Sanity Restored!

What a weekend!
Ironically enough, en route to the Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear, I very nearly lost my mind. The seven hours spent on the bus definitely tried my grip on reality, but I arrived in DC to friends and the bar where we ended up was both warm and had an amazing Motown cover band. And so Friday night was saved.
We got up early on Saturday and made it to the Mall in time to scout a prime location in front of a huge screen and set of speakers - the stage was visible but there was already a huge sea of people in front of us. The rally was a mix of music, Daily Show staples like video montages and awards to reward reasonableness and fear, and a particularly delightful duet sung by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert - "There's No One More American Than Me." There were definitely some amazing moments - hearing Yusef (formerly known as Cat Stevens) sing "Peace Train" was pretty incredible - but it was the overall mood of the rally that made it such a thoroughly delightful time. It was a mix of a witty, funny, irreverence with an overall calm that came with everyone just wanting to relax and have a good time. Whether or not it's the "Woodstock of our Generation" remains to be seen, but I felt lucky to be there for the people-watching alone. I think the signs definitely capture the unique mood of this sort of event, in contrast, of course, to the crazy ideological messages found at political rallies today.

Some highlights:

Personal favorite:

And Jon Stewart's closing remarks. Aside from the fact that I find him dreamy and hilarious, I thought this was a great way to end the day.





Then, my friends and I went home, watched "9-5" with Dolly Parton, and took a nap. All in all, a successful, sane, and rejuvenating day. Now, back to work!