When did it hit you? Were you nervous? Stu said a few days ago that he was having this feeling like it might all go poof, go away. I understood but I believed it was real. Mostly.

And I've managed not to sob, as I did election night. Last night, over and over, we said to each other things like "hey, it starts tomorrow". We were relieved that we saw the very last "Lame Duck Watch" on Rachel Maddow's show. I didn't even have to grab for the tissues until I saw Sasha and Malia walking out with their mother. I don't know why that made me react. Anyone who knows me knows how non-kid I am. I made sure I had several toys to clutch. But what really really did it for me was once the oath was taken, the legend at the bottom of our television screen read, for the first time, "President Barack Obama". I had trouble breathing. And a few minutes ago, when someone talked about the First Lady, as I looked at Michelle Obama and i gulped. Oh my.

This is a day of great joy. I don't talk about "joy" often, but it seems massively appropriate.

And in the middle of this, Stu's team at work was suddenly hit with the huge news that about half of the employees were being let go. NOT Stu, but people he's worked with for months, gotten to be friends with. Gone. Poof. And it's so hard because who doesn't know the weird guilt of "oh NO! Oh good, it's not me." Is that schadenfreude? Nnot really, because neither Stu nor me, nor, hell anyone who still has a job feels good about this news, but it's a veery tough feeling. And they didn't even have the chance to say "goodbye". The folks are just gone. Wow.

I hope this day is full of joy for you and that nothing interferes with that.