Day One

Following the Fortran array indexing convention (Fortran is a classic computer programming language), the first day of the 44th presidency is day one, not day zero.

The GeoEye image of the inauguration shows an interesting distribution of people on the mall. I had thought that they would be more or less solid back to the Washington Monument, but not so. Rather, people seemed to be clustered in front of the jumbotrons, leaving plenty of walking room around the crowds. Evidently, the crowd problems involved ticket holders for spots closer to the Capitol. As the areas filled, people were turned away.

What was Chief Justice John Roberts thinking? Was it a simple lack of any preparation for administering the presidential oath that caused his flub? Or do you subscribe to the conspiracy theory? I'm going with the "who needs to rehearse the oath" theory.

Biden was back with the big family bible, which Stephen Colbert believes is actually the Hogwart's spell book. Could be.

So cutting to the chase, what did I think of Michelle's inauguration gown? First, it is wonderful that she wore something by Jason Wu, who is young, talented, and deserves a break. In an interview, he said that he had no idea she had selected it until he saw her on TV. Fashion is not my game but I am a huge Project Runway fan and think that Heidi and Tim rule. And my nephew John Renaud is a senior fashion design student at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, so fashion is a big topic in our family. Overall, the gown was just OK for me, not a knockout. The best part of the dress was what it did for her shoulders and arms. Our First Lady has a very fit and athletic body and the gown played to that. The choice of white was not ideal, as under the intense lights of the media, the gown morphed into a white blob on HD TV screens across the world. This was a bit unfair to Mr. Wu, as his gown had rich texture and fine detail. Perhaps a beautiful shade of blue or perhaps a metallic tone would have worked better. The bottom portion of the gown was full and flowing and worked well. Not so much for part above the hips. A ball gown should leave no doubt that a woman is underneath, and this one did nothing to flatter her curves.

If I could have given the First Lady one piece of advice, it would have been to wear the most comfortable shoes possible.

The media coverage of the various balls was lacking. I was watching CNN, MSNBC, and a little Fox, all of whom kept their talking heads going the whole time. Hey, it's time to par-tee. Where is E!? Where is the TV Guide channel? We want fashion, celebs, performers, and shots of the first couple that don't appear to be on a loop.

One exception to my "talking heads" comment is Rachel Maddow. Those who know me know that Ms. Maddow is the best thing that has happened to my TV machine since they started showing space shots in the 60's. Rachel, I hope you are on my TV/internet tube for a long time. And I love it when you say "infrastructure".