Note: All times are Central.

10:57 a.m. — I was too young to really understand when I saw the last inauguration, but listening to Vice President Joe Biden's vows, I'm actually somewhat impressed with how thorough they are without being wordy. Good job, Founding Fathers. And gathering some of the best musicians in the world to play after is a nice touch. The crowd doesn't look too excited anymore (you can listen to classical music from anywhere; you don't need to stand in the cold for that), but it makes for good TV. And they still get hearty applause.

11:05 a.m. — False take! Gotta wait for him to finish, Barack. Oh, but he's in a hurry to take this oath. So help me God. But now Barack Hussein Obama is our 44th president. That's it. No more Bush; the age of change has begun.

11:10 a.m. — Bush gets polite applause, some quiet laughter. But Obama knows how to speak, and he has the charisma to carry this off. Never since MLK has there been someone who can command the attention and loyalty of a crowd like this. Hope, change, denounce the rich and claim the working class as your own. Gettysburg? And another tie to Lincoln. Even though I didn't support Obama in his candidacy, it's impossible to doubt now that he will be a good president. With a strong cabinet behind him, he will fix the economy, the education system, health care. We may not see complete domination of alternative energy by the end of his presidency as he proclaims, but you can be sure there will be change.

11:20 a.m. — Barack Obama may possibly be the best speech writer of our age. I'm awed how he's managed to bring in the problems in the Middle East and the economy, and keep his message still so clear. Hope. Help. And he's right, about everything. "The world has changed, and we must change with it." Even if, in four years, he has not brought this nation forward, I can't imagine anyone listening to this speech and doubting that he will have done his best to try. I can't get over quite how charismatic he is. But maybe it's not charisma. Perhaps it's simple honesty. He means what he's saying, that much is clear. And I have hope for the next four years, because despite my personal dislike of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama will be a good president.

11:30 a.m. — Fox has put on an analyst. Less than a minute after Obama finished speaking. If the American people can't fully digest that speech in 10 seconds, Fox, I highly doubt you can do it much better. If the Internet weren't so jammed up from every student on campus streaming this, I'd switch to CNN. As a side note, this poet, Elizabeth Alexander, isn't much of a speaker. A good poem, perhaps, but it's lost its flow in her speaking.