Helping an Obamamaniac fulfill her dream

It's 773.93 miles from my home to that of my brother who, as good fortune would have it, lives about one hour outside of Washington, D.C.

It would take a bit more than 13 hours to drive there, according to MapQuest.

Why all the mental and logistic machinations? Because my youngest child is an Obamamaniac. And I'm trying to figure out if we can get her to the Inauguration on Jan. 20.

Flying seems to be out, unless we want to pay a fortune, which we don't. We have frequent flier miles we could use - except I checked earlier in the week and first of all, American Airlines seems to have jacked up the required miles to 50,000 for the flight - could that be each way? - and second of all, available flights are going, going, gone. The ones remaining involve considerable time and stopovers in MIA, which I assume is Miami. (Hmmm, maybe I should just arrange a one-night layover in Miami and enjoy the sun!)

My brother hates crowds, but he loves me, and he loves my family. So he said if we got her there, he'd take Anne to D.C. that day, braving the crowds, just to let her be with all the other ticketless people who want to witness this bit of history.

But driving seems to be a better way to go. You should take her, I told my husband. He was decidedly noncommittal.

Why don't I just do the driving? Well, I could. But ... I'm not feeling the love for our president-elect. I wrote in my own choice on Election Day, and am, frankly, sick of the saturated, infatuated coverage I've endured ever since. (And I'm a liberal! I can only imagine what those who voted for McCain-Palin feel like.) I'd be hard put, come mid-January, to celebrate the moment as everyone else will be. I'd probably call it a coronation instead of an inauguration.

I don't want to dampen my daughter's enthusiasm. Playing the spoilsport makes no sense.

News reports indicate most hotel rooms in the entire D.C. metro area are booked. People are planning trips, taking kids out of school to be a part of all the hoopla.

Making the trek

There have to be people from the Tri-Cities going, but I haven't run across any of them yet. For example, this seemed like a natural for a high school trip. But logistic difficulties, including the aforementioned already booked hotel rooms and the general lack of tickets, mean no such trip is planned, said social studies teacher Sue Khalaieff.

I asked a number of friends and relatives if they know anyone. So far, the answer is no, though one friend told me that the daughter of a friend of hers plays with the United States Air Force Band and is playing in the inaugural parade. (And my friend's remark? "Can you say 'JANUARY?' " But I'm sure band members are used to cold weather.)

No one seems to know anyone who is making the trek to D.C. "I wish I were," said a friend. "It would be a really neat experience."

Kathy Rizzo of Geneva will experience it vicariously. Her sister-in-law, Jennifer Granholm, is governor of Michigan and a big Obama booster.

Rizzo said her brother, Dan Mulhern, and his governor wife and probably their three kids will be going, and her younger sister may be attending the inauguration as well. Her mother is recovering from surgery, otherwise she's probably attend as well, Rizzo said. "But she's already experienced the craziness of the gubernatorial inaugurations," and thus is OK with skipping this one, Rizzo said.

Still, they'll get to hear firsthand accounts of all the fun, the crowds, the celebrations.

At our house, it will be third person, I guess. Jan. 20 is a school day so my daughter will just have to watch the coverage when she gets home.

At least she won't have to watch me rolling my eyes.

Coping tools

The Geneva Coalition for Youth and the Geneva School District are holding a community forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday on "Peace, Love, and Now What? Discussing Sexuality with Your Teen."

The forum is geared to parents of middle and high-school students, and aims to provide parents with tools to help guide their children regarding making responsible decisions about sexual relations and disease prevention.

Topics include: decision making and personal limits, emotional development of the adolescent, intimacy vs. sex, health relationships and social life skills and unhealthy relationships.

A discussion period will follow the discussion.

This forum - and there are other topics on the agenda as well - will be held in the Geneva High School auditorium, 416 McKinley Ave.

Giving thanks

Thanksgiving is coming up. Beyond good health, beyond our families, what are we thankful for? You can be thankful that your favorite football player on your favorite team is still healthy. You can be thankful that your child has mastered long division. There's room for the seemingly inconsequential in our holidays thanks. Please send them to me, for sharing in this space.