A Wave, Virtual Celebration

I was happy to see the inauguration went down without any notable violence in DC or anywhere else like was feared.  It seems taking away Donald’s bullhorn has dulled the edge of the lunatic fringe a bit, which is good.  I thought Biden’s speech was really good, focusing on the big picture and repeatedly encouraging the dissolving of the acid filled rhetoric that has become commonplace.    It was a higher road sort of speech that I thought was the right message.  It’s a disservice to all of us to continue to participate in constant political conflict that distracts us all from how the super rich have been quietly influencing legislation to pad their pockets while we peons throw tomatoes at each other.

When I was at the gym on the treadmill warming up Biden was making his speech that I could not hear, only read via closed captioning.  At a certain moment out of nowhere I felt a wave of emotion smack me hard.  For some reason it just hit me that Trump and all of the negativity he fostered is no longer in command.  Biden may be old and a career politician but at least I can take assurance that he is an empathetic and decent human being, something distinctly missing from the office since 2016.  The realization on the the cardio machine that better days are ahead made my normally dark and pessimistic outlook a little brighter in that split second.

Last night in bed I slapped the VR headset on to hang out in Big Screen.  It’s an app where you are inserted with other VR people in rooms or theaters where you can watch TV shows, movies, or even content streamed from someone’s computer.  Last night I saw a theater named Biden Inauguration party.  I stepped into the virtual theater with 11 other people.  On the screen was a massive CNN rebroadcast of Biden’s speech.  As it played the others in the audience talked freely amongst themselves, all sharing in the happiness of leaving the Trump era in the rear view mirror.  I am encouraging Katie and Cindy to get the app for their headsets as well so we can hang out even when geographically separated.

I printed this last night for Cindy.  I spend so much time cranking out parts for EUC accessories I sometimes forget to embrace the simple joy of making something really cool and fun, just for the hell of it.