DC

Our 3 days in DC started off with the “We Are One’ concert on Sunday. This concert featured many well-known artists and actors, such as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, John Legend, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, U2, and Beyonce. The concert took place on the Lincoln Memorial with fields of observers stretching to the Washington Monument. For those unfamiliar with that distance, its approx. 4,000 ft. I personally could not see any of the live action from my vantage point, but I had a great view of a monitor. Many great Presidents of the past were quoted, slideshows of our nations history were presented, and of course music acts performed sparingly.

President Obama got up on stage at the end to a rock star’s welcome and spoke for a couple of minutes. Personally, I felt that the concert was the highlight of the inauguration events because influential artists were supplemented with speeches rooted in our history. And to be honest, we were witnessing history. This event was very fitting and started off a wild couple of days.
The day before the inauguration was also a busy, intense day down near the capital. People were everywhere – historical monuments to all of the Smithsonian’s. However, the atmosphere was very electric. Vendors lined the streets showcasing their custom Obama gear. Hot dog carts staked out the busiest corners to increase revenue. Every five feet there was a picture being taken by a visitor/Obama fan. People of all different ages, races, and sexes lined the blocks, disobeying traffic laws and sightseeing before the epic Tuesday swearing in ceremony.

Erik and I were staying with Brian Stoffel, a 2004 Grinnell graduate who lives in DC. We had planned to wake up about 5 o’clock, hit the train down to the mall area, and brave the elements for the ceremony. At about 10 o’clock Monday night we received word from another Grinnell grad, Stacie Kossoy, about possibly receiving 3 tickets for the inauguration parade – one for Brian, Erik, and myself. Stacie had tickets to all three events, the ceremony, parade, and a ball. The “superiors” in charge stated that it would be nearly impossible to get into the inauguration ceremony and parade due to the addition of 2 million people to the area and intense security restrictions. We debated for a while and decided that having tickets was definitely more secure than trying to maneuver our way through those 2 million people.

On Tuesday, we got up about 8:30, ate breakfast, showered, drank some beers, and walked about 20 minutes down to our parade entrance. We got to the area around 11 am and watched Obama getting sworn in with about 200 other people, mostly parade go-ers, on a mall food court television. The venue didn’t matter; we were witnessing history. We entered the parade at 1 pm, with the scheduled start to be at 2:30. A delay due to the Ted Kennedy having a seizure did nothing more than allow us to meet some other parade go-ers, such as a lady from Dallas, two ladies’s from California, and two younger girls from the DC area.

The parade floated by soon enough and the excitement built as we heard Obama and Biden were in the front of the parade and on foot. With security holding up their end of the bargain, the stands were fairly empty. We pressed the guardrail that was patrolled by Seattle’s finest. Unfortunately, Obama got back into his limo for our stretch of the parade. Biden was still out on foot and gave us a generous wave as Stoffel yelled, “HEY, JOE!!!”

Being in DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama was something pretty special. My excitement level was sheer giddiness. The environment was spectacular; everyone had a positive outlook on America’s future beyond this historic moment. You could easily strike up a conversation with anybody, knowing you had strong common ground. The attendees were enthused, happy, confident, and ready for this change. I was more than glad to be physically in attendance; something I will never forget.

Us at the parade

Obama speaking at the concert

Some neat Obama art on our way to the parade

History

Today we as Americans are witnessing history. Fortunately for myself and friends, the late addition of 3 tickets has secured our attendance for the inauguration parade this afternoon. I hope everyone enjoys today's inauguration speech, parade, and other events. Thank you America for democracy.

Chicago, IL

Quick stops in Lincoln and Grinnell put us on our way to Chicago to see some friends from Scottsdale, AZ. Two bold girls and friends of ours, Rachel and Terra, decided they would move to Chicago starting in January. Crazy girls. Anyhow, the weather during our 4 day stay was outrageous. Coldest winter in 8 years. Negative temperatures, wind chill, snow, more wind chill, frozen feet and hands. However, we made the most of it and actually toured the city on a -8 day.

Our first night in Chicago we tested the 4 AM bar closer time and successfully won. Although Rachel won as well, cleaning the fresh snow off of school slides on our way home. She is more than likely a superhero for the little kids who arrived at school the next day. $15 "Top Floor Teas" on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building the next day was followed with the Grant Park tour and another eventful night at the bar. To keep it short and sweet, I broke Das Boot. I am a horrible person. Then we got booted (pun) from the bar.

On our last night, Erik and I tailgated Terra's workday. With coffee cups carrying wine, we navigated our way downtown and celebrated the end of her work week. We then traveled to Navy Pier, saw a stained glass exhibit, and took $5 shots immediately after. After that it was off to Wrigleyville with Terra and some of her ASU friends, as well as Bryan, a friend from Grinnell. Let's just say I had a long, dark night at the bar.

The next day we woke up, said our goodbyes, and headed towards D.C. for the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. Time to make history.

- Rachel and Erik on the 95th floor of the Hancock building -

- Navy Pier and some crazy bus action -

- Flag on top of the Wrigley Building -

- Our super gracious hosts in Grant Park -

- The bean with a view of the buildings -

- Stained glass exhibit on Navy Pier -

Aspen, CO

Our trip carried on from Mississippi to Lincoln, NE via Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. A one night stay with the Rok's family and we were on our way to Aspen. We picked up my old roommate Remy and his new roommate Steve, who was later dumped in Denver. Aspen was reached 11 PM Thursday night.

We rolled into Aspen for 2 days of intense skiing/boarding. It helped that we stayed with another old roommate of mine for 3 years, Mr. Benjamin Westfeldt, because we got discounted lift passes and equipment as his parents are ski instructors and he works at the ski shop at the base of the mountain. Our first day was full of powder thanks to an early morning storm. This made my falls a little easier to take. Remy went into his first day ever on ski's on Friday and by Saturday afternoon he was tearing up black diamonds. And the Rok repped AZ pretty solid.

Another benefit was some new construction on the base of Snowmass which had a place called Sneaky's. After an intense day it was a blessing to purchase multiple $3 pints of Blue Moon. By Sunday night we were back in Lincoln and ready to hit I-80 East towards Chicago.

- The Rok jumping jumps -

- Crazy snow and a ski lift -

- Top of the mountain -

- The Rok and Remy on the lift -

Oxford, MS

After our Cotton Bowl adventure, we decided to head to see some of the south. Particularly, New Orleans and Oxford, MS. Oxford is where Ole Miss is at and about 5 hrs. north of N.O. It was an ideal distance after a long night/morning in N.O.

We rolled into Oxford at about 7 PM and found our night's residence at the opportunely named Ole Miss Motel. For $52 we got a smoke-filled room, plastic lined comforters and lights, lounge chair, and scuffed up walls. As Erik approached the attendant for our future fabulous room he was asked a rather outrageous question from another local: "You got any p*ssy for sale?" Erik replied, "Huh?" The man repeated, "Do YOU have any p*ssy for sale?" The reply, "No." The man continued, "Where you from pilgrim?" "Arizona," Erik replied while wearing his Arizona Cardinals hoodie. "I can see that," the man replied. Erik proceeded to secure the room by asking for one with 2 beds, "For 2 dicks, no p*ssies." The man came back with "Don't get smart with me, boy!" Soon after, we were enjoying the comforts of our room.

Later that night we got to experience a little bit of the Ole Miss nightlife. Turns out, the nightlife is short-lived. The bars in Mississippi close at 12 AM. Moreover, beer sold in convenient stores is non-refrigerated. Apparently this is an attempt to cut down on drinking and driving. If you ask me, I just feel like Mississippi is approximately 35 years behind most of the rest of America.

We met some nice Ole Miss people and ended our night with a game of beer pong. Mississippi was definitely a different experience for both Erik and I. However, it was worth the trip north and a pleasant mix-up for both of us.

- Our sweet room -

- We just walked onto the field. It was pretty sweet -

New Orleans

*Devil's Playground
*Everyone has a trick up their sleeve
*Intense
*Organized chaos
*Fried Gator
*Neon lights
*3 for 1 beers
*Hurricane slush drink
*Shot girls
*American Amsterdam
*Bad life decisions

- Bourbon Street pre-craziness -

- Erik and I with some enthusiastic Utah fans -

- New Orleans Skyline -

Hotty Toddy!

After the Armed Forces Bowl on the last day of December (Houston 34-28) our (i.e. Jonathan, Chad, Rob, and Erik) trip took us to Dallas on January 2nd for the 73rd and last Cotton Bowl at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. The 2010 game will be played at the new Cowboys Stadium, which ironically sat 2 blocks from our hotel in Arlington and is currently under construction. The game featured the high-powered Texas Tech offense versus the resurgent Ole Miss Rebels.

I went into the game rooting for Ole Miss because this past summer I read two great books with Ole Miss ties – The Blind Side by Michael Lewis and Meat Market by Bruce Feldman. The latter of the two dealt with an entire season of recruiting leading up to the 2007 National Signing Day for the Rebels. Although Houston Nutt, not Ed Orgeron, is now the head coach of the Rebels, many recruits of Orgeron’s were playing pivotal roles in the turnaround season from 3-8 to 8-4.

Another interesting dynamic of Ole Miss football games is The Grove. The full linked article will explain the atmosphere in its entirety. I can attest that The Grove moved to Dallas. Co-eds in dresses with pearls around their necks. Guys in slacks or khakis accompanied by button down Polo shirts, some with ties. Older couples, mostly alumni, dressed as if they were attending business meetings. Blonde-haired women a plenty. Southern gentlemen with the exact same haircut (somewhat long on the top, somewhat shorter on the sides). It was like a whole different culture and definitely intriguing.

Our seats were in the Ole Miss section. It was here where we learned even more about Ole Miss fans – they can drink. As Jesse, a 33-year old fan explained, “We may not win every game, but we sure do win every party!” He was right. His wife snuck in vodka in a flask that imitated a cell phone. He had Bourbon, the main drink of choice for Rebel fans. Everyone in our section was wasted and chanting after every decent Rebels play:

Hotty Toddy
Are you ready? Hell yes! Damn Right!
Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty
Who in the hell are we - Hey
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
Ole Miss By Damn!

Check out some of the pictures from the game. All-in-all it was a great 5 days down in Texas. We saw three great bowl games and had plenty of fun. Now its off to New Orleans for Erik and myself!

Jonathan, Chad, myself, and Rob
outside of the Cotton Bowl

View from our seats, up high