It’s an overcast Sunday, Greg is upstairs taking a Sunday nap and so, for some reason, the mysterious little voices in my head told me … it’s time for the poncho!

This would be the genuine Stylish Reversible Celtic Poncho that I purchased so proudly a couple years ago, only to find that Greg has to be either absent or unconscious before I get to wear it.

I’m not sure what the problem is, exactly. I think it has something to do with a poncho being a ’60s thing. Greg was born in ‘65, and tends to regard the entire decade as an endless concatenation of bad and really bad ideas. He has some points there, and it’s true that this particular poncho does have fringe, which was one of the really bad ideas that was also really popular.

But still, that’s no reason to look at me like I’m turning into Nancy Sinatra* every time I pop it over my head.

You wouldn’t think I could tie all this into the Obama inauguration, but just watch me.

Greg asked me if I was going to watch the inauguration, and I think I will. And I’ll try not to be a poop about it. I’m trying to get in the spirit of things. I didn’t vote for the guy, but what the hay. After all, Obama hasn’t really done anything wrong yet. He hasn’t done much of anything yet, but then, I didn’t expect him to. He’s not president until after Tuesday, and even after he’s sworn in, it’s not like the job comes with a magic wand (even though some people seem to think it does). So I’m going to try not to make faces or do sock-puppet imitations when he talks.

At this stage of things, it’s not going to be Obama that gives me the hardest time — it’s going to be his fans. It’s like they think that as soon as Obama takes office, it’ll be the dawning of the Age of Aquarius*.
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind’s true liberation.

Do we really have to go through this again? It turns out that the only thing worse than a pessimist is a disappointed optimist. I feel like a lot of Boomers have been dragging everyone through the doldrums that set in when they found out that they were going to have to live in the same world as their parents and grandparents. Do we really have to watch another generation do this? Maybe we do.

In other inaugural news, Orthodixie mentions that Episcopal gay bishop Gene Robinson will be doing a prayer as well, no doubt balancing out the dangerous heterosexuality of Rick Warren. And Robinson is going to make sure that he gets it right:

Robinson said he doesn’t yet know what he’ll say, but he knows he won’t use a Bible.

“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation.”

Robinson said his prayer will be reflective of the times.

Sad to say, I’m sure it will be.

Finally, this is also the time when the country says goodbye to George W. Bush’s presidency. Some will be unable to refrain from slamming the door behind him, no doubt, but as so often happens, we may not really appreciate something until it’s gone. As Touchstone notes HERE in one way that matters, we will miss what he brought to the White House.