I attended the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC on January 15, 2009. The cold temperatures sliced through my many layers of clothing and chilled me to the core. Even so, it was a great day, and provided me the opportunity to take lots of photos. I decided to walk home after the ceremony, and on the way I found several photo-worthy sights. Below is a photo of Memorial Bridge over the frozen Potomac River. Most of the river was solid ice, but there were a few spots where the current was stronger that had broken into dangerous-looking jagged rectangles floating on the surface of the frigid water.

The scene was dramatic enough by itself, but I wanted to create a black and white version and enhance it, to take advantage of the bold composition and strong angular shapes. I've posted the original photo for the sake of comparison, along with the final black and white version.

Update: Several things have happened since my original post, including the release of the transcript of the 911 call, and the so-called "beer summit" at the White house. I won't go into details about those developments other than to say that I'm happy to see the whole situation diffuse and become a point of reflection and conversation rather than merely a point of anger and accusations.

A neighbor saw Henry Gates trying to pick the lock on his own home and reported him to police, thinking that he was trying to enter illegally. When the police arrived, Mr. Gates protested their presence and their actions, charging that the officers were racist, which lead to a disturbance that eventually caused the officers to arrest him. The charges were dropped, but Mr. Gates is determined to make himself an example, and the police officer is refusing to apologize. Even the president chimed in, saying that although he wasn't there, he thought the police acted "stupidly."

The whole scenario is disturbing on multiple levels, and it has not brought out the best in the individuals involved. This morning I wrote an email to Mr. Gates...

I spotted this sign south of Ogden, Utah, when I stopped at the Arby's across the street on my way up to my house in Logan, UT.

I can't imagine anyone being so oblivious as to put this message up on a sign, one letter at a time, without realizing what the sign actually said. Has no one else who works there noticed? Did they do it on purpose? Did the managers not notice the sign, or did they not read it? Who knows, but it was worth a photo.

In the beginning of Jesus's ministry, he was relatively unknown, and could walk and teach freely among the people. His people, the Jews, had not yet discovered or fully realized that they would feel the need to perceive him as a threat to their religious order and authority, or to their understanding of Jewish doctrines. Jesus had performed a few apparent miracles, opening the door of curiosity, enticing people to listen to what he had to say, even if only in the hope of witnessing a miracle for themselves. Jesus began to attract listeners and followers of his teachings. He must have been a charismatic personality, able to capture the attention of crowds with his words and oratory skills. He must have been persuasive and attractive, probably in the physical sense as well as in the interpersonal sense. His days of being able to walk and teach freely among the people did not last long.

Let's use an analogy here. Let's say that you asked a girl out on a date, and due to unfortunate circumstances, you accidentally stood her up. What would you do? If you're Verizon, you would say "I apologize for the inconvenience. Let's reschedule the date for a month from now, after I go on my other dates that I've scheduled for every other evening from now until then. After all, it's better to really offend one girl rather than mildly offend two."

I witnessed a little piece of history, as Barack Obama was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. The crowd was immense and celebratory, to put it mildly. But they were also respectful. The roar of the applause was deafening, but when Mr. Obama began to speak, the crowd fell silent instantly. A new kind of patriotism is being sown here. It is a patriotism that finds its strength among those who previously may have been dissenters or skeptics. It is a patriotism that capitalizes on the enthusiasm of the young and idealistic, and which is the fruit of the struggles of life-worn elder statesmen and activists. It is a new day.

As far as my dissertation goes, unfortunately I'm beginning to resemble this quote:

His studies were pursued but never effectually overtaken. ~H.G. Wells

Now that the Christmas rush has come and gone, I have a moment to sit back and enjoy the unhurried pace of the day after Christmas. The gifts have been opened. The money spent. The anticipation of Christmas gives way to the anticipation of a new year, and maybe, just maybe, I'll make a few new years resolutions to remind me why every day is a gift, and to inspire me to give more than I take, as I make my way through each day, throughout the year, and throughout the rest of my life. Knowing how blessed I am, and how much I have already received, it seems doubtful that my giving can ever exceed my taking. Even so, I know I can give more.