I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.

For the record, I crossed Sarah Palin off my sample ballot. That made me feel better.

I also translated for a lady who could speak Absolutely. No. English. What. So. Ever. at the polling place. That made me feel not better.

And the free Starbucks was especially bitter (but yay for capitalism! yay for marketing ploys to get people to come in and buy stuff! you go, Starbucks!).

BUT

He who sits in the heavens laughs.

And I am happy to know that.

On another note (???), here is a stanza that is one of a handful of things that I'll take away from studying Spanish poetry for the last month.

I suppose you could apply it to the life of a nation.

Juventud, divino tesoro,
¡ya te vas para no volver!
Cuando quiero llorar, no lloro . . .
y a veces lloro sin querer.

Roughly translated:

Youth, divine treasure,
You have gone never to come again!
When I want to cry, I don't cry . . .
And sometimes, without wanting to, I do.

Rubén Darío, “Canción de otoño en primavera”