Earlier today, members of the Online Gargoyle staff live-blogged Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. Below are links to their individual blogs, followed by the full text of each blogger's entries. Check out their reactions as a new era in American history began.

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Isaac Chambers

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Jason He

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Lauren Piester

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Rachel Skoza

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Lor Sligar

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Lizzy Warner

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Will Fernandez

Inauguration 2009: Thoughts from Katy Metcalf

Note: All times in the entries below are Central.

Senior Isaac Chambers

10:56 a.m. — Aretha Franklin sings "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."

10:57 a.m. — Biden takes oath, now our 47th vice president of the United States of America.

11 a.m. — Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, Anthony McGill play ensemble. Very classy. The audience is silent.

11:05 a.m. — Chief Justice John Roberts has given the oath of office, Obama is now sworn in as our 44th president of the United States of America. It took awhile to get through that, but I don't blame him– I'd be nervous too!

11:08 a.m. — Obama begins his speech. If it's anything like his past orations, it's going to be a historic speech.

11:09 a.m. — Obama is wearing a red tie with a Half Windsor knot, his personal preference of knot style.

11:11 a.m. — The speech is very serious. It started off kind of slow, but it's getting faster and more dynamic.

11:13 a.m. — Obama is making an appeal to national dedication and service. I think this is going to be a motif of his presidency. In the words of a former president, "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

11:15 a.m. — Obama talks about renewable, clean energy. I think a new energy policy will be key to the economic recovery.

11:16 a.m. — American unity. I notice Obama's choice of words transcends politics and instead appeals to patriotism, unity, and shared goals.

11:19 a.m. — World unity. Obama makes a global call to reconcile and come together– peace between cultures, races, and other countries.

11:22 a.m. — "A willingness to find meaning in something greater than ourselves." Obama is again stressing the important of service, community, and working together. I really like this call to service and focus on unity. Maybe this is too idealistic, but I'd like to think we can all become a little less selfish.

11:26 a.m. — Obama has just concluded his speech. The speech writing was masterful and the delivery was epic.

11:32 a.m. — Elizabeth Alexander is reading her poem. The content of the poem is good, but the delivery is a bit abrupt and stunted.

Senior Jason He

11:07 a.m. — Obama's sworn in and met with huge applause. He seemed a little nervous during the oath (not too surprisingly, I guess, considering the situation). Interestingly, he included his middle name during the oath — something he didn't draw too much attention to during his campaign.

11:10 a.m. — Obama starts his speech with a gracious nod to President Bush. Certainly an honorable gesture, and there was a decent amount of applause in the audience, too.

11:13 a.m. — The speech is going well, although not unlike his campaign speeches in both style and content.

11:17 a.m. — George W. Bush is shown on screen, listening intently.

11:20 a.m. — Appropriately, the theme of the speech for the last few minutes has been world unity.

11:25 a.m. — Lots of uses of anaphora scattered throughout Obama's speech — always cuing a lot of applause.

11:30 a.m. — Just finished a great speech. We're hearing someone recite a poem now (not sure what her name is). Pretty good but not as inspirational as Obama's speech — it just goes to show how incredible Obama's speeches and his delivery of them are.

11:36 a.m. — People are gradually leaving. Still, though, there remains a crowd of unprecedented size.

Senior Lauren Piester

10:59 a.m. — Hey, VP Biden just kissed a guy! How cute. Hey, we also have a new VP!

11 a.m. — The only one of these musicians I've heard of is Yo-Yo Ma. He was on "Arthur" once. I think perhaps he was portrayed as a mouse? Or a dog? I don't remember. But he played his cello. I don't remember why.

11:04 a.m. — This music is pretty, but boring.

11:05 a.m. — Hello Chief Justice what's-his-name.

11:06 a.m. — What if Obama had said he wasn't ready? Wow. I would be so incredibly nervous if I were him. He is nervous. He screwed it up a bit. That's OK. I have bad short-term memory, too.

11:07 a.m. — And we officially have a new president. And a new first lady in an ugly yellow outfit. Yay.

11:09 a.m. — Obama's thanking Bush, who looks very sad and lost and lonely. I feel kind of bad for him.

11:10 a.m. — The camera shows some audience members. Nice earmuffs, lady! They go quite smashingly with your hat.

11:11 a.m. — Yeah! Hope over fear! Obama is good at making inspiring speeches. But now he's quoting the Bible. Huh.

11:12 a.m. — There are so many people! I wish I was there. But I don't, because all those people look so incredibly cold.

11:14 a.m. — As he talks about how prosperous and powerful our country is relative to the rest of the world, I can't help but think about our massive failure of an economy, and the fact that it's taken us 200 years to elect a leader who isn't an old white man. And it makes me fear for the state of our world.

11:17 a.m. — What a lovely out-of-focus shot of some people's hats. Oh, Hulu cameraman. You are so artsy.

11:18 a.m. — Bush looks downright bored.

11:19 a.m. — Dear Barack Obama, I like your speaking voice. Love, Lauren

11:20 a.m. — That little girl in the bright pink hat and scarf who is spinning around is so bored. Or maybe she's cold. Or both.

11:22 a.m. — Random audience shot. Dude, wake up. You're at the freaking presidential inauguration, probably the most exciting thing that's ever going to happen to you and you're asleep! That's not very patriotic.

11:24 a.m. — Yeah, bring home the troops! I approve.

11:28 a.m. — Separation of church and state! And inspiring speeches!

11:29 a.m. — Thanks for the recap, dude.

11:30 a.m. — Woo, we've just witnessed history!

11:32 a.m. — Wow, nice hat!! Also, Michelle Obama looks really mad at this crazy-lipstick lady. I missed when they said who she was.

11:33 a.m. — On the brink. On the brim. On the cusp. Nice thesaurus skills!

11:34 a.m. — Ok, I'm sorry, Rev. Lowery, I understand you're old and you're probably a very nice, intelligent, important man, but I can't understand a word of your speech.

11:35 a.m. — Since I don't know what's going on anymore, I'm done. I don't know who most of those other people were, but Obama's speech was very good. I'm very much looking forward to the next four years. Good luck, Mr. President.

Senior Rachel Skoza

11:03 a.m. — Right now I'm being put to sleep by Yo-Yo Ma and other musicians of sorts performing a very relaxing symphony. Come on, it's time for the excitement!

OK, there we go — Barack Obama JUST swore in to the presidential office.

For many reasons, most of which I'm not sure of at this point, a rushing feeling of relief just swept through my body. He's supposed to fix America. He's supposed to be our "savior." Most Americans have mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness; can President Obama really do all the things we think and hope he will?

In the debates in the previous months, Obama continuously said that he's "not a miracle worker." It's true; Barack Obama is just a human being like you and me.

11:08 a.m. — President Obama's inauguration speech has just begun. Obama's stern yet wise face explains the long path ahead of us; he is reassuring yet does not exaggerate or compensate. Now we are really getting down to the serious stuff.

He tells us of our journey, as he calls it. What I think most Americans don't realize is that our problems won't be fixed immediately. It will take time; it is a process.

11:15 a.m. — "We must pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off," says our president.

I don't mean to sound solemn, but President Obama is breaking the hard truth to us right now. America is in a slump. I think Obama's job will be mostly to patch up, restore, and dig our nation out of the deep hole it has dug itself.

It will be some time before we can move forward; we need to get ourselves in line with things before we can get ahead of them.

11:19 a.m. — I have a short attention span. I have a bad tendency to lose focus during speeches. Like I just did right now during Obama's speech. But I just have this feeling that I've heard all of this before in the presidential debates. Energy, economy, health care, Iraq … same-old same-old. All promises. We wait to see if they will be broken or not, because so much or our future and our children's future depend on them. Am I being too pessimistic? How am I supposed to react to all of these ideas, promises, and plans?

11:24 a.m. — I would just like to point out that I actually like President Obama's voice. For some reason we have always been able to point out annoying attributes of political figures. From Sarah Palin's chipmunk voice to John McCain's stone-like movements and facial expressions to Joe Biden's constant use of the third-person, we always do it.

But Obama has nothing to make fun of or to be irritated about. His voice is very calming, attention-grabbing, stern, and assured. His facial expressions are always very stoic. Maybe this is a sign …

11:34 a.m. — Can anyone tell me what the heck Rev. Lowery is saying in his speech?!?!

Hey, wow — everyone in the crowd is beginning to leave now …

11:35 a.m. — Congrats, President Obama! Congrats America!

Senior Lor Sligar

10:58 a.m. — Biden just got sworn in! Technically do we have half of the new presidential team and half of the old? Weird.

10:59 a.m. — Musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, Anthony McGill, and Itzhak Perlman play. Ladeedaaa.

11:05 a.m. — Everyone stands up for the presidential oath of office … Eek!

11:06 a.m. — Obama is called "Senator" for the last time … and then "Mr. President!" Yay!

11:06 a.m. — Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that yellow outfit of the first lady's.

11:07 a.m. — The streaming video player (on Hulu.com) struggles because so many people are watching this historic event all over the world.

11:08 a.m. — The cameras pan the massive audience, and countless cell phone cameras are seen taking snapshots of today.

11:08 a.m. — Obama begins his monumental, historic, sure-to-be-memorized-for-elementary-history-classes-and-quoted-for-years-to-come speech by thanking George W. Bush for his service, whom the cameras then focus on for a few awkward moments.

11:10 a.m. — His speech is of hope, of a future, though it may hard to attain. Obama says, "We have chosen hope over fear."

11:11 a.m. — Make a wish! And Obama's words do just that. With a refreshing air, he talks of changes in the world of politics and a better and brighter future.

11:12 a.m. — I don't see how anyone can claim that Obama is a radical and anti-patriot. His words are about how everything we are, everything America has ever been, and how we have reached where we are through trial and tribulation. He doesn't glance over the economic crisis; he talks about "remaking America," a sentiment that people have been needing to hear — and what better opportunity to reassure the public about their choice in him? He inspires confidence in the future and has a plan to make us better as a country, and happier as a people.

11:15 a.m. — "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted underneath them."

11:16 a.m. — "The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."

11:17 a.m. — Stutter! Skippity skip-skip (the streaming video, that is). There are so many people watching!

11:19 a.m. — "We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people."

11.20 a.m. — "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers."

11:22 a.m. — "The world has changed, and we must change with it."

11:22 a.m. — The cameras pan over Naval officers as Obama talks about retired military, and the selflessness of individual people that affects the outcome of our entire society.

11:26 a.m. — I hope he wrote this speech himself. Even if not, he's an amazing speech-giver.

11:27 a.m. — And he wraps up, just 20 minutes after he began. As I said earlier, that speech will go quoted for decades, watched in history classes, and memorized for speech and debate courses.

11:28 a.m. — Obama hugs his family and Biden.

11:29 a.m. — Fox News is talking over the next speaker, Elizabeth Alexander, a poet in a red Palinesque outfit reading a poem she wrote. We cut back to her poem after missing the beginning. Stupid TV coverage.

11:30 a.m. — Continuous panning of the audience, and back to Alexander as she presents her poem.

11:31 a.m. — Some dude has "OBAMA" written in rhinestones on the front of his hat. Yay!

11:32 a.m. — In the same vein as Obama's speech, Alexander propagates hope in her verse.

11:33 a.m. — The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery comes to the front to deliver the benediction, whatever that is.

11:33 a.m. — What is he saying? Oh well. It sounds inspirational.

11:34 a.m. — The cameras go to the crowd, a lot of whom seem to be leaving? Still, there are plenty still entranced by the mood of amazement, which I can only imagine is even stronger in D.C. today.

11:35 a.m. — "Help us make choices on the side of love, not hate." I approve.

11:36 a.m. — Barack has his eyes closed, entranced by Lowery's words of hope.

11:38 a.m. — Camera to Al Gore, who is chuckling as the reverend makes a few jokes. Although he was a bit mumbly, Lowery was a really good speaker, expressing the same sentiments in a new way.

11:39 a.m. — A Naval choir sings the national anthem, and the audience stands. The crowd sings along, en masse. Obama and his family, of course, sing also.

11:40 a.m. — Wow, I just realized how decked out the White House is! Awesome! Oh, and look at those cameramen on that huge tower. Weird.

11:40 a.m. — The presidential party and their families exit the stage, and Obama greets people as he exits, Bush close behind.

11:41 a.m. — Shots of the audience waving at the camera.

11:42 a.m. — Hillary Clinton looks really happy!

11:42 a.m. — OK, so Fox News is stupid. The anchor says "the speech was OK" but "no phrases jumped off the page." I disagree! That speech was AWESOME.

11:43 a.m. — There is dancing in the streets, and tons of music behind the droning of the Fox people.

11:43 a.m. — Bill Clinton also looks pretty happy! His outfit is kind of preppy compared to Obama's classic suit and tie. Also, why isn't he with Hillary? Oh well.

11:46 a.m. — Shot of McCain! Awkward alert!

11:47 a.m. — More shots of the crowd, and more incessant blah from the Fox speakers. I guess that's it for the inauguration!!

Well, congratulations! We have a new president, officially! Go No. 44!!

Senior Lizzy Warner

11:01 a.m. — Joe Biden was just sworn in. Although this is extremely exciting, it's simply a prelude to what everyone is looking for: when Obama is finally sworn in as president. Some may see the inauguration as simply a formality, because the votes have already been counted and we know who will be president. And I must say that I have to agree to some extent: The exciting part is when the votes are being counted. But, the difference between the election process and the campaigning versus the actual inauguration is the emotion. Politicians are known for their big cheesy grins, but when it's time for the inauguration the smiles seem sincere. It just kind of makes you want to smile, too.

11:06 a.m. — All right, so Obama just solemnly swore. He stumbled for a moment, but it really didn't matter. It sounds maybe a little stereotypical, but it just makes you feel so overwhelmingly excited. No more "Dubya." This is the beginning of a new generation, and I'm personally hoping he lives up to one of our best presidents, FDR.

11:09 a.m. — Obama lays it all out on the table. These are our crises. Nothing is going to change over night. I don't know how he does it, remaining so serious when all I would want to be doing is jump up and down, cry a few joyous tears. Dubya (also known as George W. Bush) doesn't look particularly moved, though this is the end of his career. But, the rest of the crowd carries so much enthusiasm for the moment that a brand new president finally stands to make his inaugural speech.

11:14 a.m. — Obama has always been seen as a great speaker, because he is. It's a little bewildering to think that when I grow up and have my own kids that the words he is saying right now will be in my children's history books. These quotes will be continually republished, and I'm just thankful for the invention of the Internet so that I can be miles away and yet still be watching so closely. I have to remember every little thing so that I am able to recall my own memories when, 20 years from now, some little girl asks me what it was like.

11:19 a.m. — I have not yet seen Obama's daughters, which may not be the important part of this historic moment, but I have constantly been thinking about them. These little girls, younger than I am, are going to have to drastically change their lives, living in the spotlight. They are the age of some of the children I babysit, but they will be forced to grow up and have the public eye constantly watching them. I thought tween years were bad enough without having a camera filming them and a few bodyguards to watch. All the while, though, this will be a part of their life that will constantly be embedded in their memories. How would you have liked to be making history before you can even drive?

11:22 a.m. — Some of the great things Obama has said that I hope to write down and paste up on my bedroom wall:

"America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

It's about "what you can build, not what you can destroy."

"We will extend our hand if you're willing to unclench your fist."

11:31 a.m. — I don't know how to explain it. I never consider myself a greatly patriotic person. I say the Pledge of Allegiance and I uphold the Constitution, but I never seem to feel particularly moved whenever the National Anthem is played at sporting events, and I dress in red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July but mainly because I'm excited for the fireworks. But, right now, I feel patriotic. I don't know why exactly, but the images of people waving their small flags and watching the speakers is just a very powerful statement.

Sophomore Will Fernandez

10:58 a.m. — Joe Biden takes his oath of office. Always interesting to watch the vice president (not elect anymore). He emits such confidence, and he really was an excellent choice for Barack Obama. Without his hard-nosed efforts on the ground campaign, I don't see how Obama would have been able to reach out as far as he did.

11:03 a.m. — All eyes of the crowd search for the one man they have come to see. By tooth and by nail, thousands and thousands look on and even more millions from home or wherever else are watching in on the oath of office. Here we go. Chief Justice John Roberts is giving the oath … and Barack Obama is now the 44th president of the United States.

11:07 a.m. — What a moment in history! As cheers ring across the crowd screaming "Obama," the new president stands strong and talks about this being a time when we as one people must stick together if we are to survive.

11:10 a.m. — Obama seems motivated, and he along with millions of others believe that he and his cabinet can confront and tackle these problems. We must work hard to solve these problems. It will not just be Barack, it has to be every single one of us to answer the problems of our time.

11:13 a.m. — Obama is mesmerizing when he speaks. He uses simple words and impeccable timing to answer the problems and needs of the people. He glows with confidence. Today I woke up feeling good about myself knowing that a confident, intelligent man with a plan is headed to the Oval Office. If you ever wanted to see an orator the likes of Cicero, today is your lucky day.

11:18 a.m. — Best point yet! Barack talks about being one with other countries, from the biggest powers to the smallest villages. Over the past eight years, the U.S. has been taken out of a role as a leader and has been warped into the vision of a bully that will not give back to the friends it has. We must change our reputation around the world if we want to have (dare I say it for pageant queens) world peace.

11:22 a.m. — God Bless America. Barack Obama now has one of the toughest burdens of all, and in due time we will see how much of his speech will come true. We must believe that he CAN do this, and I know that we as a people will be so much better than we were even just a few hours ago. Let us change this world together.

Sophomore Katy Metcalf

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.

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