Inauguration

Today was my first day of classes, but thankfully, I got out of one class early so I could stop in the Dodd Center to watch the inauguration on CNN.

I got there just in time to see Biden sworn in. Then there was a musical selection, at which time, CNN informed us that Obama was officially president because the Constitution states that he would be president by noon, whether or not he was sworn in yet. That was pretty awesome.

Watching Obama get sworn in was very moving. It was everything we've been waiting for since the beginning of his campaign trail. When he gave his inaugural speech, it was inspiring. He touched on all the problems the nation faces, but he also gave hope to a brighter future, and I can't help but believe that things will be better under his leadership. I liked that he mentioned that his father, less than 60 years ago, would not have been served at a local restaurant, gesturing at the fact that America has come a long way in electing its first black president. I liked that the inauguration was the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. day. I liked that Obama specifically mentioned the troubled economy and spoke directly to terrorists, saying that power comes from building, not destroying. I liked that in spite of all the bad things that he mentioned, he gave reasons for hope. That's what America needed, and for the first time in my life, I'm excited for the next four years under a certain presidency.

And I have to add, I thought it was the cutest thing ever when CNN zoomed in on Malia Obama taking photos/video on her digital camera and looking absolutely intent on it.

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening is closing today on Broadway, and I'm really glad I caught one of its final performances yesterday at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

Hunter Parrish gave an excellent performance in his Broadway debut as Melchior, a teenager discovering love, and sex. More known for his role as Silas in the television series, Weeds, Parrish kept the same angst-ridden teen role but broke out with even more angst and emotion. Melchior is the smartest boy in school in this musical, which is set in a German town in the 1890s. However, the fact that he's very smart means that he questions authority and is atheist, which of course, attracts all the girls in town.

Melchior falls for Wendla, played by Alexandra Socha in her Broadway debut. She and Parrish have great chemistry on stage as they go from two children extremely confused about their attraction to young adults giving into sexual temptation, despite all the warnings from the adult men and women. Socha as Wendla starts the musical off with "Mama Who Bore Me," a song from a daughter, asking her mother about things in life. Afterward, she asks where babies come from, and her mother is too uncomfortable to tell her. Of course, when Wendla ends up pregnant from her escapades with Melchior, she has no idea that that was where babies come from.

All the adult men and all the adult women are played by the same two people. Tony Carlin, an understudy, filled in for the adult men, and he really showed the strict authoritarian that all the men from abusive fathers to the disciplinarian teacher. It both interesting and fitting that they only cast one person for all these roles - by nature of the musical, all the adults were the same. They were all telling their children that sex was wrong. They were all telling them to conform. In the end, their denial of sexual freedom and free thinking led to tragic consequences, and the message was just as powerful as the actors' performance.

It's a sad month for Broadway as it loses this show, but at least it had a great run. And on a side note, we had great seats. (Thanks, Kassie's mom!)

Sakimura with my parents

My family went to Sakimura (Saki Mura? It's spelled one way on their sign and another on their website) in Meriden tonight for my parents' 26th anniversary. I've now experienced hibachi with every possible party you can think of - church groups, girl friends, dates, and now family. On a date, it's OK, as long as you're not the only ones at your table, and I mean the only ones. Yes, that's happened to me. Actually, going out to a hibachi restaurant with your family is the ideal situation. It was our first time going as a family, and we all had a great time. I'm 21, and my brother's 17, so going out as a family isn't the same as back in the day when we could go to Chuck E. Cheese's and be amused for hours. Hibachi is perfect for parents and their older children. Conversation is cut to a minimum while everyone is entranced in the hibachi chef's work. But there's still family bonding as we lean over to whisper our amazement. Also, we had fun with trying to catch flying zucchini in our mouths and watching the chef squirt a shot of sake into my dad's mouth.

Sakimura in Meriden, so far, is the best hibachi restaurant I've been to, mainly for the great deal you get with a meal. The chefs are entertaining, as usual, which is an added bonus, but you get more for your money with the food. A hibachi dinner comes with miso soup, salad, fried rice, noodles, vegetables and your entree. And it's a ton of food. For $24, I got steak and scallops, and it was delicious. The last time I went to Sakimura, I remember there being noodles listed as part of the dinner on the menu. However, this time it wasn't, but we still got noodles, which was a pleasant surprise. They were fried with a great garlic flavor. They cook your steak to order, and while I got regular steak and my brother ordered filet mignon, I just as happy with my steak as he was with his filet. We got a good serving of vegetables and heaping piles of noodles and fried rice. We boxed our leftovers, which we inevitably had, and left extremely content.

Reaction to new season of American Idol

I haven't watched American Idol regularly since high school. It's more of a bonding experience with my family - it gives us another thing to talk about at dinner, and it's just fun. I think being at home for winter break, and the fact that I'm planning on living at home after graduation, has brought me back on the American Idol wagon.

At least the eighth season is shaping up to be very promising. I love the first episodes of a season because everyone talks about their dreams, and the show really milks these dreams for all they're worth. Also, we get the bad auditions, but not too many. There are fewer joke auditions this season, and really, I'm glad.

I'm also glad they added Kara DioGuardi. I think she adds a fresh face and outlook to the judges' panel. She's accomplished, and she has the background for the job. Also, having four judges is refreshing. It's a nice change.

Now for the contestants. Bikini girl was annoying, and that whole scene with Kara and her having the sing-off was silly. So was all the hype that the show aired leading up to it.

But in both of the first episodes, they saved the best contestants for last. I loved Scott MacIntyre, and I really think he's going to go all the way. The show kept talking about his inspiring story because he is legally blind, but really, he had an incredible voice and is great at piano. He went to college at 14 and graduated by the time he was 19. He's absolutely brilliant in every way, and he is just the epitome of an "American Idol." In one of the commercials previewing the Hollywood sessions, they show him with his piano and the judges giving him a great applause. He might be the reason why I keep watching, and why I might actually vote this season. I also loved Lil Rounds, who topped off tonight's episode. She was fantastic, and Randy called her a mix of Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. Personally, I thought she was better than both of them put together, and I really want to see her go far in this competition.

1/3 Second City in Toronto

We were going to Toronto for the International Bowl, so we had to stop in The Second City theatre. I hadn't heard much about the improv group until recently, but when I started looking into it, I was interested. So many famous people have come out of Second City, which has resident theaters in Chicago and Toronto and a few smaller mainstages. From Second City Toronto, we got John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers and Colin Mochrie.

The current variety show right now is called "Barack to the Future," and it was hilarious. The actors were great from their rehearsed scenes to their late-night improv after show. Someone from the show is bound to become famous.

Some notable scenes: It started with a Barack Obama impersonator ending the war at his "inauguration" and changing the national anthem to "Sexual Healing." There was some mother f*ckin' ping pong complete with techno beats and strobe lights. There was an dancing and singing troupe at a catholic school assembly promoting very liberal ideas to the dismay of the school principal. And there was a "Too Far" contest where the comedians had to cross the line with their jokes.

Of course, I can't do the jokes justice here in print. I couldn't stop laughing, and this was definitely worth going to see.

12/30 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Toad's Place

Ahhh, the nostalgia. Going to ska shows takes me back to when I was 15 and skatastic. I didn't pull out my checkerboard belt or Capri Sun purse, but it still felt right.

Now, I've been to lots of ska shows, from smaller local bands to bigger headliners, but I had never seen the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and this was pretty exciting for me. They went on a hiatus in 2003, which was a year after the last time they played Toad's. Their recent reunion and tour was a big deal, and the fact that they're an older band really showed in the audience - there was everyone from high school kids, parents with younger children, parents of old ska fans who became ska fans, and you name it. The Bosstones played their classics. Their everyone singalong choruses and breakdowns really pumped up the crowd. The dancing guy made me giggle and want to dance too. Everyone in the room sang along to "The Impression that I Get," and it was a really feel-good, fun time.

It was a really good thing that a good chunk of the band put down their instruments to help sing because lead singer Dicky Barrett was losing his voice. His voice is pretty hoarse to begin with, so it was a rough situation. On the brighter side, with his hoarse voice, slick hair and snappy business attire, he totally looked like a villain from a superhero movie.

Tip the Van opened for this show, and frankly, they open for almost every ska show. They're also opening for Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto when they play Toad's. They're also opening for that line-up in MA. I've seen them everywhere - from UConn to smaller shows to Catch Xmas, and they always manage to impress a lot of people. They definitely deserve to get bigger real soon.