this Obama thing is bigger than I realised

While the rest of the world does have an active general interest in US politics (not always by choice!) Iv'e been struck by the gut emotional responses in my (US-based) f-list to Obama's inauguration this week.

The enthusiasm for a fresh face and attitude in the White House seems a measure of how stressful people have found the past administration.

I'm particularly charmed by this account of the inauguration, from the ground, viewed from the First Aid tents set up on the Mall in Washington. (Usually the ScienceBlogs feed is populated by science geeks moaning about ignorance of science in the general public, so this good-news story is a refreshing change.)

The high hopes and expectations will be hard to match - I hope the US, and the world, will still allow Obama and his family to be human, and accept that all the goodwill and even good policy in the world cannot completely undo and redirect the US monolith, not even in four years.

for lacedwaist

...who is raising rabbits the old-fashioned way, no biotech required:

more animals

For my next collection of old t-shirts

Remember I was complaining I didn't know what to do w/ t-shirts? Now I do! I can hardly wait to get home and view my ratty T's collection...

Except I'd nalbind them, rather than crochet - I already know nalbinding.