Our sister paper The Washington City Paper is tweeting away at the inauguration festivities up in D.C. Check out their Twitter updates by following the tag #inauguration.  The most popular tags to use and follow are #inauguration and #inaug09.

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Well, I finally made it out. This post is written from the comfort of my friend’s apartment. My fingers are starting to come to life again.

This cool picture is of the Potomac River as we traveled across while on the Metro. See the ice? That’s what my insides felt like.

Well, seeing as I missed pretty much everything ceremonial, I’m about to go YouTube President Obama’s inaugural speech. That’s what happens when millions of people come to witness history in the making.

As one woman sitting across from me on the train said, I feel like I’ve worked a 20-hour day.

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A compilation of inaugural coverage on the Internet.

The Cub Scouts of Troop 107 (The Park Ministries of Charlotte) had a chance encounter with Barack Obama on Monday.

Kennedy and Byrd collapse at Obama Luncheon

Transcript of the inaugural address.

Bush and family fly off to Texas.

Slated to be the most expensive and well attended presidential inauguration in history, it has also become a magnet for Hollywood celebrities.

Send in your inauguration photos (from D.C. or elsewhere). The NYT wants them.

Inaugural clothes meant to be worn more than once.

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Obamawear was everywhere: Obama skull caps, T-shirts, buttons, scarves. This bag was the coolest. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

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On my way to the metro station, I found a pair of friends from Philadelphia who had a different kind of issue with tickets.

Me: So what did it take for y’all to get down here?
Monika Maslany (right): Well, basically we really wanted to be here. It was hard to get tickets. We actually got tickets to come to DC, we got here at 7:30, and we had no tickets to go back home.
Venise Walker: We just had to be here, so we looked online, we were watching CNN, and CNN said they had posted tickets online so you could get them. So we get online Amtrak and we find tickets to get here but we didn’t find tickets to get back.
Monika: We figured we’d at least be here. We did end up getting tickets to go home tomorrow at 5:30 in the morning, so we’re planning on being up for 24 hours.

Me: You don’t have a place to stay?
Venise: Nope! (Laughs) Well, we have friends who are staying at the Embassy Hilton, or something like that, and we’re on our way there now.
Monika: We heard that security was really bad, like it’s not even worth it to try to get through, so we’re just going to hang out, we heard the bars are open until 5 a.m. so, and then we’ll get back on the train, go home and just sleep tomorrow.

Me: At least you can say you were in DC.
Both: Yeah, exactly!

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Death: Sadly, the family of a 1-year-old Asheville child found out the tragic way that there’s a reason consumer advocates warn people against letting children play with plastic bags. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Middle East: After surveying site,U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was appalled by Israeli attacks on a U.N. compound in Gaza. (BBC)

Presidency: Was Warren Harding the first black president? (Pam’s House Blend)

Yet another study: One more reason to quit worrying. (BBC)

Social networking: You’ve been poked. By someone who wants to break your legs. (The New York Times)

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So, since I couldn’t get in to watch the swearing-in ceremony, I stopped to chat with an Obama merchandise vendor. Meet Korey, the button seller, originally from Baltimore.

Me: So what are you doing here today?
Korey: I’m selling buttons. Helping a buddy of mine out, he designed these buttons in Philadelphia, so I’m out here selling them.

Are you excited to be here?
I’m excited to be here, but I’d be just as content to be at home watching it on TV because you’re not going to get any closer, but there’s still a kind of energy out here, so it’s nice. There’s a ton of people here. We’re in a tiny little apartment here in DC, a friend’s, a one-bedroom, basement apartment with five of us crammed in, straight up college style.

Was it worth it, coming out here?
Yeah, we’re selling a good amount. But like I said, it’s an energy out here. My kids will be like, where were you, and I can say I was selling buttons here in DC.

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Here’s a transcript of the Roberts-Obama verbal tango (complete with stepped-on-feet):

ROBERTS: Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?
OBAMA: I am.
ROBERTS: I, Barack Hussein Obama…
OBAMA: I, Barack…
ROBERTS: … do solemnly swear…
OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear…
ROBERTS: … that I will l execute the office of president to the United States faithfully…
OBAMA: … that I will execute…
ROBERTS: … faithfully the office of president of the United States…
OBAMA: … the office of president of the United States faithfully…
ROBERTS: … and will to the best of my ability…
OBAMA: … and will to the best of my ability…
ROBERTS: … preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
OBAMA: … preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
ROBERTS: So help you God?
OBAMA: So help me God.
ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President.

(Courtesy of voices.washingtonpost.com)

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Photo taken from behind the gate that separated us (the people who wanted in) from them (the people who made it in). Had I spent the night in front of the gate, I might have made it. You can’t see very clearly in the photo, but people are rushing through the security check lines and running up toward the mall area. Lucky bastards. 

And here’s the reason why I couldn’t make it up there.

And here are some of my fellow purple ticket holders who didn’t make it in, either.

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Over 800,066 people rode the DC Metro today, says Fox News.

Flipping to CBS, there are people walking on the frozen reflective pool. Man, I hope no one falls.

Flipping to MSNBC, It’s Keith Olbermann! He wants to know what Bush was thinking about and we’re about to see the last picture of former president Bush leaving Washington. Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal said she wonders what picture we will get of Bush as he leaves.

He looks the same, Olbermann says. People are cheering his departure.

Flipping to CNN, President Obama and Vice President Biden are about to come to lunch. Anderson Cooper just called out John Roberts for messing up the oath of office. It is written in the constitution.

Just for laughs, I’m going to flip to BET, they’re talking about Michelle Obama and what her mark will be in the White House.

Change has come to the White House and here’s hoping that President Barack Obama can make changes in public policy.

Police say 2 million people were on the Mall watching Barack Obama become the President of The United States of America. Wow.

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