Today
So, on the way home from work I learn that the Dalai Lama is in town and will be speaking to the public after receiving the Congressional Gold Medal (I think that's the one). So my decision comes down to sleep or his Holiness.
Well, I compromised. I took a short (2-3hr) nap and then headed out to the west lawn of the Capitol. It was rather busy there and I watched on a jumbotron as important people spoke of the Dalai Lama and then watched as his Holiness himself spoke. After that there was some Tibetan music and a speech by Richard Gere.
Then the Dalai Lama came down the stairs from the Capitol building and there were some horns and some dancing and I decided that I needed to go home. I wanted to stay to listen to him speak outside but a few factors kept me from doing that. I was really tired. I also had forgotten to grab anything to eat before heading out. It also seemed that when he finally came outside, there was going to be more performances before he finally spoke. And this would end up online for later viewing too. The final thing that made me not care if I stayed was that you couldn't really see anyone up on the 'stage' due to the setup of the television cameras.
The 'stage' was on one of the landings and set back a little. In front of that you had a raised platform where all the television cameras were. This effectively kept those on the lawn from seeing anyone up there. So, since I would only be seeing the Dalai Lama on the jumbotron (if I could get to a spot to see it through the trees) and I had seen him walk down the stairs, I decided to head home and get some rest and food.
Overall it was a fun experience. I learned a bit about the Dalai Lama and Tibet. I saw quite a few different types of Tibetan garb in the audience. I heard some interesting music. Aside: They have music that praises the Dalai Lama or simply gives him a message, and it is popular music. I can't really see one of the big music groups in the US having popular songs that praise the President. Any president. End aside. I wish I could have seen the Dalai Lama more closely or heard his speech outside in person, but I did have a good time there.