Oh, what a day

I bought several “01.20.09” lapel button a couple of years ago. My husband and I wore ours frequently and if someone figured it out and acted delighted, I handed one to them.

Finally, we can put them away.

We applauded, cried, cheered and sang during the inaugural ceremonies. The singing was especially funny – as the helicopter carrying former President and Mrs. Bush floated away, our little group sang the “Na, na, hey, hey, good-bye” song you often hear at championship sporting events.

We had a little personal drama as the party was starting. The phone rang and Caller ID showed that it was the hospital where my father is currently a guest. It is not good to get calls from a hospital, no matter what day of the week or what time of day. I picked up the phone with trepidation.

It was my dad, announcing he was going to have a pacemaker inserted at noon.

Now the doctors have been talking about pacing him since November, so all we can figure is that it must have been an urgent situation for them to suddenly decide – on Inauguration Day! – to stick one in him. He assured me that he’d called Washington and they were going to delay the speech until he was out of recovery. (My dad is a lifelong Democrat and is as happy about this election as he can be.)

He was, of course, kidding, which was oddly reassuring. If he can still make jokes about such things, then he must be okay, right? The next call came at 2 o’clock. The procedure went well; Dad’s heartbeat should be well above 35 by now. I talked with him last night before I went to the prison and he sounded great.

The prison meeting was beyond great. You can just imagine how a room full of first-time, non-violent offenders looking at years of lockdown under our current Draconian drug-sentencing laws might feel with a new administration taking the reins. Maybe, just maybe, some of Obama’s hope and promise will extend to sentencing reform.

And now it’s back to Real Life – working out and eating healthfully are Numbers One and Two on my list. My book client wants the project ready for print on Friday, and we start a bathroom remodeling project Thursday.

Our mayor wants to meet with me next week to begin working on materials for her re-election campaign. I think a little politics has seeped into my blood. Heh.