lagrimas de felicidad

Coming home from work, after a week of sick leave was a strange trip. I am still dealing with the nasty illness, bronchitis--but, it's far better than it was.

I was sifting through the artists on my iPod and found Joesph Arthur and went with it (there's only one song by him on there). It's "Echo Park" and it's crazy romantic and haunting and shwoooooomp! it took me to another time and place and boom! there's lagrimas dripping from my eyes. As my chest aches and burns from the bronch (yeah, it really smarts, especially when my body makes contact with the brutal cold) I feel overwhelmed, emotionally, all of a sudden.

I had been disconnected from the real world for so damn long, I hadn't listened to music on headphones in an *age*, it seemed. Hearing that lush string arrangement and those words and that melody that makes me think of how scary and intoxicating it is to fall in love------------I was moved to tears.

And, although I have been so removed from my reality, I had also been soaking up the news like a hyper connected-version of the News Junkie that I have always been. (I still can't believe there are people who choose *no* news source in their lives. It scares me. Especially in the times we live in---fuck, what I'm I saying? there's never an excuse! Inform yerself, Empower yerself! Please!)

In a weird way, I feel like I am more in touch with what's going on in the world than usual. It probably sounds warped to feel that way when I've essentially been a prisoner of illness in my own home...but it's just more heightened sense of major (and some minor) happenings in the world in these *clash*-fueled times. I am all about the NPR, CNN, PBS, Keith Olbermann, The Times, Charlie Rose, etc, etc. And of course Our Man, Mr. Obama is everywhere. A leader, a true-blue fucking *leader* for ANYone who wants to Vote for Change. And, of course, it's so blood-pumpingly, heart-thumpingly exciting. And there's "Si, Se Puede" ("Yes. We. Can.") buzzing around in my head ever since it came from his beautiful mouth and hit my ears and my heart.

I see the Ron Paul sign in the yard in Uptown and shake my head and smile and I see the Obama '08 sign we have propped up in our window for all to see and wonder who saw it today. I get excited. It's partly cuz there's that buzz in the air, everywhere. But at that moment it was also the Kinks on my headphones. And, sometimes, when the music hits you, it ALL hits you.

PS and can I just TELL you: it's so damn nice to feel this much joy and optimism when it's the saddest month of all (full of sickness and depression and brrrrrrrrr COLD)