Shasta and I are back in our comfy office on the 8th floor of Fine Arts. It's very neat to look back at last week and reminisce on the craziness of it all. We are so appreciative to Murray State for sending us and couldn't have had a better experience. We want to thank each and every one of you who have been following our journey! We hope that we've kept you informed and entertained! Be sure to watch Roundabout U January 24-31 (check our website for you local listing) for the full coverage of our trip to Washington, DC. You can also check out our YouTube page for all of the stories and video diaries.
Well folks, this is my final video blog post. Please forgive the interesting inflection, as lack of sleep severely impacts my voice, haha. Tomorrow, you can check back for my final thoughts on the trip and you'll find links to the packages we sent to the local news stations. Enjoy!
My deepest apologies for the hiatus. Video upload issues and late night events kept me from getting much done other than what was necessary for the news stations and Roundabout U back home. I am working on my final video diary which should get posted later tonight! Shasta and I had about five hours of sleep in two days when we left DC this morning. We are back with Stan's sister, Ilene, in Winchester, Virginia after a SHORT stop at Arlington National cemetary. As soon as I got here, I feel fast asleep. It's amazing what a nap can do for your body! I really felt for Shasta and Chris (they guy back home receiving our uploaded files at 3 am to complete the next episode of Roundabout) because they were up nearly all night sending and receiving files on an overloaded internet system. I stayed up as much as I could to help Shasta but I think I got an extra hour of sleep. The issues we had were completely unpredicted, but she and Chris are my heroes for making it all happen despite the difficulties. Nevertheless, my belly is full of spaghetti-this italian girl's favorite comfort food. I'm downing the Mountain Dew to chug through this last video and am anxious to jump back into bed for a full night's rest. Tomorrow, I'll tackle BlackBoard...any professors out there want to give me a break on assignments? No? Okay, then. It's back to [home]work for me! Stan, if you read this, we have a few surprises for you!
The Kentucky Bluegrass Ball. More to come from Inauguration day!!
Obviously, the Inauguration ceremony took place today. I will post video tomorrow. Crowds were unbelievable. I mean it-truly unfathomable. If you watched any media coverage at all, you know what I'm talking about. It was unreal to be amongst the crowd. I got some great still shots. There were countless photo opportunities. I am sorely disappointed in Americans today. Though they rallied in to usher "a president of peace and hope," they trashed the beautiful city of Washington, DC. Where there are millions of people, there are thousands of coffee cups, newspapers, kleenex, chip bags, and candy bar wrappers. Perhaps it was lack of trash cans, perhaps it was the lazy American...but it was disappointing to see the streets littered. Nevertheless, today was a historic day. Our first African American President. And surely you heard about Ted Kennedy-the poor guy. Shasta and I had snuck into the parade boundary and were very excited about getting footage. But after hours in the cold due to an early morning and super cold temperatures, the camera batteries were draining quickly and our appendages were near frozen. Fun fact: Rhode Island State Police have awesome uniforms. Go check it out. I PROMISE you'll see another video tomorrow!
Katie takes the trip of a lifetime to Obama Inauguration celebration
Murray State University student Katie DeCillo will be one of an estimated four million people to travel to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Barack Obama's Inauguration on Jan. 20. DeCillo, a sophomore electronic media major from Murray, along with Shasta O'Neal, electronic media specialist from MSU’s Broadcast Media Services office, will take in the sights and sounds of the nation’s capitol during this special time.
DeCillo and O'Neal will blend the inauguration of the United States’ first African American president with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial and the birthday of President George Washington. The duo will work together to post daily video blogs from DeCillo focusing on the experience of being in Washington while history is being made.
They are set to attend the Kentucky on the Potomac party on Sunday and the Bluegrass Ball on Monday where they will mingle with politicians and other Kentucky notables.
Key stops may include the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. In addition to that, they will stake out the Inaugural Parade from Matt Hunter’s sports bar, Penn Quarters.
Watch the MSU homepage at www.murraystate.edu for “Murray State University Goes to the Inauguration” postings.
WPSD-TV in Paducah, Ky., and KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, Mo., also plan to use DeCillo’s blog in part of their inauguration coverage.
