Day 0: Pre-departure

This is the beginning of a series of posts dedicated to the Presidential Inauguration. I feel it is my duty to inform the reading public, from the outset of this exposé, that I am writing this not from the perspective of any political party or group: this is my view of events as I experience them. Many assume that because I am attending the Inauguration of President George W. Bush I must be a hard-core Republican. Not so. Period. End of sentence.

With that out of the way, I shall now indulge you about this hectic day, pre-departure. To begin, I completed various tasks that any person would normally undertake before a trip across the country: clear my schedule, pick up the dry cleaning, pay bills, get some cash, etc. But this not being any ordinary trip, I had to trek to The Men’s Warehouse to try on and pick up my tuxedo. Because I also have an interview at NYU (a sort of trip within a trip), I had my suit pressed and borrowed a garment bag to ensure the safe and unwrinkled arrival of my dress clothes.

I printed out my itineraries, prepared for my NYU interview, and made copies of my birth certificates. Wait a minute! Birth certificates? Yep, you read that right. Today, my dad called to inform me that everyone should have a copy of their birth certificate for our visit to the White House just in case. Who am I to argue with post-9/11 security measures? I guess the fact that my uncle is you know who just isn’t good enough for the Secret Service.

Well, the bags are packed, and everyone has gone to bed but myself. Our day of travel starts bright and early at 4:00 am, with enough time to get ready, get to the airport, pray for no fog, and be off on our early-bird 6 o’clock am departure. I hope we get some coffee or it’s going to be a rough day.