Tales from the Trail

Barack and Michelle Obama will be making the rounds of the inaugural balls on Tuesday night after his swearing-in ceremony, and if tradition is any guide, they will take some time to dance the night away.

So USA Today asked President-elect Obama in an interview whether he had been practicing his dancing in between his work on his inaugural address.

He joked that his wife has been ribbing him a bit about his dancing.

“Michelle keeps knocking my dancing in public in ways that have hurt my feelings, so I probably should practice just ’cause she’ll tease me mercilessly if I step on her toes,” he said.

REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (Tango competition in Buenos Aires)

If the prospect of walking for miles in icy temperatures and heavy security is giving you second thoughts about attending the inauguration, Barack Obama has a suggestion.

Watch it on TV.

Or the Internet.

Or better yet, organize an inaugural ball in your neighborhood.

“You’ve probably heard the reports that unprecedented numbers of Americans are planning to join us in Washington,” Obama said Wednesday in a statement released by Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009.

“That will mean long lines, a tough time getting around, and most of all, a lot of walking on what could be a very cold winter day,” Obama warned.