Pride, Pomp, and Circumstance

I managed to get through high school literature class without having to wrestle with Shakespeare, not even once. To me, Romeo and Juliet are simply characters from a movie I’ve never seen. Hamlet is another name for a small village. Othello is a board game I played as a teenager. But hey, maybe I should be a fan of Shakespeare. After all, he gets the credit for penning the phrase “pomp and circumstance”.

It’s true – “Pride, pomp, and circumstance (of glorious war!)” is a line from Shakespeare’s play Othello, written way back in 1603.  Somewhere in the hundreds of years since, “Pomp and circumstance” became the name of the musical march we all associate with graduation ceremonies.  But for today’s purposes, pomp and circumstance (or “P&C” if you will) means “formal and impressive ceremonies or activities”.  And Monday’s presidential inauguration ceremony was the perfect example of that.

I am a big fan of American P&C.  Without it the inauguration ceremony would’ve been nothing but mundane repeat-after-me oaths.  With it you get your heart fill-er-upped with pride.  Monday’s ceremony was replete with red, white, and blue decor.  American flags were everywhere.  The guests of honor were escorted to their seats by men and women in splendid uniforms.  The cannons nearby boomed over and over when the oaths were completed.  And for my American dollars, nothing says pomp and circumstance like those patriotic anthems.

U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club

Having spent most of my years in Colorado Springs, “America the Beautiful” is close to my heart because its lyrics were born from the top of nearby Pikes Peak.  All credit to Carrie Underwood for her performance of its first verse on Monday, enduring technical difficulties to sing a cappella.  Then there was the charismatic Rev. Lorenzo Sewell, embellishing his prayer of gratitude with the opening lines of “My Country Tis of Thee”.   And you’d be forgiven for shedding a tear during the soaring “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, belted out by the men and women of the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club (and earning a standing ovation).

Macchio

But I’m forgetting one more anthem.  Or should I say, I can’t forget the one more.  Yes, Christopher Dean Macchio (“America’s tenor”) sang “The Star Spangled Banner” to close out the inauguration ceremony, but he also performed another anthem to kick things off and I’m still humming it today.  Why, I ask myself, have I never heard “O, America” before?

“O, America” – go figure – was written by an Irishman.  Brendan Graham penned the lyrics into a big hit for the group “Celtic Woman”.  You’d think the words would be from the perspective of someone overseas but “O, America” is clearly about someone here… and someone now.  Have a listen and I think you’ll agree.  In the words of Othello, “O, America” is all about “pride, pomp, and circumstance”.  This week I am filled with all three.

LEGO Notre-Dame de Paris – Update #2

(read about the start of this “church service” in Highest Chair)

I’m glad I remembered my antiperspirant today.  Bags 2 and 3 – of 34 bags of pieces – encouraged sweat, tested patience, and made me realize my fingers are anything but nimble.   My hands are still shaking after the hour and change it took to build this section.

We started by tiling the cathedral floor.  Look closely – those black and white pieces aren’t all the same shape or orientation.  I installed one wrong and almost needed pliers to get it back out.  Imagine if you made the same mistake on the floor of the real Notre-Dame.  You’d get fired for wasting priceless marble!

Having said that, the floor was just a warm up for the colonnade that now rises up around the altar.  It is made from tiny, tiny pieces!  I think LEGO should invent special gloves that a) allow you to easily grasp these little guys while b) protecting your fingers from their sharp edges.  Pressing them into place again and again can be painful!  Those beige column supports you see on the tile floor left little round dents in my fingertips.

Finally, notice the repetitive structure of the colonnade, like a circle of rocket ships ready to launch.  LEGO shows you how to build one of these vertical elements (each one is about twenty pieces) and then goes, “Okay Dave, do that fourteen more times”.  The Grand Piano was also tough but I wouldn’t say it was repetitive.  Notre-Dame de Paris has found a new way to test my patience.

Running build time: 1 hour 37 min.

Total leftover pieces: 5

Some content sourced from the Irish Central article, “Irishman’s song ‘O America’ performed at Trump’s inauguration”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

26 thoughts on “Pride, Pomp, and Circumstance”

  1. It is a pleasure to read about the Inauguration from someone who isn’t bashing the President. We watched most of it and were so impressed with Carrie Underwood. She said, “If you know the words, help me out here” and that is what the audience did. It was such an affirmation of so many of the positive things that were said before she sang.

    Five leftover pieces! I always have leftover pieces too. I think LEGO throws in extras of the little pieces because those are the ones that can easily get lost!

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    1. I am a big fan of Carrie Underwood because of her poise and humility in an oft self-serving industry. She also appears to put family first, no matter how big her bubble of fame becomes. IMHO she was the perfect “name” choice for the inauguration, and said she accepted the invite because, first and foremost, this was a unique opportunity to serve her country. As for the LEGO, I agree with your reasoning behind the extra pieces. All five of them are among the smallest so far, and are the type that could easily run away when I’m not looking.

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    1. Because the ceremony was moved indoors, it had an unexpectedly intimate feel and the music was even more powerful. The entire ceremony was just over an hour. It was nice to see no one part of it was any longer than it needed to be.

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  3. I wasn’t trying to by Anonymous. I just forgot to use the WordPress button at the bottom of the Comment. WordPress has created a divide between products… so if I want to walk through your front door I have to push the ‘W’ doorbell first. If I forget, then I am a stranger peering through a window…

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    1. I think the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” should be played more often. I wouldn’t have even thought to include it in the inauguration ceremony (which sort of underscores my opinion about it). There may not be a more powerful American anthem out there, especially when sung by the men and women who choose to defend our country.

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    1. I’m surprised how quickly my Notre-Dame de Paris model is coming along (even though thousands of pieces still lay before me). The colonnade is already showing the finished exterior wall of the east end of the cathedral. The tile floor is as finished as the floor will get. But I best keep my confidence at bay. I know the most challenging aspects of the build are yet to come.

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    1. I choose to pace myself, Neil, to enjoy the build as long as possible. I plan on getting through just a few bags of pieces a week. That’ll put me on track to complete the cathedral in late spring. Thanks for keeping an eye on the progress.

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    1. The architect in me wishes this version of Notre-Dame de Paris were less rudimentary (ex. stained glass windows are simply clear LEGO pieces), but that would mean adding thousands more pieces to the thousands of pieces I already have. With that in mind, LEGO’s level of detail suits me just fine.

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  8. Great write up of the Inauguration. Agree, Christopher Dean Macchio had a beautiful voice, Carrie Underwood too. How in the world did they have technical difficulties! Loved the US Naval Academy Glee Club sings ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” WOW to your starting build of Notre Dame’s colonnade. I was thinking you had sweat/shaky fingers as you built the alter – LOL – needing to get it “right!” God is looking down as you build. Thrilled to see that the designer took care on the inside of the cathedral even though it will be covered once completed. Great job.

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    1. The “technical difficulty” of the “America the Beautiful” performance revealed Carrie was going to sing with a soundtrack instead of the live orchestra that was right there in the room. Why? The orchestra was used for the other anthems, so why not this one? As for the LEGO, yes, it was hard to keep everything I’d already built intact as I worked in such a tight, sacred space. Maybe my nerves were tested because I was being watched (from above 😉 ).

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  9. I agree the clergy messages and the music were outstanding at the inauguration, as is the Celtic Woman version of “O, America”. About the Lego project… I’m pretty sure I would fail in both the patience and steady hands departments, so, Yay you!!

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    1. I didn’t realize there’s a “Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies” but I applaud them for a first-class ceremony that wasn’t any longer than it needed to be. As for the LEGO, I am working with anything but steady hands. It’s a good thing I never became a surgeon!

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  10. I did not watch the inauguration Dave. I don’t have TV and would have only caught snippets on social media, so I passed. Notre Dame’s build will encompass the rest of your Winter months for sure … for you, with your architecture background, it is a pleasant whiling away of your time. You could try using the blue nitrile gloves for putting the Lego pieces in. They fit very snug, like a second skin, but offer protection to your fingertips as well as dexterity to work with the tiny pieces.

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    1. D.C.’s annual Independence Day celebration is probably as patriotic as the presidential inauguration ceremonies, but I can’t think of another event to rival the level of P&C. Maybe the Army-Navy football game. Maybe the dedication of a new federal monument. The oath-taking is a formality; it’s the rest of the ceremony that resonates with me. Thanks for the tip on gloves for the LEGO project. If I continue to “feel” this way I’ll give them a try 🙂

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      1. I didn’t know that D.C. had a big Independence Day celebration. I was there over Labor Day weekend years ago and so it was just busy with tourists. Three days and I’m sure I didn’t see all of the Smithsonian museums and never made it to the zoo either. Yes, do try the blue nitrile gloves Dave because it will help. I use them for handling cleaning products as I have sensitive skin, but they are great for opening the camera door on my digital compact camera. That door slides open and up and it should have lines or some type of grip to slide open the door that has the battery and photo card inside, but it is smooth and I can’t open it. The gloves grip it perfectly and save the day!

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  11. I teared up several times during the inauguration ceremony, and you mentioned all three of them. One, when Carrie invited the audience to sing with her, and in a UNITED voice, they did. The second time was that choral rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and the third time, the rousing performance of our national anthem by Christopher Dean Macchio. There’s nothing like a powerful song to instill pride, stout-heartedness, and resolve! / Your LEGO Notre Dame is going to be amazing Dave! I like your idea for special gloves, or at least finger protectors. (LEGO, are you listening/reading?!) I wonder if finger cots are thick enough to help?

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    1. I like your point about Carrie’s performance, Nancy. She could’ve kept the singing to herself, but including the audience could be seen as symbolic. I also wonder why we don’t hear the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” more often. I’d argue it’s as powerful/patriotic as our national anthem, especially when sung by a choir.

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  12. I missed the inauguration, sadly, but my Mrs caught the whole thing. Now that I have read this, I am wishing I had watched. Also, this was the first time I’ve heard O America. What a beautiful song.

    I could certainly see how those supports in the floor could be thumb-killers! I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

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