LD: I'm hungry.
Friend: We're going to a party. There's going to be food there.
LD: Just little hors d'oeuvres. That's not going to fill me up. Plus I don't like those little sticks. Last time I had one of those I poked Ben Stiller in the eye.
Friend: Fine LD, let's stop off for something, but you're taking it to go.

I spent most of the night behind the camera (phone), but this was one picture I needed to be a part of. The photographer snapped many shots and eventually LD began yelling "Snap it, Snap it, Snap it, Snap it..." Classic.

As I introduced myself as a fellow Bostonian, Ben Affleck gave my friends, Cory and Nicky, a look that clearly said "How 'bout them apples?"

A recent addition to the political commentator field, D.L. Highley discussed the economy and the current political climate with my friends, Jared, Matt, and Cory:

My friend Jillian discussed aerodynamic weight properties with Aston Kutcher (actually I have no idea what they were talking about):

Others of note in attendance included Dustin Hoffman, Ashley Judd, Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, John Cusack, Rosie Perez, John Mellancamp, Senator Christopher Dodd, and of course Kenneth Cole. However, there was more to the night then just celebrity sightings at the DC Newseum as the venue featured some interesting accoutrements and a unique musical performance. This giant computer mirrored the real-time uploads to the Huffington Post's website. Live bloggers live blogged, pictures were posted, and volunteers took digital videos live feeds.

And here's a reminder to check out our sister website: Awearness.com, where you can find volunteer opportunities in your area.

This screen was also used to flash images as the crowd celebrated a New Years-like celebration as the clock struck midnight on Inauguration Day. Party hats were passed around and worn by few.

Not long into the big day, musical entertainment was provided by Sheryl crow, Wil.i.am, and Sting (Sting's actually a hero of mine. I haven't listened to a lot of what he's made over the years, but the fact that he's making it, I really respect that). I thought it was strange for wiliam to have sting accompany him on the song "She Got it from Her Mama," but everyone seemed to enjoy it (of course they actually played his new Obama themed song, It's a New Day). Here's a shot of them with Arianna Huffington post-performance:

Once the music ended, the museum began to empty out. We headed back to the home base, but not before we grabbed a goodbye picture on the red carpet.

As the sun began to rise on the big day, I began receiving text messages from those I was thinking of meeting up with down by the National Mall. I began to weigh my options and I decided to go back to sleep until 10:45 am rather than wait outside in the cold for 5 hours (just to see the speech on a screen from a mile away). I was somewhat disappointed at first, but my cousin told me that she walked around in the cold all day and that I made a good decision watching the speech on CNN. You also may have heard about the "Tunnel to Nowhere." If you haven't, here's basically what happened: If you had a Purple ticket to the Inauguration, there was a small standing room area with a great view of the ceremony. Many with Purple tickets arrived at 6am to get in line. The line was lead into a tunnel.

Around 8am, people with Silver tickets arrived and were lead into the Silver and Purple areas. This made it so that those in the tunnel would not fit in the specified area. My friends, Zach and Josh, were able to eventually fight their way out of the tunnel to a local bar as the speech began. Disappointing to say the least. Luckily, Cory was able to get in there and snap the crowd and the swearing in of our 44th President.

To end the week's festivities, Zach and Jared attended the Western Ball. The grabbed a front row standing area so they could be as close as possible when Barack and Michelle stopped by.

The happy couple eventually showed and you can see the video of their dance at the beginning of the article.

All in all, not a bad little week. I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to make the trip down and I would be excited to respond to any questions or comments. Also, remember to support this and your other favorite Awearness Blogs by clicking "Vote" below.