were playing on 4 different screens in two rooms.
8:14 - talked with friends
8:35 - prepped uniform for inspection
8:55 - watched more Halo 3
When you are forced to be at work, and you don't want to work, there ain't a whole lot to do.
9:04 - began playing Halo 3
9:04:17 - first time I died. this would occur with embarrassing frequency.
10:48 - quit playing Halo 3. Died more times than I killed other people. At least I took most of the gunfire off of my teammates. Where's my damn purple heart?
11:25 - entered sleeping bag on the floor of room 173B, next to my CPU staring at me. Was this safe?
January 20, 2009
12:06 a.m. - asleep
2:24 - turn over to sleep on stomach
2:24:01 - motion sensor senses motion, turns on light in my office
2:24:07 - lights manually turned off. note to self: turn over slower
4:06 - finally fall back asleep while having an old fashioned duel with motion sensor
5:15 - alarm goes off
6:30 - Inaugural Ball Band rehearsal
Its one thing to be a professional musician who sometimes has early call times, but no one, NO ONE can make Hail to the Chief sound good at this hour... including us
7:30 - Inspection and Rehearsal
I have now spent 12 hours at work, which is a. longer than anyone should spend at work, and b. the wrong hours of the 24 hour day in the first place. So odd.
8:47 - Depart Bolling AFB
9:06 - sit on I-295 North next to a bus filled with people wearing orange touks. Is it hunting season? Bus in front of them is packed solid with everyone standing. Maybe I didn't have it so bad after all.
9:36 - arrive at Pentagon Parking lot
12:00 p.m. - Ceremony begins at U.S. Capitol, broadcast on NPR on bus
12:06 - exit bus for security sweep
12:07 - "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear..."
...of course, I realize this once I'm back on the bus at...
12:51 - return to bus
1:46 - busses depart for The Elipse
1:51 - cross Memorial Bridge, see hundreds of people walking opposite direction of us. Who the hell are we doing this parade for besides POTUS?
1:54 - see balloon statue of former (tee hee) President Bush in shape of famous Saddam Hussein statue pulled down in Baghdad, being pulled down, and pelted with shoes
2:26 - exit bus and head to "warming" tent where I continue to freeze my ass off, serenaded by high school bands warming up poorly. there should be a rule against all indoor playing like this.
3:04 - head out to staging area to form parade block
3:05 - loose feeling in tips of all fingers on left hand. that can't be good, or get any better.
3:24 - get relief from donated hand warmers not warming my fingers
3:29 - park in front of Museum of American History. check local weather on phone. Registers at 25 degrees
4:08 - Willie Clark begins game of follow the leader
After an hour outside, now watching the sun set behind us, with 10 mph winds, Willie gets at least 30 people to follow him as he walks around the parade block, through the sousaphones, winds around the saxes, even walks through the Hackey Sack game just to keep us all warm, our spirits up, and our sanity. This guy can find a good time anywhere, ANYTIME!
5:15 - USAF Band finally hits Pennsylvania Ave and begins 2009 Inaugural Parade.
5:15 - I depress my valve trigger to play first note of Washington Post, and it freezes in place. Hand slide is also almost frozen in place as well.
5:19 - Instrument begins to function normally again
6:04 - pass by President Barack Obama.
This brief moment of joy and excitement suddenly makes me forget the freezing, the lack of sleep, the poor eating I have done all day, as I perform the Air Force Song for our new Commander in Chief.
6:12 - Inaugural Parade ends
6:13 - wonder where the busses are
6:28 - REALLY wonder where the hell the busses are.
6:50 - begin Police escort up to Washington Hilton
7:20 - enter Hilton, bypassing press, cooks, busboys, to go through security.
"Everyone move aside, I need to get the band in first!"
7:38 - Begin soundcheck, after watching Kanye West do his soundcheck. Nice of him to warm the room up for us.
- 24 hour mark of Inaugural Festivities -
9:17 - watch colleagues return from downstairs where they got pictures with actress Rosario Dawson. My esteemed colleagues are giddy like school children, permanently changing my impression of these manly men
9:40 - I head downstairs to people watch
Being the MTV Youth ball, the event was geared towards 18-35 year olds. As I observe the party goers, I feel my place outside of the demographic as a 37 year old, and feel more like a prom chaperone. I quickly take my creepy presence out of there, and back to the holding room.
10:00 - band heads downstairs to get in position
10:04 - band passes a hot 24 year old brunette in kitchen claiming to "need a place to throw out my gum"
10:04:06 - band drummers recognize hot brunette as Demi Moore
10:06 - Kanye West warming up the room for USAF Band. Very nice of him
10:11 - USAF Band takes stage to chants of "U.S.A."
10:12 - Party goers sing along with USAF Band on drum corps version of "God Bless America". Fun
10:15 - Party goers sing along with USFA Band on Washington Post. Now its just odd. "Da da, da dut da, dut da, DUT Da..."
10:28 - 4 Rufles and Flourishes
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Presid-"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" from the 7000+ attendees like a wall of sound. Loudest human made sound I have ever experienced in my life.
10:33 - USAF Band receives its first command from our new Commander in Chief. "Hit it, band!" as we begin the First Dance of "At Last"
10:40 - USAF Band departs stage and gasps as the day comes to a close
10:41 - USAF Band spots Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy talking with Kanye
10:43 - USAF Band spots a ghost outside hotel
10:44 - USAF Band realizes ghost is just Cher.
11:14 - USAF Band arrives at Bolling AFB
11:24 - depart for home
11:35 - arrive home
11:36 - take out the trash
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
12:15 a.m. - go to bed
5:45 - Max wakes me up
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This blog was patriotically composed while listening to:
Lady of the Island - Crosby, Stills, & Nash - Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Berwald Symphony #1 - III - Gothenburg Symphony, Neeme Jarvi, cond.
Pound For A Brown - Frank Zappa - Zappa in New York
Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
Country Death Song - Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground
Another Love Song - Naked to the World - Listen Naked
Tia Lupe - Alien Ant Farm - truANT
Please Don't Bug Me - Frank Rosolino - Turn Me Loose!
Act 3 Prelude - Met Opera - Gotterdammerung
Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie - Greatest Hits I & II
I know Its True, But I'm Sorry To Say - Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground
Night Life - Airmen of Note - Big Band Jazz Sound '67
One X One - INXS - Listen Like Thieves
Franck Symphony in d minor, 3rd movement - Chicago Symphony, Pierre Monteaux, cond.
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