It's the day of New Year's Eve and I'm listening to sleepy Jazz. The music rings out through my apartment, wistful, and I stretch one of those full-bodied stretches that reaches down into the raw substance of my being. I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower, watching as the water begins to steam. I strip down and step in under the water and let my thoughts drown. 

When I resurface, I notice a stream of water running down my right bicep. The stream is about the size of a vein, but it pulses too quickly and writhes with too much purpose to be a vein. Still, I feel as though I am bursting with some hidden power, like a super hero (or villain maybe).

Eventually my sense of responsibility interrupts my concentration and I shut the shower off. I've taken a twenty-five minute shower. When I realize the time, I rush; clothes, hair, teeth- pause to look in the mirror- coat, out the door (lock the door), lock the door, to the train and finally to work.