It’s been interesting being here in DC during the inauguration prep. It is totally overboard, way beyond anything in 2000 or 2004. The Feds shut down a chunk of the city last Sunday just to practice all the marches. (I know, because I got caught in traffic and had to watch part of it). Yesterday, they pre-emptively salted roads north of the White House, apparently just in case it snows in the next 4 days. The salt was so thick it actually blows into your mouth and you have to wash it out. Well over $100 million is being spent on the whole thing. Come Inauguration, they are shutting down all the major highways and roads in from northern Virginia, which is kinda ironic since that was the portion of Virginia that swung the state for Obama. The entire place is taking on a Roman triumphal march sort of vibe for Obama’s coronation, so much so that the line from Gladiator sums it up: “He enters Rome as a conquering hero…but what has he conquered?”