OBAMA!!

I was terrified to wake up with a cold yesterday. I skipped the MLK day of service thing for the military (but would've been in good company - d'oh!), did a bit of cleaning ahead of Emily and Alison's stay with us and then took up residence on the sofa.

I felt better by last night and had a fun evening with Joe, Molly and Emily, who came over for dinner and were going to play games, but we were all too stuffed to move after eating, so just sat around chatting.

Fortunately, my cold had gone by this morning and today rivaled only my wedding as the greatest day of my life. I still can't get my head around what I witnessed, the importance of it, and how weirdly mellow and easy my day was, despite sharing a very small slice of the city with 1.8 million people.

We convened with Megan, Jonathan, Kerry Dan, Angular Dan and Angular Dan's sister and her boyfriend on our landing at 7.30am this morning. The musical interludes were due to start at 10.30am and the ceremony at 11.30am, so we figured three hours should be plenty of time to get through security etc and stake our spot. Whoops. Max came with us, but I had to say goodbye to him as he was going to the office to spend the day inside, fielding submissions from his correspondents out in the field. I was really sad to miss sharing with him yet another big part of the exciting election we came here to experience. There was already a spattering of people on the streets at 7.30am, but that spattering turned into a massive crush of crowds when we got down into Dupont Circle metro station and every train that arrived was rammed with people, so - being a group of about 9 - we had to let several trains pass without getting on them, before we just squished onto one, giving up any complexes we had about personal space. Kerry Dan finally got us onto a train by saying, "make room - it's a special day"!

At this point I should explain that I was wearing nearly every piece of clothing that I own. I had tights and thick socks on, jeans underneath my furry tracksuit bottoms, a vest, two long-sleeved t-shirts, a cashmere polo neck, a fleece on top of that, my jacket made from a duvet and then my cagoul on top of that (there was a 50% chance of snow). Oh, and little sachets of hot rocks in my trainers, a scarf, gloves and a hat (with spare gloves and hat in my pocket, just in case). So you can imagine how uncomfortable it was to not only be forcibly inserted into someone's armpit, but experience my body temperature reaching dangerously high levels. And on top of all this, ever since getting stuck underground on the New York subway for two hours in a big blackout back in '03, I have a deep-seated fear of the underground and crowds and getting stuck. This pedigree of panic didn't stand me in great stead when, having said goodbye to our friends with fancier tickets than us who had to go to different gates, my Inauguration posse (Dan, Dan and Dan's sister Becca and her boyfriend Joey who'd come down from Boston) and I disembarked at L'Enfant Plaza metro station, only to find out that about 1.7million of the 1.8million people in DC had had the same idea and we were in a solid crush of people all trying to get out of the station. It was obvious things weren't going anywhere, so we headed down to a different platform to get a train along to the next stop, only to discover that the trains weren't letting people off - they weren't opening their doors - because L'Enfant Plaza was just jammed with people. All the escalators were solid with static crowds and no-one was going anywhere. Things got really hairy when we heard someone upstairs say over a loudhailer, 'close the gates' and the crowd up there erupted, prompting loud hailer person to say, 'stop pushing and shoving'.

Although we were downstairs, where there was quite a bit of space, to not be able to leave - either from the exit or on a train - very quickly became utterly terrifying to me, especially as Angular Dan started speculating about just how many people there must be outside the station for the people inside not to be able to get out. What I needed was for someone to calmly explain it was all going to be ok and we just had to sit it out and eventually the crowds would dissipate, but instead I was stuck with the most pessimistic people ever who put the fear of God into me about what may be happening. So, shedding several layers, I called Max for a calm voice, only to discover that things were so bad above ground that Matt Lauer had missed the beginning of the Today programme, because he couldn't get into position on the Mall in time and loads of the BBC correspondents were having a nightmare getting to where they needed to be.

It was a blessing in disguise that I was with people I'd only just met, because I think if I'd known them better, I would've felt comfortable just completely losing the plot, but I had to keep it together and eventually people on the escalators started moving and trains finally started opening their doors and we were on our way. Although the platform we emerged onto was rammed with people when we arrived at our destination, the crowd was moving pretty steadily and security people were keeping things going. Chants of 'Obama, Obama' broke out as we slowly made our way up the rammed escalator and never have I been so happy to breathe air as when we finally got outside. Woo!

The streets were obviously teeming with people, but not in a big surging crowd, just lots of people dashing about everywhere and we were soon directed to the queue for silver ticketholders and started trying to find the back of it. The gates had only just opened, so the queue wasn't moving and we walked and walked and walked and walked - probably for about a mile, certainly all the way back to L'Enfant Plaza (aka Metro Station of Doom) - along the neverending line. Pessimistic Dan (who I actually have to re-name Cap'n Dan, because he led us around very effectively) was freaking out that we were going to miss the ceremony, but it says a lot about where Obama and history come in relation to breathing fresh air and getting to live on my list of priorities, as I didn't much care what we missed, just so long as we weren't trapped underground anymore.

So we were walking and walking, periodically checking that the people in the line were silver ticketholders, until we rounded a corner and I spotted four people in old-school naval uniforms that I swear I'd seen in line about 10 mins earlier. It rapidly transpired that it was a CIRCULAR LINE!! A line with literally no end! An existential vision of hellish futility. Cap'n Dan sought help from one of the many volunteers and we were soon on our way to the actual silver ticketholders' line and I only hope that Dan made it clear to the volunteers that they had to go and rescue those poor queuers who were destined for disappointment if they didn't break out of the ninth literal circle of hell.

Once on the correct path, we got to the security line no problem and didn't even have to queue. Soon we were inside the silver area, which was a standing area behind the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol. So all the seats were between the Capitol and the pool and we were standing behind and the Mall was stretching back behind us to the Washington Monument. We were towards the back of the area, but had a great view of the Capitol and a jumbo screen and I felt a guilty thrill when I looked at how jampacked the Mall was behind us, wondering how early the people right at the front of the hoi-paloi section must've got there and how squished in they were, compared to us, who could roam around and see lots and nip to one of the many loos if we wanted to, under the watchful eye of many snipers on the rooftops around us.

life in the silver ticketholders' area - lots of space...

...and a good view...

...all under the watchful eye of these guys

the gang! Becca, Joey, me, Dan & Cap'n Dan

There was a big camera scaffold directly in front of the podium, so no-one could see the stage where Obama and Biden were going to get sworn in, but the screen came in handy for that and it was fun to have Dan and Dan identify the politicians for me, as they came out onto the stage. I kind of lost track of time all day long, but I think we got to our positions at about 9.45/10am. At one point, Joey and Cap'n Dan lent me their knees to give me a boost up and see the mass of people behind us, stretching all the way down the Mall. It was extraordinary.

I've never been to anything historic before - I was in Jersey for Princess Di's funeral, I watched Millenium Eve from the crags above Edinburgh and I can't think of anything like that that's happened that I'd actually like to've been at. So it was amazing to be part of this and the atmosphere in the crowd was just one of great excitement and happiness and cooperation - people talking to strangers and no Glastonbury-esque aggro of people jostling for position.

Occasionally chants of 'Obama' or 'Yes We Can' would come from all the way down the Mall behind us, reaching us a bit like a wave gathering strength, and it was fun to spot celebrities picked up on the big screen. Queen Oprah was there, of course, as was Jay-Z wearing an absurdly enormous fur hat, P Diddy and beautiful Beyonce (it was really funny to hear Cap'n Dan, who'd spent all morning in intense political discussion with Kerry Dan, spot Beyonce and say, "her hair is so lovely"!) and - inexplicably - John Cusack. Which kind of annoyed me. Just because you're an actor, you get to sit up on the stage for a front-row seat to this amazing event? Pah.

Once the politicians started emerging to take their seats, it was interesting to see who got cheered when they appeared on the screens (Kerry, Gore, Barney Frank, Colin Powell) and was quite funny when McCain came and went on screen without much event, but when Lieberman appeared, he got a deafening boo from nearly 2 million people! Cheney looked extremely sinister, in his wheelchair - a terrifying combination of Mr Potter from 'It's A Wonderful Life', Blowfeld and Dr Strangelove - and much discussion was had in our group as to whether to boo Bush, but we pretty soon resolved not to (though I was tempted to start a slow clap...). In fact, when he first appeared on screen, he was walking down a corridor within the Capitol with Obama, which was a very clever move. And when he came out onto the stage, there were some boos, but so many people around us clapped, saying he's their President and you have to have respect for that.

I was amazed to see how doddery Bush Sr (or '41' as he's known in the West Wing, to distinguish from '43' - George W. Bush - which is easier and a bit more respectful than 'jr' and 'sr') was on his cane (apparently he's just had hip surgery) and interested to see that Hillary came out as Bill's wife, rather than with the new cabinet. Sasha and Malia looked unfeasibly pretty and calm, bringing the first of many tears to my eyes. And obviously the place erupted when Obama finally appeared. It was really happening!

We had really bad sound issues throughout the ceremony - sometimes the speakers feeding our part of the crowd just didn't work, and other times we were getting sound from three different sets of speakers with three different time delays, giving an eery sci-fi feel to what was being said. I was interested that Rick Warren got no boos, despite being staunchly pro-Prop 8 and a controversial choice for the invocation, but the Dans were thrilled when he included the 'non-believers' in the religious groups to be blessed by God. It was awesome to hear Aretha Franklin sing (albeit the British national anthem with different words) in her amazing hat, then Biden was sworn in to great cheers, Yo-Yo Ma and pals did a John Williams-composed musical interlude (I could see them quite well through my binoculars, as they were above the podium obscured by the big scaffold) - that Itzhak Perlman plays a mean violin (and Kerry Dan used to play in a band with his son, who apparently is a 'dirty' drummer and very good singer!) and then it was time for the Big Event.

Everyone around us was very quiet, trying to hear Obama getting sworn in, but the sound was really bad. Apparently there were quite a few fluffs in the saying of the oath, but we didn't catch them. Nevertheless, I was just weeping and weeping at the significance of the occasion, not only in the context of his being the first African American to become President in a pretty racist country, but at what this represents for America and the world going into the future. I've always said that Obama's going to far transcend however long his time in office as President is - he's going to be one of the key historical figures of our generation - but just as his term will be bigger than the Presidency, I think his Presidency is going to be bigger than America. This is a great, great thing for the world and we're all going to feel the effects of someone with such intelligence, integrity, vision and heart being the leader of the free world.

There was much hugging and cheering and chanting of 'yes we can' as Obama took to the podium to deliver his speech and I was amazed by how bold his speech was. He was standing in front of Bush and Clinton, but effectively saying, 'play time is over, now let's get down to serious business'. It was amazingly brave for him to just be like, 'right, I'm in charge now and we're actually going to get something done', the implication being that the people behind him had messed it up for some time. I loved his defiance to the rest of the world, that America is no longer to be messed with, and the line, "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist".

the President of the United States speaks

I recorded the whole thing on my camcorder, but from time to time had to remind myself that I was actually watching Obama, that I was present at this extraordinary event while it was happening and that I should really savour that, rather than just desperately trying to record it for posterity (along with thousands of other people with little glowing screens of cameras held aloft above the be-hatted crowd).

The speech was really well received and everyone cheered at the right points. The sound of applause was really funny, because most of the millions were wearing gloves, so it was this weird muted sound. But the cheers made up the volume where the hands fell short. I will be interested to see whether there was an "ask not what your country can do for you..." line that defines the speech, as I couldn't really detect one, but I just liked his confidence and sense of purpose and certainly Kerry Dan was really impressed afterwards, and he knows a thing or two about speeches.

Much weeping, hugging and looks of, 'it's actually happened!' followed and then we all started leaving the Mall as the poet lady did her thing, mainly because the speakers had given up the ghost by then. The silver section was only exitable from one side of the Mall, so all the crowds which had arrived in stages were now pouring into a tiny street all at the same time. But it was incredibly calm and friendly and although we were moving at a slower-than-snail's pace, the atmosphere was one of great happiness and shared experience. I felt sorry for the children we saw in the crowd, as they were totally enclosed by thighs and probably thought they'd never see the sky again. We made friends with a couple from Kentucky - Saniqa and Keith - because I took a photo of Saniqa's hat and we got chatting. They were keen to stick to us, as they didn't know the city, so we tried to all stick together, but it proved a bit difficult. At one point, George W. Bush flew overhead in a helicopter and we all wished him an empassioned farewell. Apparently when Reagan made the same journey over the crowds on the Mall in 1989, it was the first time his assistant saw him cry. Though I should imagine W just thought we were all cheering because we like him so much.

There was a very tame attempt at rebellion, when some of the crowd pulled down fences around the museum we were filing past, but they were turned back and sheepishly had to re-join the masses. Before too long, we were able to walk a bit more freely and headed for the 3rd St tunnel, to get back under the Mall to the north side of Pennsylvania Ave. It was really moving to see how diverse the crowd was, in terms of age, ethnicity and even mobility - I saw an old overweight African American couple struggling along the street, for whom all this walking must've been really difficult, but they did it anyway to be part of history. As we were walking along, under the guidance of Cap'n Dan, I passed a man talking on his mobile, saying he'd got stuck at L'Enfant Plaza for 2 hours that morning, which made me feel better about our by comparison mini-ordeal.

As I say, despite the streets teeming with crowds, everything felt very calm. There wasn't much of an obvious police or military presence, and people were just pootling along, taking as long as it took. We headed down to the tunnel and it was amazing to see the 3-lane freeway full of people, with pedestrians walking underneath those gigantic motorway signs above the road. It was really fun to walk through the tunnel - I like walking where usually only cars go - and I'm pleased that at that stage I knew nothing of the Purple Tunnel of Doom (thousands of purple ticket holders were stuck in the 3rd St tunnel for two hours and missed the ceremony, because the tunnel was blocked off by security for no apparent reason - it's a massive scandal now and makes my blood run cold).

mercifully little doom here

While walking through the tunnel, my mobile beeped with all the messages that hadn't been able to get through while the entire city was texting earlier, and I had a quick chat with Maxy, who was up to his eyes in incoming dispatches at the Bureau, but apparently cried as he was watching the ceremony.

After the tunnel, I parted ways with my gang (left) to whom I was very attached and with whom I'd had such a lovely time - I felt really looked after and the Dans were terrific company - because I had been invited to a reception in an office overlooking the parade route. I was sorely tempted just to stick with my new friends, as they were going to a house party for the afternoon, but figured I should at least try to get to the privileged vantage point I'd been offered. After a brief bit of separation anxiety, I actually quite enjoyed wandering along the now far less busy streets by myself, soaking in the atmosphere of the streets of Chinatown lined with stands and stalls selling everything with Obama's face on it - from badges, posters, beanie hats and t-shirts to air fresheners, weird certificates, plaques and goodness knows what else. It was funny to hear one vendor say everything was half price, as if now the Inauguration had happened, the stuff was somehow out of date.

um, I ain't no historian, but...

by far my favourite t-shirt of the day

I was allowed a guest at the reception, so had invited Alison, to cheer her up after her breakup with Brewster. I gave her name for the secret service check a few weeks ago, but she had got to Chinatown much earlier and discovered the security checkpoint you had to go through to get onto Pennsylvania Ave was closed, so she was holed up in a bar with Emily. I was a bit relieved and planned to head to the house party, but figured I should at least check out how long the lines were to get onto the parade route, despite a policeman confirming what Alison had told me, that an hour earlier, the checkpoints were closed because the parade route was full. When I got to the checkpoint, it seemed to be open and the crowd was really small, so with something of a heavy heart (I wasn't too fussed about the parade), I thought I might as well join the queue for a little while and bail when it got too boring.

I quickly made friends with the people around me. There were two families who didn't know each other, but when they discovered each other was from Brooklyn, became firm friends. And I chatted with an Indian lady who'd been volunteering earlier that day, despite not being an American citizen - she was just so excited to be there and wanted to support Obama. One of the Brooklyn ladies told me a story which I wonder now might be apocryphal. Her cousin was dying of cancer in a hospice during the election and was unable to get to the polling station, but was determined not to be fobbed off with a postal vote, so insisted that a voting machine be brought to her room, then got all the other people in the hospice who wanted to vote to come to her room, which became a makeshift polling station. I hope it is true. Everyone around us was comparing how far they'd travelled to come to the ceremony and they'd come from all over the States, so I timed my run just right and popped in, 'England?' at just the right time to attract the maximum 'oohs' and 'aahs', only to reveal it was something of a cheat, as I live here.

The security line was moving super-slow and they were only letting three people through to the metal detector area at a time. I got the most crushed I'd gotten all day, but actually by then it was really nice, because it kind of let me lean on the person squished up behind me and give my back a break. The nice thing was I hadn't been cold all day! I was toasty warm, despite it being crazy-cold, so looking like the Michelin man was a small price to pay for an unusually comfortable time outside in the freeze. And I managed to not need the loo at all either, which was another small but significant victory.

It got to the point that, although I was tantalisingly close to the front of the queue, I wasn't sure if I'd actually get in and we heard a cheer from the parade route at one point that made me think that we'd missed the Obamas, because it was about 2pm and I think that's when the parade was due to start. However, I finally got through security and it was so weird - the security tables were strewn with oranges and apples and loads of fruit. No knives or guns or bottles of water or whatever - just fruit! Turns out they were confiscating any throwable food. But a lady behind me got in with her bottle of Jim Beam in tact!

It was amazing, considering the horror stories I'd heard before going through security - there was hardly anyone on the parade route at all. Bleachers were half empty and lines of people were a maximum of three people deep. It was really easy to move around, so I made it to the office building with no problem and got upstairs in plenty of time for the parade to begin (I have no idea what the cheers had been for), only to discover that the parade had been delayed because Teddy Kennedy had gone into seizures during the post-inauguration lunch and Robert Byrd (the oldest senator, I think) collapsed.

Neighbour Dan's office is up on the 7th floor and there were only about 4 people in each office which had gigantic windows looking all the way down to the Capitol. It's right between the FBI and a plaza where lots of people were. And crucially, it was warm and there were chairs and loads of food and loos. yeay!

Dan told me terrible stories about people who'd been queuing to get onto the parade route since 4-5am, but either couldn't get on at all (his boyfriend Giles had to turn back and go home to watch the whole thing on TV) or only just managed to get in at about 1pm. Apparently the generator for the metal detectors went down, so they were patting people down by hand and it just took forever. I can't believe how lucky I was! The whole day (but for L'Enfant Plaza-gate) was so mellow for me and nothing ever felt like an effort or a chore - I think the longest I had to wait was the 45 or so mins to get onto Pennsylvania Ave.

As the parade began, Dan grabbed me and whisked me into a little office just the two of us and I had a whole window to myself to watch the parade from! And it turned out to be George Allen's office! So very random. There was a stuffed duck on the wall. It wasn't long before the extraordinary phalanx of outriders on motorcycles (with sidecars!) and black vans and cars started slowly creeping towards us down Pennsylvania Ave, with the Obama's ensconced in 'the beast' as the secret service calls the new Presidential car - it's basically a tank on wheels, so heavy is its security. It was all very exciting, and only got more exciting when the car stopped and Barack and Michelle got out right beneath us!!!

Dan said it was because the plaza next to us is where most people are, so they got out and wandered along and for about 5-10 minutes, I could see them really clearly with my own eyes! As could the many snipers lining the roofs above the parade route... It was so, so exciting and thrilling. I saw Obama! What was even cooler is that they didn't get out of the car again until they reached the White House!

Then Biden came along with Jill and his family (including dreamy Beau, his amazing son) and did the same thing - got out and waved at us all. I found myself tearing up a bit, thinking about his dead wife and daughter and am so happy for him and for us that he's VP - I really think he's great.

I thought I'd leave after Obama and Biden had gone past, but was feeling so elated, I just stuck around and watched most of the rest of the parade in a room with more people. Me and a really cute little 7-year old girl from Atlanta called Destyni [sic] sat with our noses up against the window, watching the twirling batons, the plodding horses and the regimented marching bands walk past. It was sad though, because the audience areas on the parade route basically emptied as soon as Biden had passed, so all these people who'd been waiting in the cold so long were performing to almost no-one (until they reached the White House). One little band dude had to be extracted, because he was shaking so much and had to be carried away, poor chap.

Eventually, I got a bit bored of the parade so, scoffing as much food as I could, using the bathroom as many times as I could, I headed back onto the street and wandered home, having no sense of time and not really being bothered that I was at 7th and D and needed to get back to 19th and U. I plugged my iPod in and really enjoyed being by myself, soaking up the atmosphere of people wandering around the streets, vendors selling the last of their wares and the ground being spattered with ephemera from the day's events. It was amazing to see how they'd blocked off lots of the streets - by parking two buses right across the opening to the streets - and to see how rammed the queues to get down into the metro still were.

a makeshift store

...but even proper shops are 'in the tank' for Obama...

kid's t-shirt - that's Sasha & Malia's Dad!

I can't believe that I still wasn't cold (thanks, Neighbour Dan), exhausted or stressed out and was really pleased that I was in a city I know really well, as it made it really nice to just calmly make my way home. Our street was all blocked off because one of the big balls was happening at the Hilton across the road, and it was fun to hear the helicopters fly overhead just as Obama arrived at the ball and we watched on MTV. Maxy was out on U St, manfully trawling the bars for a 'colour piece' for the website (here) - it's a tough job! But eventually we were reunited and got to reflect on what we'd seen that day and the fact that... Obama is President!! Amazing.

I had planned to hit the streets and celebrate all night long, but the exhaustion of the day hit me as I shed my many layers and hit the sofa, so we stayed in (with Alison and Emily) and watched the balls on TV. It was so cool, at the ball across the road that was on MTV, cos after Obama made this great speech about the young generation being responsible for having changed the opinions of parents across the country and inspired people older than them with their dedication and service, he said, "hit it, band" as they struck up what must've been the nth rendition of Etta James' 'At Last' that poor Barack and Michelle had heard that night. I also saw footage from the Neighbourhood Ball, of Barack and Michelle boogying down in the crowd while Stevie Wonder played their favourite song. What a cool President. I'm only sad that he doesn't get a lie-in tomorrow - he must be knackered!

PHOTOS: INAUGURATION

Click HERE for photos from my entire inauguration experience

'WE ARE ONE' CONCERT

MOST IRRITATING NEIGHBOUR: the one who put up a sign in our lobby, reminding us that this is a private residence, 'not a college dorm' and that if we put up signs - like the one Megan and Jonathan put up last night to direct people to their apartment, we're to take them down asap. Sanctimonious losers.

As fun as the party was last night, we had to tear ourselves away betimes, because Max had to go into the office for a couple of hours this morning and I wanted to go to the earlier of my church's two services this morning, to allow us to head to the Lincoln Memorial in plenty of time to get a good spot for the concert.

Fortunately, Megan and Jonathan were using their bedroom (which shares a wall with ours) as a coat room, so we weren't too disturbed by noise from the party and were able to get to sleep. Until some genius had an idea to turn the coat room into a music room at 1.30am and we were woken up by the loudest keyboard music and singing/rapping known to man!

As annoying as this was, the most annoying thing is that it was really really good! Whoever was playing the keyboard was great and someone in there could rap, too, so we couldn't block the music out and get to sleep, because it was too loud and too good! I sent a text to Megan, gently suggesting that the music move to the other bedroom, but we moved to our other bedroom when it became obvious that Megan wasn't checking her messages.

It may come as no surprise that I was a little grumpy when I woke up this morning!

We celebrated MLK day at church and the sermon was given by an African American parishioner who talked about meeting MLK when he spoke at Howard University and the realities of growing up black in DC during the 40s and 50s. It was a very moving speech and very upsetting in parts, putting into sharp relief the progress that has been made in order for Obama to be voted in as president. One of the stories he told was how he'd get terribly hot delivering groceries door-to-door, so would ask for a glass of water and be told he could keep the glass. He enjoyed collecting them until his father explained that people were giving him the glass because they'd never use it after a black person had drunk from it. He never asked for a glass of water again after that.

As moving as it was to think of how far America has come, I was brought down to earth with a jolt when we prayed for Obama's safety, reminding us that he might have won by a majority, but there's a vast section of Americans who will be very unhappy to see an African American in the White House.

I wrapped up warm, picked up Maxy from his office (turns out he wasn't needed after all - so annoying!) and we walked down to the Lincoln Memorial for the concert. On the way, we saw the first signs of DC bracing itself for the influx of crowds and the heightened security measures required for such a momentous event.

Reinforcements have obviously been drafted in from all over the states, as we heard one soldier ask another if he'd come from West Virginia and the reply came, "no, Tennessee".

The streets were empty, partly because we were pretty early for the 2pm start of the concert, and also because so many were blocked off already. We passed loads of people with suitcases, obviously just arriving for the festivities and as we got closer to the Reflecting Pool area, we started seeing lines of people and cheery volunteers pointing out the way to go.

We joined the queue for the Reflecting Pool area, which wasn't crazy-long when we got there, but was being held up by the security checks everyone had to go through. There are really strict instructions about what items you're allowed to carry with you during the Inauguration time, and how big your bag's allowed to be and stuff. Suffice to say, bags have to be tiny (backpacks not allowed) and you're not allowed to carry most things.

Taking up the courage of my convictions, I made the executive decision to abandon the queue and go and stand on the raised bit of ground in front of the Washington Monument which I'd scoped out on Friday, where there was absolutely no-one standing and no security checks were required.

pleased with our spot (Lincoln Memorial over my shoulder)

We positioned ourselves between two big screens and just hung out, watching as the Reflecting Pool area filled up, smug that no-one had cottoned on to our wheeze yet. Jean and Joe were meant to meet us, but they decided to try to get into the main area. And Cindy and Jim called to see where we were, but couldn't locate us in the end, but Joe and Molly found us. Of the three groups we had planned to meet up with, I was really pleased that they were the only ones we managed to see. They're so nice.

Waiting for the concert to begin, I got a slew of mortified texts from Megan, apologising for the noise last night, which was very sweet and all is firmly forgiven! Especially as we bumped into them tonight and she'd bought us the tastiest cupcakes I've ever had! Mmmmm.

Inevitably, our area started filling up with people and we were eventually swamped by crowds, but not in a scary way - there were just millions of people behind us as well as in front of us, but we had plenty of space around us and could clearly see the two screens, as well as the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

To keep us happy while we were waiting for the event to begin, things were played on the big screens, like Ellen saying hello from LA, where it's in the mid-70s, knowing full-well how badly we were freezing. And there was a big sing along with some of the stars waiting backstage. At one point, two helicopters flew over us, headed for the White House - it was Marine One!! We were all waving frantically, until we remembered who's still president, and then we abruptly stopped. But I still reckon one of the choppers had Obama in it, because then it flew back over us from the White House, and landed behind the Lincoln Memorial.

It was ridiculously exciting to see Barack and Michelle walk down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the beginning of the concert, and so sweet to see Sacha try to get Obama to sit on her lap.

We were far too far back to see anyone on the stage with the naked eye, but the concert was amazing. The atmosphere was so warm and positive and the performances were awesome. Even Jon Bon Jovi was a revelation - who knew he could sing properly?! Jamie Foxx did the best impression of Obama I've ever heard and even Laura Linney, Tom Hanks and Rosario Dawson were among the many actors who punctuated the musical performances with historical readings. I can report that Usher wears a suit very well and that Bruce, Stevie Wonder(!!!!!!), Beyonce and Shakira were all awesome. Of course, I'd expect all them to be. What I didn't expect was Garth Brooks (who I can't bear, but not because I've ever heard any of his music. Sometimes I just take against people and he seems annoying and right-wing) to be so brilliant at getting everyone dancing with 'Shout' and create such a party vibe. John Mellencamp was great in that way, too!

It was freezing cold, so all the applause was really muted, as people clapped with gloved hands. And I was experimenting with some sachets of footwarmers that Max had bought me for the long spells I'm spending outside this week, but they never quite warmed up, at least not until about 3 hours after being stuffed in my trainers.

It's so painfully pointless to say that it was very exciting to hear Biden and Obama speak, but it was!

Obama speaking to the masses from the spot where MLK said, "I have a dream"

The whole event was amazing and such a privilege to have on our doorstep. There were seas upon seas of people there and no-one was going to be getting out in any hurry, but as the crowds started moving off at the end of the concert, the overwhelming mood was one of calm and positivity - there was no aggro or pushing or impatience.

Pennsylvania Ave like we've never seen it

Joe and Molly had to leave before the end of the concert, to get to church, and were going to swing by tonight to play boardgames. We were also invited to a cocktail party being held by Chris Hayes and his wife, but we were so knackered, we put off Joe and Molly, turned down the cocktails invite and watched 'How I Met Your Mother' instead. I need to conserve my energy for Tuesday!

DC MOVERS & SHAKERS

IT'S EXTREMELY COLD: today, it was 22˚F, 'real feel' 12˚F. That means it feels like -11˚C. Brrrrr.

Today was excellent. It started with a generous dose of 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by a nap in front of 'Cat Ballou' (I love that movie! Though obviously not enough to stay awake).

We had two pre-inauguration parties tonight, and to get us in the mood, Max and I danced like loons to the Ting Tings, who join Black Kids in the ranks of bands I can't resist dancing to. And the handy thing is, I get called Stacey all the time by Americans, so the fact that the Ting Tings song, 'That's Not My Name', features the line, "they call me Stacey... that's not my name" only serves to make me even more happy.

The first party was being thrown by new friend Joanna (who we met at Joe and Molly's), but not at her house. She lives in Georgetown (and has a Wii Fit, which is apparently the most amazing thing ever and tells you how to stand properly when working out and stuff. So long, Carlos!), but the party was just down the road, at a flat on 17th.

It was fun enough, and I'm cross we ate before going out, because the food looked tasty. We knew absolutely none of the guests - Joe and Molly weren't there - so I was grateful that Joanna barely left our side for the hour or so we were there and we had really fun chats with her. We also met an architect called Cody, who was fun and really handsome, but for the first time I felt really old, because I realised I was thinking someone in their early 20s was handsome and that's not ok anymore. As soon as he left, I prodded Joanna into admitting he was hot, but she hadn't noticed, because he isn't Asian! So much for living vicariously through single friends...

The second party was next door, at Megan and Jonathan's and we met some awesome people. I think of it very much as the kind of party that my relatives think we go to all the time in DC - it was full of people in their late 20s/early 30s, all of whom are going to become very high-powered figures in public life in the next five years or so.

Will Straw was there, with his girlfriend who does press for Olympia Snow (surely the greatest-named Senator in the world, despite the fact she's a Republican) and is extremely fun, with her love of retro TV series - I hope we see more of them.

Chris Hayes was also there, as he's one of Megan's best friends, but I instantly recognised him as a regular contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann! He's Washington editor of The Nation and his wife has just been made White House counsel, so is going to be working as one of Obama's lawyers. Awesome. They're both extremely nice and super-friendly.

The two people I liked the most were two more of Megan's best friends, Dan and Dan. Frustratingly their surnames both begin with B, so distinguishing them as 'Dan B.' isn't possible. One of them is Kerry's speechwriter and he and I hit it off immediately and hopefully will become firm friends. The other has an angular face, so I shall call him Angular Dan, and he's doing a PhD in environmental politics(?) at Harvard.

They're both extremely fun AND have tickets to the same section as me on Inauguration day, so we're going to hang out together! It only occurred to me once the dust of excitement had settled that it's all very well, my having a ticket to the ceremony, but it means I'll be by myself, while the three groups of people who've invited me to join them - Cindy and Jim, Jean and Joe and Molly and Joanna - hang out elsewhere. So I'm thrilled to have a little gang with whom to brave the crowds, especially such a fun one. Dan and Dan are awesome.

INAUGURATION RECON

I HAVE A TICKET TO THE INAUGURATION!!!!

Ok, very quickly. So on Wednesday, Maxy and I went to a yoga class together for the first time and it was really lovely, doing yoga next to him. Max LOVED it and kept insisting I not upset his shakra afterwards! The instructor - Chuck - kept referring to the boddaay, which made us giggle.

That night, we watched a marathon of 'How I Met Your Mother' and we still love it. Good.

I can't decide whether it's cheeky of Alison and Emily to be renting out their apartment for $1000 a night over the Inauguration, then use our spare room for free. Thoughts?

Yesterday, I went to butts, guts and guns and Carlos was grumpy. I noticed on my way home that the secret service are removing the postboxes from outside our post office, because of its proximity to the Hilton across the road, where the Youth Ball is taking place on Inauguration day. 'citing.

Max was commissioned by the science section of the website to write a piece about water in the US. That was it - that was the extent of his brief. I therefore think he's a genius to've managed to turn out this.

This morning, we volunteered at Charlie's Place again. It was so cold on the way there that my face hurt, but I was excited to use one of those big hose things with which to wash up. But I sprayed my entire body with water, which made for a very chilly walk home. It was good to be back there, though, and we're going to try to go every other week from now on.

The 6am start slayed me and I had a two hour nap this morning, then this afternoon thought I should make the most of being in town before the masses arrive, and took myself off on a bike ride around all the Inauguration sites, to get closer than I'm ever going to be able to get on Tuesday and also scope out where best to stand both at the concert on Sunday and on the Mall on Tuesday.

It was a beautiful afternoon - all blue skies and cold - and at first I thought the Reflecting Pool had been drained, which would be a genius idea, making more space for everyone to watch the concert, but then I realised it was frozen!

no water in the WWII memorial

There were a million portaloos everywhere - the reflecting pool was lined with them - all with hilariously rhyming names, like Don's Johns and Bobby's Pottys. And I got to the Lincoln Memorial just as the HBO production team and a gospel choir were doing a camera rehearsal of 'The Rising' (Bruuuuuce!). Man, it's so exciting. And it was even more exciting to hear over the open talkback that they'd do it 'with the talent' later - will Bruce be here soundchecking in person? And if so, does that also mean that the likes of U2 and Beyonce will be here with no crowds? It was sorely tempting to stick around, but I pressed on...

Lincoln being given a front-row seat to what's sure to be an awesome concert. Did I mention that Obama's going to be there, too?!?

Cycling back along the Reflecting Pool, I realised that there's no point at all trying to get down towards the front on Sunday. Firstly, you'd have to get in line at like, 4am, secondly there's going to be a ridiculous number of people crushing to the front and thirdly, there actually isn't going to be one spot - except where Obama and other VIPs are sitting - where you'll be able to see the performers. Because of the way the stands have been constructed and where the camera towers are, even those right down the Reflecting Pool are going to either have to make do with Bruce Springsteen being a teeny tiny speck, or rely on the big screens. And if that's the case, I figure we should escape the crush and go right back to under the Washington Monument, giving us a good view all the way down the Reflecting Pool but with none of the crushing.

Really happy to've worked that out, I headed to the Mall, where MSNBC were setting up their stand:

And then cycled on to the Capitol, to get a closer look at where the historical moment was going to go down, safe in the knowledge I'd be nowhere near it on Tuesday:

even the special people who get to sit right in front of the stage are going to be hard-pressed to see anything...

Though it'd obviously be amazing to be up close and personal with Obama as he gets sworn in and to get a front-row seat to the whole affair, standing and staring at the Capitol and the stage where Obama will become president, I found myself getting very moved that this is happening at all. Suddenly I don't care where I am on the day itself - just the fact that this great, great man is getting sworn in as President of the United States makes me so happy, excited and proud, that really my experience of the day doesn't matter. It's just awesome that the world is getting such an amazing leader.

I swung by the White House on my way home, really happy that I'd made the effort to bike around and even more excited about Tuesday than before.

So you can imagine my excitement when I got home to an email saying I had a ticket to the Inauguration, if I wanted it!! Screw just being happy that it's happening - I'm going to get to be near the front!! Well, not really. But still, it's awesome.

Remember Angela from the abismal New Year's Eve party? Well that night, as well as boasting that her job is to blow people up, she told me she could get me anything I wanted in DC. I think she was referring to a tour of the Capitol dome, but I said I wanted a ticket to the inauguration and she said she'd see what she could do. I dismissed this as her showing off, but then she emailed me today to say she's managed to score me a ticket and if I could get to Crystal City by 6pm, it's mine!!

So obviously I called her, spluttered down the phone that I was on my way and turned straight around and caught the metro almost to the end of the line, to Crystal City. There, I had to walk through a weird labyrinthine mall that went on for about four blocks, until I got to an area where the people petered out, all the shops were shut and a random doorway was being guarded by a cop. That's the entrance to Angela's top secret office!

While waiting, I was amused to spot that Inauguration fever has reached chocolate shops (left)! Then Angela appeared and gave me this amazing package of Inauguration goodies. In addition to my ticket, there was a beautiful embossed invitation, pictures of Obama and Biden and a souvenir booklet, as well as practical stuff like maps.

I still don't really understand how Angela got the ticket, or who it was meant for, but she's a massive Republican and is just happy to be getting out of town, so I know that I'm not making her miss out by taking it! And it briefly crossed my mind to get all noble and insist on giving it to an American, but screw that! I'm a citizen of the world, dagnammit, and Obama's presidency is good news for all of us! Wooooohoooooo!!!

WORKING OUT & FALLING DOWN

MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THE WEEKEND: we missed Neil Patrick Harris on Saturday Night Live! Nooooooo!!

I don't know if it's because we've been here nearly nine months, or because it's weird to have had Christmas and not seen any of my family or done any of the traditional things I do with my friends each year, but I'm getting really really homesick. I think not having a job has a lot to do with it, too, because I'm less busy so have more time to miss people and things.

However, fortunately there is a lot to distract me, like the prospect of an AMAZING concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, ahead of the inauguration!! I can't physically handle how cool it's going to be - the Boss! Beyonce! Denzel! U-freakin'-2! - and how lucky we are that all these amazing things are taking place in our town.

By way of giving something back for all the awesomeness, I've signed up to the Day of Service taking place the day before the inauguration, on Martin Luther King Day. It's an amazing initiative and I'm so excited that Obama is harnessing his great power and influence by getting people to do things that are good for the world. I wanted to deliver food to shut-in people, but all those spots were taken, so I'm going to be spending an hour compiling care packages for people in the military instead. I'm a bit ambivalent about the military, but that was the only option left by the time I came to sign up and I'd rather do something for a cause I'm dubious about than nothing at all.

This morning had its own excitements, as I finally managed to get to a yoga class for the first time this year and LOVE my yoga mat! I feel very proper and am so pleased to've got into it, after years of assuming yoga was a bit lame. Then afterwards, I did another stint on the cross-trainer, this time reading my Vanity Fair using a special magazine holder, as I puffed away! Such a pro...

Today's workout didn't go soooo well... Carlos called at some ungodly, pre-7am hour, to reschedule my penultimate personal training session for 2pm, which led to me not eating lunch beforehand. I wasn't hungry around 12.30ish and any later would've been bad news for stitches and such on the running mill.

So about 15 mins into my workout with Carlos, the inevitable happened and I came over all faint and would've collapsed had I not sat down as soon as I did. It was faintly embarrassing, because I do have a certain bravado thing with Carlos, where I don't want to look like I can't handle his workout (I like that he's a hardcore trainer), but more annoying was that I was paying for an hour's workout and spent about 40 mins of it sitting down, losing vision and hearing and going weirdly cold and clammy but also very hot. A fellow trainer gave me his protein bar, which I sheepishly nibbled on and then, when I was feeling a bit better, I sloped off home. Grrrr.

It's really nice, Molly keeps inviting us to do stuff with her and Joe - I'm so glad they enjoy our company, because we really really like them and would like to be firm friends with them. Unfortunately a lack of money and a busy diary keep getting in the way of us making plans, but we might have a games night with them this weekend, which would be awesome, as I LOVE boardgames and am very excited by the thought of having a pair of games buddies.

We're also lucky because we have the use of Anne's family car for the next couple of months. As you know, Anne's folks live in Manhattan. Although they're allowed to park on their street, they have to move the car every other day, for street cleaning, and it can take up to an hour to find a spot in their neighbourhood. So, while Don is away on his weirdy extended vacation in Mexico, Kristen decided it'd be easier for the car to be down here, parked in our spot and as payment, we get to use it whenever we like! Eeeexcellent.

In other momentous news, Max and I have graduated to the tougher level of mysteries in my one-person Cluedo set, which we sometimes play with of an evening. It's a pretty rock n' roll lifestyle we're leading - I hope you can keep up!

WICKED WEEKEND

MOST BATHETIC MOMENT OF THE WEEK: I've had the same winter beanie hat for 13 years, ever since buying it at a market in Montmartre while visiting Tom in Paris. I love that hat and the longer I have it, the more I love it. We've been on many adventures together all over the world and not once have I managed to leave it on a tube, have it blow off my head or forget to pack it when rushing for a flight home. So it was a bit depressing when my hat died yesterday when I hoovered it up. On the upside, the BBC have replaced our dreadful hoover with the most brand spanking new spaceage hoover you've ever seen and our carpets have never looked so clean. On the downside, it's so powerful, it sucked my hat in from a long way away and wouldn't let go until it had burned a big hole in it.

Yesterday was rainy and today was freezing, so we've spent quite a lot of time inside this weekend, gobbling up more 'How I Met Your Mother' (still awesome) and even attempting to get into 'Mad Men' again, using Max's login to the mega-iPlayer. The whole of the first season is there for the taking, but - like when I started watching it amid the hype when it was first on TV back home - I just can't force myself to care about it. Jon Hamm is terrific as Don Draper and it looks terrific, but there is nothing about the characters or situations that makes me want to find out what happens and the oh-so authentic sexism and racism is just annoying.

To give the telly a break, we went up to Bedrock Billiards yesterday for an afternoon of shuffleboard, just the two of us, which was really good fun. Though at $15 an hour, we realised it's not something we can do as often as we'd like.

Today we had an awesome two hour webchat with our friends Matt and Jilly. We really missed their annual Christmas party, especially the fiendish quiz that Matt always devises for it, so they were kind enough to give us our own quiz over skype! We're so lucky to be here now, rather than ten or even five years ago, when keeping in touch with people at home wouldn't be as easy as it is now.

This afternoon, after playing Lemonheads songs on the guitar (Max plays, we both sing - it's one of my all-time favourite weekend pursuits) we got our requisite bout of fresh air by walking to the Museum of American History, referred to by some as 'America's Attic', because it's where loads of random stuff is kept on behalf of the country. So there's everything, from Lincoln's hat and Clinton's saxophone, to Judy Garland's ruby slippers and the original Kermit doll, all housed in a really cool building. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the museum was only open for another 15 mins or so, so we dashed around the entertainment bit, scoped out the shop and vowed to return - it looks like a great place.

En route, we saw the area in front of the White House being prepared for the inauguration and bumped into a very chilly Kevin Connolly (one of the BBC correspondents), who was baffled when we said we were simply going for a walk! As far as he's concerned, walking is only for getting from A to B!

Maxy vying for Kevin Connolly's job. This is where Obama will watch the parade, with his new digs just behind...

this is the end of the parade route, right in front of the White House (out of shot, to the left) - there are bleachers lining the road and opposite the pod where Obama will watch from (on the left) is another structure for more VIPs to watch from

GIRLS NIGHT

MEET THE FUTURE LEADER OF THE FREE-WORLD: teehee! This is taken from a photo essay of Obama's college years, here

So I'm finally getting my head around the inauguration and have a better sense of what is happening when and where, which is good, because it was fast becoming this big unwieldy nebulous thing, a bit like going into the middle of London on New Year's Eve (something I've never attempted. Because I'm not mental), and I was tempted to just watch from the flat.

I'm still not sure exactly what I'm going to do that day, but do know where I'll be watching the parade - our downstairs neighbour Dan has invited me to watch from his office overlooking Pennsylvania Ave!! They're having some kind of reception there and he remembered that Max and I had mentioned back in the summer that we'd like to take advantage of his excellent location, so invited me (Max is working)! I'd stopped getting my hopes up that this might come to fruition when someone told me that all offices overlooking the parade route will be evacuated and closed by the secret service on inauguration day, but it seems that as long as I provide some security info, I'm in like Flynn! Yippeeee! I've also found a full list of inaugural balls, but can't work out how to get tickets - whether it's just a case of paying a bajillion dollars, or whether you have to qualify in some way or be entered into a lottery, or whatever. Hmmm.

Determinedly keeping up my get-fit regime, I went to an excellent 'butts, guts and guns' class yesterday - I like that I'm in a routine of going to the gym regularly, because for ages my membership was basically just a charitable donation to the gym, as I never actually went there! And today, I did half an hour on the cross-trainer, which I used to think of as an instrument of torture, whenever I saw skinny girls determinedly stepping way, while pulling their arms back and forth. However, now I really like it and consider it my one-stop-shop for toning up and getting stronger. Carlos says I should be doing 4 hours of cardio a week, which means hitting the machine after my two yoga lessons, in addition to my butts, guts and guns and kickboxing classes. Phew!

I'm sorry to hear that everyone back home is sick, either with extremely persistent flu or the puking virus again. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before people returning to the BBC bureau from trips home bring that particular joy to DC. In the meantime, I hope everyone gets better.

Tonight there was a screening of 'Lost Sparrow' (the film made by Brewster's friend Chris about the terrible tragedies in his family of adopted Crow Indians) up at the Avalon cinema. Max didn't feel like sitting through the disturbing film again, but Anne was up for going, so we went up there together and it was nice to see her for the first time since she got back from her Christmas break (I got a sachet of nacho dip and a beaded cuff to thank me for my work on the photo album. Does it make me a terrible person to be slightly miffed? I suspect so. But really - 12.30am on Boxing Day, people!).

There was a great turnout at the screening and I saw Katie and Becky from Alison's church, which was nice to recognise people at something I went to independent of a big group of friends. I'd heard Chris changed the movie quite a bit in response to comments given to him by a producer friend of his, particularly the fact that that he was too removed from the whole story and we never got a sense of how he felt.

I don't think the changes helped the movie and felt it wasn't as good as when I first saw it, though much of that might have to do with no longer being susceptible to the shocking power of the unfolding narrative. There was a Q&A afterwards and then Anne and I bussed home and Anne confessed that she really didn't rate the film, saying it raised more questions than it answered.

Max and I are really enjoying 'How I Met Your Mother', which has to be one of the greatest TV shows ever made. It's about a group of friends who are all around 30 and living in New York. Marshall and Lily met in Freshers' Week at college and have been together ever since, they live with their best friend Ted, who's an architect and in love with a new friend they made called Robin and Barney is a random legend that they met in their local bar, where they spend all their time.

So far, so 'Friends', but it's the most consistently funny sitcom I've seen and everyone in it is absolutely brilliant, particularly Jason Segel as Marshall and the sublime Neil Patrick Harris as Barney. Barney's opening salvo as he walked into the apartment in one episode was simply, "and his hair was perfect"!! This was also awesome (the subtitles add a certain je ne sais quoi):

We can't get enough of it. I think it helps that we're now at exactly the same age as everyone in the show (we were a little young to really relate to 'Friends') and all the situations they find themselves in are familiar to us.

Alas, none is more familiar than comforting a friend who's been dumped and tonight I had to drop everything and rally round as Emily told me the sad news that Brewster split up with Alison.

Emily, Katie, Becky and I all went round to Alison's for the quintessential girls' night: I baked white chocolate and blueberry muffins (they were a bit gross), there was wine, we watched the 'Sex & The City' movie and talked about boys and boobs. I was really touched to be invited, though obviously sad for the occasion. Brewster dumped Alison from out of nowhere when he was over for dinner the other night and Alison's devastated, because she feels like she did all that she could to be the girlfriend he wanted her to be.

It's abundantly clear to me that she's better off without him and that he has far too many issues to be in a relationship. A lot of what Alison told me about his moodiness and jealousy and stuff reminded me of how I was with my first proper boyfriend and I realised that all of us have been through this already, but learned in our late teens/early 20s how to function in a relationship. Unfortunately for Brewster - and crucially Alison - he's just learning these things in his late 30s and is going to be hard-pressed to find someone happy to stick around while he figures these things out. In the meantime, we're all rallying round to cheer Alison up and make sure she knows she's not to blame.