After feeling proud and relieved and inspired by Obama’s inauguration speech, I saw pictures like this one from the inaugural balls. I responded to our new President and First Lady as though I was looking at pictures of kittens. “Look how sweet they are! Look how young and gorgeous!” It’s the most drastic turnaround in the way I regard our President that I’ve ever experienced, and I wonder if it could usher in an era with a new mindset. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to mask my tendency to be painfully sincere with a veneer of irony, matter-of-fact cynicism, and occasional raunch. Could I out myself as the serious, sincere nerd that I am now that Barack Obama is our President?
