the early bird and the late bird

Sometimes it pays to be the early bird. And it sure-as-hell sucks to be the late bird.

Let’s start with the latter, because it’s better to end on a high note (at least that’s what Hollywood tells me).

Next week, as anybody not living in a remote wilderness or in a self-imposed media blackout knows, is the inauguration of Barack Obama. And living in DC, there’s no shortage of events surrounding this event, from concerts to balls and everything in between.

And in this, I’ve struck out in securing tickets to the events I’d really like to attend. A fun concert at the Black Cat sold out a few days before I decided I wanted tickets, and a more festive, neighborhood ball sold out hours before I decided to dive into the world of tickets. I’m especially miffed about the latter, as it actually stands a chance of being an enjoyable dance party (festive attire vs. black tie, big band swing vs. big-name star power), and many of our friends will be in attendance. While there’s still a slim chance of scoring tickets to this party, I’m not holding my breath.

So my only planned inaugural event is the blockbuster concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. And yes, I plan to bundle up and enjoy hearing the various acts along with 500,000 of my closest friends – snow or no snow. After all, I’m a mountain man at heart, so a little cold and snow flurry action is no big deal.

Now for the good news: I managed to get myself up before 7:00 am to login and register for the Harpoon Brewery-to-Brewery Ride: a 149-mile journey from Harpoon’s brewery in Boston to their other brewery in east-central Vermont, taking place on June 20. Only 800 riders are allowed too participate, and they demand that all riders be in good enough shape to average 16 mph over the distance. I know I have that kind of speed in me, so it should be fun.

Sadly, my friend Jason waited until 7:45 to try and register and missed out, as all 800 places filled up fast. As with me and The Hill Ball, he has a slim chance of scoring an entry, but right now, it’s not necessarily in the cards for him.

So the early bird got the spoils this morning. Perhaps I should remember that for future events.