BoomerGirl Diary

President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle, appeared on a lengthy segment of "60 MInutes" last night. I was struck by how normal they both seemed. Normal, smart and articulate people (and clearly hot for one another) who are just starting to realize that their lives will never be normal again.

After outlining his strategy for the transition (national security first; the economy, second) and addressing the growing list of grave issues facing our country in the next four years, Obama was asked how his personal life had changed since the election. (If you missed it, you can catch the entire program here.)

He replied, "I mean, the loss of anonymity and this is not a complaint, this is part of what you sign up for. Being able to just wander around the neighborhood. I can't go to my old barber shop now. I've gotta have my barber come to some undisclosed location to cut my hair. You know, the small routines of life that keep you connected I think - some of those are being lost. One of the challenges I think that we're going to be wrestling with is how to stay pretty normal. Because they, and we said this before the campaign, and I believe this, actually think that we are as close to what normal folks go through, and what their lives are like, as just about anybody who's been elected president recently hanging onto that is something that's important."

Another adjustment the President-elect will have to make is to - say, it isn't so! - give up his BlackBerry, per White House rules. This story from the New York Times explains. Apparently, Mr. Obama is one of the many who are hopelessly addicted to his Crackberry. (I feel your pain, Mr. President-elect.) But due to e-mail security concerns and the Presidential Records Act, looks like the BlackBerry - and email, of any kind - will have to go.

And there's nothing normal about that!