T.F.C.
Getting ready to go visit my mother in Columbia in a little bit. This should be interesting, as Barack Obama's "Whistle Stop" (train) tour is scheduled for this afternoon, and he is making an appearance downtown at War Memorial Plaza around 4 p.m. The JFX (I-83) is closed between North Avenue and Fayette Street, and according to the traffic report, currently the jam factor north and south from the Beltway to downtown is "10." Needless to say, I'm taking the "scenic route" (back roads to the Beltway and then out I-70 to Rte. 29). My visit was postponed from last night, because, as my husband says, it was "TFC" ("Too F---king Cold")! Stopped during my errands yesterday to take photos of ducks and geese on a lake/pond, and after 5 minutes ran back to the car, because my hands were numb. As for today, my husband just commented, "it looks deceptively nice outside."
I would *LOVE* to see Obama in person. My "snapper" side (as my husband calls my penchant for photography) is bemoaning the fact that I am not going to the inauguration. However, I do not wish to compete for a spot where I wouldn't be able to see anything anyway with the 2 million+ folks who are predicted to descend upon our nation's capitol this Tuesday, freezing my butt off and looking for a spot-a-pot. I don't even want to freeze my butt off at War Memorial Plaza. I did take the day off from work on Tuesday to watch the inauguration from the comfort of my own couch.
I will say that the "cool factor" of Obama's train tour (retracing Lincoln's train route from Philly to DC) matches the "jam factor" mentioned above: 10 out of 10! And I hope to see Obama in person sometime. Now I'll think of taking a tour of the White House, since the current occupant is moving back to Crawford.